“The landscape is different,” admits James Wade, senior marketing director for Doritos. “But it’s a product that remains distinct and differentiated. When we talk to consumers, there’s just not a lot of alternatives that are like Doritos.”
Doritos is releasing its next “mega flavor,” as the brand calls it, developed by its culinary team that’s constantly searching for trending flavors that could be transformed into a popular salty snack.
The team landed on Sriracha, a chili sauce commonly associated with Thai and Vietnamese food that has become a grocery store staple. Red Sriracha is the most well-known and most popular version of the sauce, especially with Gen Z eaters.
“We’ve seen with Gen Z that it’s as popular as ketchup, but it’s not necessarily ‘trend forward’ to just launch another Sriracha,” Wade told CNN, adding that red Sriracha has “peaked” in popularity.
The Dorito’s team eventually landed on the yellow version, which is popular in multicultural areas like Koreatown in Los Angeles. Yellow Sriracha immediately felt “like some thing that can become something in a couple of years,” Wade said.
Wade described yellow Sriracha as a “little more complex” flavor than its red-colored counterpart, saying it’s a “little sweet, a little tangy.” It also appeals to younger eaters who might not want one-note, high intensity and spicy flavors” but still appreciate “layers and nuance.”
“We know it’s not well-known necessarily in the moment, but the folks who know it love it — and it works really well on a chip,” he said.
From there, Doritos decided using the yellow Sriracha name wasn’t going to evoke a “flavor experience if you don’t know what it is,” Wade said. The marketing team chose the word “golden” because it conveys the chip’s soft and sweet tasting notes, rather than “super spicy intense” flavor, he added.
