Doritos cuts ties with transgender influencer

Influencer partnerships are powerful.

Yet, they’re risky. 🤔

89% of marketers I speak to say finding the perfect influencer is the most challenging aspect of their jobs.

And Doritos Spain’s recent setback is a perfect example of a bad influencer match.

What happened?

Doritos Spain teamed up with Samantha Hudson and her 370K Instagram followers to participate in their new “Crunch Talks” campaign.

Then, backlash over Hudson’s old comments from 2015 forced a quick retraction.

Could this happen to you?

Absolutely.

But don’t worry. I’ve got expert advice to help you steer clear of such pitfalls.

Let’s roll. 👇

The backlash effect: When an influencer’s old tweets resurface

So what happened to sink Doritos Spain’s new campaign?

Doritos Spain launched a new campaign titled “Crunch Talks”.

This campaign featured various influencers, including Samantha Hudson, to engage with audiences through discussions and content around the brand.

The initiative aimed to boost Doritos’ connection with diverse communities.

Their goal?

👉 To showcase inclusivity and modernity.

And as we’ve seen with Abercrombie and Finch, inclusivity and modernity can double your shares.

Naturally, Samantha, known for her vibrant personality and LGBTQ+ advocacy, seemed a perfect fit.

I used an influencer marketing platform to analyse her stats on Instagram and she seemed like a good fit for the brand.

📊 82% of Samantha’s audience is in Spain.

📊 89% of her audience consists of genuine, actual people.

📊 Her followers have increased by almost 5% over the last 6 months.

As we can see here, her average Reel views on Instagram are around 583K views per Reel!

But trouble brewed.

Critics resurfaced posts she had written as a teenager in 2015, and the backlash centred on those old posts.

Hudson’s original posts have been deleted, but X (formerly Twitter) users continue to share screenshots of her comments online.

These controversial tweets sparked outrage and calls for a boycott against Doritos surged.

Luckily, Doritos acted fast.

They ended their partnership with Samantha, and the campaign posts vanished.

But the internet has a long memory.

The fallout?

❌ Potential brand damage.

❌ Public relations took a hit.

❌ Trust wavered.

Doritos faced a tough lesson.

👉 Even well-intended partnerships can backfire, impacting brand reputation.

Other partnerships that missed the mark

The Doritos incident isn’t alone. Other brands have faced similar troubles.

Here are three notable cases I remember:

When YouTube paused Logan Paul

Logan Paul, yes, that Logan Paul, a big name on YouTube, really stepped into it.

He posted a video from Japan’s Aokigahara forest, a place known for being tragically sensitive.

The fallout?

👉 Huge.

Brands tied to him, YouTube included, faced a public storm.

YouTube paused Paul’s future projects and kicked him off its top-tier ad program.

The lesson was clear: Partnering with folks who court controversy is a risky game.

Gillette’s sticky hand with Thierry Henry

Who still remembers when Thierry Henry played a bit fast and loose with the rules during a World Cup qualifier?

I remember his handball move made headlines.

Unfortunately, Gillette decided to stick with their brand ambassador.

And they caught flak for it.

Fans weren’t having it.

They called for boycotts, saying Henry’s move didn’t jive with Gillette’s play-fair mantra.

The result?

Confused and miffed fans and a brand scratching its head over lost goodwill.

When L’Oréal and Munroe Bergdorf parted ways

L’Oréal Paris and Munroe Bergdorf is another “influencer gone wrong” campaign that was over before it really began.

What happened?

During an interview, L’Oréal Paris’ brand ambassador, Munroe Bergdorf’s candid talk on systemic racism hit a nerve with fans.

L’Oréal quickly cut ties with its brand ambassador.

But the damage was done and only made worse by their reaction.

People wanted to know if this was truly free speech. Where do you draw the line?

And what about a brand’s duty to stand by its influencer, especially on hot-button topics? 🤔

This breakup shone a light on the tricky dance between brands and influencers and how quickly things can sour when audiences get riled up.