Doritos Drops Some ‘70s Softcore Starring Walton Goggins

A blonde bombshell, a thirsty roommate, an audacious cougar, a balmy plumber, a wet pussycat, and a bamboozled pizza delivery guy – all backed by bow-chicka-wow-wow-style background music.

These are the ingredients that make up Doritos’ brand new, ‘70s porno-inspired short film that teases the senses just short of scandal. The campaign was created by PepsiCo Foods US and Rethink and sees Walton Goggins star as the frustratingly unwitting pipe fitter, whilst the cast caricatures steamy stereotypes, ever toeing the line, flirting with the tipping point, without crossing it.

Walton seems to be playing the stereotypical spicy role – he’s the plumber who ‘knows how to handle his tools’. But it turns out he's genuinely only interested in fixing the leak.

Throughout the film, which was directed by SMUGGLER’s Björn Rühmann, he encounters many tempting characters who try to entice him to take the heat out of the kitchen. But Walton is never distracted from the job at hand.

Words like ‘hot-ish’ frame the film’s assets and the title – ‘A Spicy, But Not Too Spicy Plumber’ – stitch together the ‘nearly there’ tease that holds the plot together.

The (almost) devious concept mirrors Doritos’ new flavour, Golden Sriracha – described as a ‘layered mix of tangy, sweet and subtly spicy notes without an overpowering burn’.

Speaking with LBB, PepsiCo Foods US chief creative officer Chris Bellinger says that finding the sweet spot for the campaign was all about turning up the heat without setting the whole place on fire. This strategy was inspired by gen z’s love of “modestly spicy, ‘swicy’, flavours”, according to PepsiCo Foods.

“With Doritos, we’re not here to play it safe,” says Chris. “We’re here to poke the bear AND make it laugh. That ‘spicy, but not too spicy’ vibe? It came straight from people who were loving Doritos Golden Sriracha or worried it was outside their spice range. They told us that they never realised the flavour was spicy…but not too spicy. And they loved it.”

So, they decided to lean into the insight. “We played with the old-school tropes you think you know and flipped them, because if it doesn’t surprise you or make you smirk, then it’s not Doritos,” adds Chris. “That playful tension, the tease, the buildup, and the wink are what make the short film feel like the chip: bold, layered, sweet, tangy, hot, and a little chaotic. Just enough fire to keep you coming back for more.”

Support for the short film involved a premiere screening for one night only at a VIP influencer event at New York City's iconic Slipper Room – a theatre known for its origins as the birthplace of the city's neo-burlesque.

The film will also receive 360 support and air as an online video across digital, social and out-of-home channels, including a takeover of New York City with billboards placed near Times​​ Square and throughout the city.

Tina Mahal, SVP marketing at PepsiCo Foods US, said, “Doritos has always been about bold self-expression; however, we know our consumers appreciate nuance and complexity – some want heat that builds rather than overwhelms and content that suggests rather than shows.”

Speaking about the collaboration, Rethink NY partner and CEO Tara Lawall says it was “truly exceptional”, noting that the resulting work “reminds us why we love what we do.”