Doritos Unveils Rainbow-Colored Chips to Support LGBT Community
Doritos has unveiled Rainbow Doritos, colorful tortilla chips “inspired by the LGBT pride flag” (Associated Press 2015). Rainbow Doritos will not be available in stores, but rather will be mailed to individuals who donate $10 to the It Gets Better Project (Associated Press 2015). The It Gets Better Project, a non-profit organization, was created in response to the high number of LGBT teenage suicides has a means to inspire LGBT teens that “it indeed gets better” (It Gets Better Project). According to a Frito-Lay spoke person, the chips show the company’s “commitment toward equal rights for the LGBT community and celebrate humanity without exception” (Associated Press 2015). The release of Rainbow Doritos coincides with the Dallas Pride event, which includes Doritos as a corporate sponsor (Associated Press 2015).
This article illustrates how corporate companies can have a global impact on education and awareness of social issues, including LGBT issues. This article intrigued me to conduct a further inquiry. I visited the Frito-Lay’s website in search of statistics regarding distribution populations to identify the potential demographic impact of corporate awareness campaigns like Rainbow Doritos. What I found was not only is Frito-Lay a supporter of the LGBT community, but they also advocate for supplier diversity, which includes diversity efforts that support women. As an advocate for supplier diversity, Frito-Lay’s “goal is to provide procurement, development and educational opportunities that will enable minority and women-owned businesses to excel as Frito-Lay suppliers and in America’s free enterprise system” (Frito-Lay North America Inc. 2015). To achieve this goal Frito-Lay seeks “opportunities to give qualified minority and women suppliers a chance to succeed” (Frito-Lay North America Inc. 2015). By supporting the LGBT community and female and minority business owners companies like Frito-Lay’s provide valuable resources and help advocacy groups reach a wider global audience. They also help to legitimize social movements in popular culture and within other social institutions.
Associated Press. 2015. “Doritos unveils rainbow-colored chips to support the LGBT community.” nbcnews.com, September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015, (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/rainbow-doritos-n429296).
It Gets Better Project. “What is the It Get Better Project?” Los Angeles: It Gets Better Project. Retrieved on September 18, 2015 (http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-betterproject/).
Frito-Lay North America Inc. 2015. “SupplierDiversity.” New York: Frito-Lay North America Inc. Retrieved on September 18, 201 (http://www.fritolay.com/company/supplier-diversity).