Everything You Need To Know About Doritos Solid Black
Doritos Solid Black is not a new flavor for the snack chip. Nor is Doritos planning to post a solid black square on social media — a move many corporations made one year ago, to show solidarity with Black people after George Floyd was killed on a Minneapolis street by a police officer. Consumers responded to those empty black squares by asking businesses to "open your purse" and put its money where its social media platitudes are (via Vox). Doritos plans to do just that, and more, with its new Solid Black campaign.
The problem of racial injustice in the U.S. requires more than just an online gesture. Donations to organizations such as the National Urban League help, and a press release from Doritos says it is giving $100,000 to the organization, which provides economic opportunities to Black people. But Solid Black isn't just about throwing money at the problem of racial injustice. This snack brand, owned by PepsiCo, is also trying to get at the root of the problem. Black people in America have fewer opportunities because their talents and perspectives are often ignored outside of the music and entertainment industries. As artist Luke James asked in a Doritos commercial that first aired about a month after George Floyd's death, "You love our music. You love our culture. But do you love us?" (via YouTube).
Doritos will pay Black artists and promote them on social media
With that TV commercial one year ago, Doritos introduced a campaign called Amplify Black Voices, the first step in Doritos' commitment to use its position of corporate power to address racism. Through Amplify Black Voices, Doritos supported Black artists in the creation of murals across the U.S., and donated $150,000 to Black Lives Matter. Solid Black is the next step in Doritos' ongoing racial justice efforts.
Along with the $100,000 donation to the National Urban League, Doritos Solid Black includes $50,000 awards to seven Black artists that will be featured on the PepsiCo brand's various media channels, per a Doritos press release. Doritos will feature a different Black artist on social media every Friday, starting July 2. The artists will also appear in TV commercials and on bags of Doritos. The first seven artists that will benefit from Doritos' Solid Black campaign include the developers of an app that helps users find Black-owned restaurants, and the founder of a Baltimore restaurant that supports young entrepreneurs.
Doritos has committed to spending more than $5 million on its Solid Black campaign, with the general goal of amplifying stories of Black joy, strength, and resilience. Doritos is also a relatively small piece of PepsiCo's company-wide effort to promote racial justice. PepsiCo plans to spend $400 million over the next five years on this cause, including $10 million to the National Urban League to help Black restaurant owners.