Doritos’ Brand Safety Meltdown: When Influencer Marketing Backfires

Imagine this: your favorite chip brand teams up with a popular influencer to spice up its image. Sounds like a recipe for success, right? But what happens when that influencer's past comes back to haunt them—and, by extension, the brand?

Enter Doritos Spain's recent predicament.

The Spicy Collaboration That Backfired

In early 2024, Doritos Spain collaborated with Samantha Hudson, a 24-year-old Spanish singer and transgender influencer boasting nearly 400,000 Instagram followers.

The partnership featured a 50-second promotional video titled "Crunch Talks," aiming to resonate with a younger, diverse audience.

However, shortly after its release, the campaign faced backlash as Hudson's controversial past tweets resurfaced.

Unpacking the Controversy

In 2015, Hudson, then 15, allegedly tweeted about wanting to engage in "depraved" acts with a 12-year-old girl and made derogatory remarks about sexual assault victims. Although Hudson has since apologized, attributing the comments to misguided attempts at dark humor during her youth, the damage was done.

Right-wing groups seized the moment, launching the hashtag #BoycottDoritos on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), drawing parallels to the Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney incident.

Doritos' Response: Cutting Ties

Reacting swiftly, Doritos Spain terminated its partnership with Hudson and removed all related content.

A spokesperson stated, "We have ended the relationship and stopped all related campaign activity due to the comments. We strongly condemn words or actions that promote violence or sexism of any kind."

The company emphasized that their decision was based on Hudson's past remarks, not her gender identity.

Lessons in Brand Safety: The Importance of Thorough Vetting

Doritos' experience underscores a critical lesson for brands: the necessity of comprehensive influencer vetting.

In today's digital age, an influencer's past content can resurface, potentially harming a brand's reputation. This incident highlights the importance of proactive measures to ensure alignment between a brand's values and those of its ambassadors.

Enter Phyllo: Safeguarding Your Brand

To navigate these challenges, tools like Phyllo's Social Media Background Check for Influencers can be invaluable.

Phyllo's AI-driven platform scans influencers' digital footprints across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. By analyzing years of content—including text, images, videos, and audio—Phyllo identifies potential risks, ensuring brands are well-informed before entering partnerships.

This automated process not only saves time but also provides a thorough assessment, helping brands avoid potential PR crises.

Here, have some jet fuel

Your newsletter, now exiting the stratosphere.

We’re beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for builders. Every product we drop and feature we create is made with one goal in mind: exponential growth. 

Our three founders left Morning Brew to bring the tools and tech to creators everywhere that helped turn their old company into a multi-million dollar operation. So when we say we can take you from “up-and-comer” to household name, we mean it.

If you need a beautiful destination for your content, use our no-code website builder. If you want paid subs, we don’t take a dime. If you want big name sponsors, we connect you with the likes of Nike and Netflix. 

In short: maybe your newsletter is stuck on the ground floor because your newsletter platform is stuck in the last decade. 

Level up and get started for free with beehiiv. 

Crunching the Numbers: The Value of Due Diligence

Investing in comprehensive background checks can prevent costly fallout. For instance, brands utilizing Phyllo's services have automated 40 hours of manual work, reduced vetting time to under 15 minutes, and saved approximately $2,000 monthly.

These efficiencies allow marketing teams to focus on creative strategies, confident in the knowledge that their influencer partnerships are secure.

Wrapping Up

Doritos Spain's recent controversy serves as a cautionary tale for brands venturing into influencer collaborations. While the allure of tapping into an influencer's follower base is tempting, it's imperative to conduct thorough background checks to ensure alignment with brand values.

Stay vigilant, choose partnerships wisely, and keep your brand's reputation intact.

Cheers,

Shubham