São Paulo’s LGBTQ+ Pride Parade has been held since 1997 and is the world’s largest in terms of sheer volume of participants. It’s a visible demonstration of pride, love, and resistance in Brazil, which is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for LGBTQ+ people. But in 2020, the pandemic meant that the event had to be canceled. Doritos Rainbow has always given all its sales revenue to NGOs that support LGBTQ+ causes. As a socially engaged brand, it couldn’t let the virus yank Pride off the streets. The objective then became to create an idea that would shed light on the cause without making anyone leave their homes, and to show that even in a challenging year, the colors of the rainbow would still shine out.

During the pandemic and under lockdown in Brazil, social media began buzzing over a number of topics. The cancellation of the LGBTQ+ Pride Parade was one of them. As one of the sponsors of the event, we needed a powerful idea that would make people reference the brand in those conversations. So on the day the parade would have taken place, we surprised the city with a special gesture: in partnership with artist Yvette Mattern, we lit up Avenida Paulista, the original parade route, with the colors of the rainbow. The show could be seen from up to 60 kilometers away (38 miles). At the same time, on social media, influencers publicized the initiative by inviting people to take part in a massive virtual kiss-in. For each kiss sent out, Doritos Rainbow donated R$1 to LGBTQ+ nonprofits.

The campaign was focused on the LGBTQ+ population and their allies. Since the pandemic led to the cancellation of all in-person events in Brazil, we had to reach our target over social media. Our solution was to create a special initiative that would stir up buzz and make a big splash. First, to show our unconditional support for the cause, we lit up the sky over Avenida Paulista, where the Pride Parade marches every year, with the colors of the rainbow. In a radius of up to 60km (38 miles), thousands of people could look out their windows and be a part of the event. At the same time, social media influencers began publicizing the initiative on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, inviting the public to show their pride in turn by donating a virtual kiss. For each kiss sent out, Doritos Rainbow donated R$1 to LGBTQ+ nonprofits.

After the cancellation of the LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, we needed to do something so that July 15th, the original date for the parade, wouldn’t pass by unremarked. Organizers developed a substitute virtual event, but we wanted something that would impact the entire city, just like the in-person event used to. The objective was to not only make it possible for LGBTQ+ people to be proud of who they were, but also to show that not even 2020 could stop pride. Our solution: a partnership with artist Yvette Mattern in which we lit up the sky over Av. Paulista in the colors of the rainbow. Social media influencers promoted the event on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, inviting local residents to open their windows and take in the light show. They also encouraged people across Brazil to participate by donating a virtual kiss.

The results couldn’t have been better. In no time at all, we became one of the most talked-about topics on social media, to say nothing of the extensive media coverage and visibility we received. We hit our goal for donations to LGBTQ+ nonprofits and were recognized by our target, becoming the most remembered brand when it came to the LGBTQ+ cause. We brought in R$ 27,548.862.48 in earned media and R$1 million in donations from consumers to LGBTQ+ NGOs, through the 1 Kiss 1 Donation platform. The campaign drew 110,397,730 impressions, and Doritos became the top-of-mind brand on LGBTQIA+ topics in 2020 (source: Siga Mosaico).