Huge Snack Brand Makes Political Move That Has Many Calling for Boycott
A move by one of America’s largest snack companies is not winning any love from its customer base.
Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo., announced on Sept. 17 the snack maker will offer rainbow colored Cool Ranch Doritos to symbolize the gay pride flag in a special promotion to raise money for a homosexual youth organization. The company is introducing the rainbow Doritos, which include hues of green, blue, purple and red, on Sept. 20 at the Dallas Pride Event.
Many Frito-Lay consumers said on social media they are ready to move on to other snacks, lambasting the company for the move in numerous tweets . . .
@Doritos So long, #Doritos. It was nice knowing you.
Great idea, @fritolay. #LGBT is < 2% of population. Definitely worth the pandering.
— Thought Weasel (@ThoughtWeasel) September 17, 2015
The special snacks will not be sold in stores. They will be mailed to those who donate $10 or more to the It Gets Better Project on the non-profit’s website. The It Gets Better Project provides support for LGBT youth. The fundraising drive will end on Oct. 11. Consumers can also pledge support at the Doritos booth at the Dallas event to receive a bag of the brightly colored chips.
Ram Krishnan, Frito-Lay Chief Marketing Officer, said the effort demonstrates the company’s efforts to promote inclusion. He said the marketing campaign is in keeping with PepsiCo’s longstanding views on diversity. “We support equality for all and believe everyone has a right to be true to themselves and live an authentic life without fear of discrimination,” Krishnan said. (Read more from “Huge Snack Brand Makes Political Move That Has Many Calling for Boycott” HERE)
Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.
