How Doritos’ ads helped the nacho find its place in India

In the late 1960s, Doritos made its debut in the U.S., relying on celebrity-led humour to win attention. Actor Avery Schreiber, as the brand’s comical ‘Cheese Master,’ helped popularise its flavoured tortilla chips and set the stage for what would become a culture-defining snack.

By the 2000s, Doritos had mastered the art of bold, fan-fuelled advertising. Its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest (2006–2016) invited consumers to create their own commercials, with winning entries airing during America’s biggest television event.

o take that boldness global, Doritos launched its first unified worldwide campaign in 2013, ‘For the Bold’. Spanning 37 countries, it moved away from localised packaging and messaging to present a single philosophy, that Doritos wasn’t just a snack, but fuel for those who live for the moment and break from the norm. By 2024, this evolved into For the Bold in Everyone, spotlighting unconventional heroes like grandmothers driving monster trucks and Britain’s oldest grime MCs, proving that boldness has no age or stereotype.

But when Doritos entered India in 2018, the challenge was unlike anything it had faced before. Here was a market defined by namkeen, chaat, and potato chips, where a cheese-flavoured, triangle-shaped tortilla chip was entirely unfamiliar. “When Doritos entered India, it wasn’t just introducing a snack—it was introducing an attitude rooted in bold self-expression,” saysAastha Bhasin, Marketing Director, Doritos, PepsiCo India. “The brand brought a new category to the Indian market with nacho chips.”

Instead of leaning on the brand’s global playbook of Super Bowl spectacle and user-generated humour, Doritos had to start with education. “In the early years, the focus was on sparking curiosity and familiarising consumers with tortilla chips—their unique taste and crunch,” Bhasin notes. Campaigns introduced bold global flavours, highlighted the signature corn-based texture, and encouraged consumers to try the ‘nacho experience.’

The brand began in urban markets, leveraging PepsiCo’s vast distribution network and launching flavours that struck a balance between novelty and familiarity. 

"Over time, Doritos shifted from being an imported novelty to becoming a part of India's mainstream snacking repertoire," Bhasin says.

Change in storytelling 

Once the brand had established its presence in the Indian market, it needed to pivot from awareness to expression.

"As familiarity grew, the opportunity was no longer just about explaining the product but about building a deeper cultural connection," Bhasin reflects. "That's where our shift to lifestyle storytelling came in. Guided by our For the Bold philosophy, we began positioning Doritos as more than a snack – as a symbol of confidence, originality, and self-expression."

This pivot, from explaining what to expressing why, marked Doritos' transformation in India. Bhasin explains that the brand began campaigns that reflected the voice of Indian youth: energetic, unapologetic, and driven by originality. This was where Doritos stopped simply translating its global playbook and started writing a distinctly Indian chapter.

Taking the experiential route first, the brand borrowed a page from its global “Crash the Super Bowl” playbook and reimagined it locally as the “Comic Con Crash.” 

At first, Dorios’ smallest pack was priced at ₹25 — a steep contrast to other chip brands offering ₹5 options. To widen its reach, the brand later introduced ₹10 packs, making the product more accessible to a larger consumer base.

To connect with a digital-first youth audience, Doritos launched campaigns ike offering free mobile data with packs and collaborating with other brands.

In 2020, Doritos launched #BlameItOnCrunch, inviting over 1,000 influencers to capture moments of disruption and blame them on Doritos' crunch effect. Celebrities like Abish Matthew and Saloni Gaur were a part of the campaign. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Saloni Gaur (@salonayyy)

That same year, Doritos introduced The Sizzlin’ Hot range, its first locally-inspired flavour line in India, tailored to Indian palates craving spice and familiarity. 

In 2021, Doritos partnered with Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan, bringing him as the brand’s first Indian brand ambassador for an interactive Instagram filter campaign called "Doritos BoldChoice," where users could choose the ending of a TV commercial by tilting their heads.

Kartik also featured in another ad, ‘Doritos ka CRUNCHnama’ using Doritos' crunch to gamify beach cleanup. Each time someone threw trash in a bin, he'd crunch a chip to mimic the sound. 

Globally, Doritos has made many localised flavour launches like seaweed-flavoured chips in Japan, spicy chicken wings flavour in Australia, grilled shrimp in Mexico and more. 

But recently, Doritos has taken a different approach, bringing authentically global flavours to India. "The launch of Cool Ranch and Jalapeño Salsa Mexicana reflects Doritos' strategic decision to bring two of its most iconic global flavours to Indian consumers," Bhasin explains. "The brand identified a growing appetite for authentic international taste experiences, particularly among young adult snackers who actively seek novelty and boldness."

This strategy acknowledges a crucial shift in Indian consumer behaviour. With rising disposable incomes, exposure to global food trends, and a young population constantly online, India has become one of the fastest-growing tortilla chip markets. "With increased exposure to travel and international experiences, Gen Z and young urban audiences have shown a strong preference for global iconic flavours," Bhasin notes.
Doritos’ journey in India captures how global brands adapt to unfamiliar markets, moving from explaining a product to building meaning around it. In the process, it highlights how local tastes and cultural nuances continue to shape the evolution of global brands in the country.