It Ain’t Easy Being Cheesy

Is a Cheeto still a Cheeto without its iconic orange coloring? What makes Doritos different from other chips, if not their signature nacho-cheese sprinkles? 

It’s as existential a question as a consumer brand can face, and the parent company of those two globally recognized snacks will soon put it to the test. Starting next month, “naked” versions of Cheetos and Doritos will hit grocery store shelves all over the US. The “reimagined” versions of the snacks are produced without artificial dyes and coloring. It’s the packaged-food business’s response to yet another consumer shift—in this case, to healthier, more natural options. “The 'clean' trend in food has been gaining momentum for years,” says Chris Von Der Ahe, a senior client partner in the Consumer Markets practice at Korn Ferry. 

Competition is another factor, Von Der Ahe says, noting that smaller, faster niche competitors have been stealing both shelf space and market share from traditional players. To be sure, it’s a trend playing out in restaurants, fast-casual and quick-service chains, grocery stores, manufacturers, and producers across the food landscape.  

But stripping Cheetos and Doritos of their orange coloring could undermine the essence of what makes them special to core consumers, and possibly alienate more customers than it attracts, says Kelly Furstoss, practice director of food and consumer goods at Korn Ferry. “Some people love the experience of having orange fingers,” she says. She points out that people “eat with their eyes” and that the iconic coloring signals something cheesy or spicy to them.

History shows that reimagining or updating legacy brands to address changing habits and tastes has a spotty track record—not just in food, but across industries and categories. Given both snacks’ strong brand reputations and multibillion-dollar revenues, Furstoss says, consumer-insights and brand-marketing teams in other industries will be closely watching for lessons they can apply to their own products and services. “There’s always a risk of losing consumer loyalty when remaking iconic brands,” she says.

Mitigating that risk is part of why classic Cheetos and Doritos aren’t going away. The “naked” versions will be sold alongside the originals. Put another way, instead of going all in on the new products, offering both versions tests the financial impact of the reimagined options on the originals. That’s part of the bell curve of change management facing leaders across all industries right now, says Scott Sette, a senior client partner in the Global Healthcare Services practice at Korn Ferry. “When managing change of any kind,” he says, “it’s about appealing to early adopters, attracting those on the fence, and bringing the naysayers along over time.” 

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