Doritos appealed to the gaming community by giving consumers the chance to play against an esports superstar in a special gaming challenge. Consumers could register via QR code on Doritos packaging, and the matches were livestreamed for other consumers to watch on their mobile devices. The finalists who played against the esports star ultimately lost to him, but Doritos became an icon among its target audience as a result of the campaign.
Objective and Context:
The snacking category in China is very competitive. Brands are competing for shelf space and for consumer attention. Doritos wanted to stand out to its target audience, so the brand partnered with League of Legends and an esports superstar named Faker. Faker’s gaming prowess has made him famous among Chinese millennials. He is known as the Michael Jordan of League of Legends.
Target Audience:
Chinese gamers
Creative Strategy:
Doritos wanted to encourage its fans to “release their inner bold,” so the brand gave its customers the chance of a lifetime: to play against the unbeatable Faker. This approach would appeal to every Chinese gamer’s ambitious nature.
Overall Campaign Execution:
Doritos partnered directly with League of Legends to design a special challenge to attract gamers from all over the country to get the chance to compete against Faker. The brand released three videos promoting the challenge.
The rounds of play were broadcasted through Douyu, a popular mobile livestreaming platform for gamers. The tournament had thousands of rounds, and eventually a winning team emerged to compete in the Finals against Faker and his team. People from all over the country tuned in to watch the match live.
Mobile Execution:
Mobile was the point of entry to register for this competition. After scanning the QR code on the Doritos package, the consumer saw augmented reality content about the challenge and were able to register.
Additionally, the challenge was broadcast on the largest mobile livestreaming site, so consumers could watch the games wherever they were.
Thousands of players across China joined the challenge, resulting in a response rate 222 percent higher than the average esports challenge. Media ROI was 450 percent, and sales grew by 23 percent. Doritos became the highest selling snack of PepsiCo China.
The campaign was popular in the esports community. It resulted in 1.2 billion impressions and 23 million video views. On Baidu, the brand’s search index grew by 35 percent after the campaign.
Faker and his team were victorious, but the campaign was still successful because it gave Chinese millennials a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A special Doritos hand gesture (forming the Doritos shape with your fingers) became popular after fans saw Faker doing it during the games making the brand an icon.
