Name that…Flavor?

If you’ve been grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed Doritos has a new flavor on the market — but you’ll have to decide for yourself exactly what that flavor is.  You might even win a contest.

The new chips don’t exactly fit in with tried-and-true favorites like “Nacho Cheese” and “Cool Ranch,” with their black packaging and science experiment-esque label “X13-D.”

According to Frito Lay, the new flavor is, in fact, part of an experiment — an interactive marketing one, that is. 

A giant in the snack food industry, Frito Lay unveiled the Doritos Brand X13-D Flavor Experiment last month. A recent article from Promo details the contest, where Doritos lovers are challenged to choose a name for the new flavor and write an ad to go with it.

The X13-D experiment kicked off in May, and the contest runs through July 14th.  It is a continuation of Frito Lay’s new consumer-based campaign for Doritos.  Frito Lay spokesperson Jay Doherty notes, “It’s in line with the idea of consumer control. It’s all about consumer engagement.”

The contest’s rules are simple. Contestants buy the new Doritos, try them, and visit the campaign’s home page to submit their flavor name and ad, which is created using an ad generator on the site. Winners are chosen at random, and 100 grand prize winners will receive a year’s supply of Doritos and the title “Doritos Flavor Master.”

At the campaign’s half-way point, what flavor names are the potential Doritos Flavor Masters coming up with? And how do Dorito enthusiasts feel about the new X13-D chips? Check out this post or this blog for an idea.