Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method cleaning products, has been quoted as saying … “There is no such thing as dull product categories, only dull products.”
Think the potato chip category is boring? Think again …

Just when we’ve been lulled to think the potato chip category was stale, here comes Doritos X-13D. In the latest iteration of customer co-creation, Frito-Lay wants everyday people to “Get it. Taste it. Name it.”
We consumers are to buy this mysterious product. Decipher what it tastes like. Then, submit a product name. The winner gets a year’s supply of whatever the name ends up being for the Doritos X-13D experiment.
Kudos to Doritos for flavoring their newest potato chip with some marketing zest.
Can’t find a package of Doritos X-13D? Try eBay.
Tastes EXACTLY like the BK Whopper. I mean down to the beef fat and mustard. I swear it's got dill pickles too.
Posted by: Chad Garrett | June 18, 2007 at 12:57 AM
Packaging and marketing gimmick aside... how do these things taste like? Will the taste and the quality of the product allow it to survive past the hoopla phase?
Posted by: Adelino de Almeida | June 18, 2007 at 01:31 PM
Is it just me or is the consumer driven advertising going a little overboard? Between Dove, Chevy and now Frito Lay it seems that agencies must be scraping the bottom of the talent pool.
Posted by: Andrea Morris | June 18, 2007 at 04:19 PM
They definitely taste like a burger...
Consumer driven advertising going a little overboard? I don't think so. Seems like a genuine attempt to engage with customers? Why not let customers name the product, or even personalise it? We are talking about it, right?
Posted by: Nat_Nudge | June 19, 2007 at 02:40 AM
Brilliant marketing strategy.
Posted by: Denise | June 19, 2007 at 10:35 AM
Andrea, I don't think consumer driven marketing has gone overboard. Also, you have to think about this industry-specifically. It's definitely not overboard in the chip industry.
As an aside, what marketing isn't "consumer driven" anyway? Maybe I should ask, what marketing SHOULDN'T be?
Posted by: DUST!N | June 21, 2007 at 01:23 PM
I have to disagree regarding the taste... My first reaction, and the one I've seen from other family members is that this is a McDonald's Big Mac. It's exactly the same taste, and it freaks me out!
Posted by: Joe Wikert | June 22, 2007 at 03:50 PM
It tastes like Burger. :D And. . . that's not necessarily a bad thing. :D
Posted by: Tony | June 24, 2007 at 04:20 PM
You've got to be kidding me...a burger? My Wife said the same thing I told her she was full of it...guess she's not alone. Burger W/ pickles is her call.
Posted by: Gabe | June 25, 2007 at 05:49 PM
I know why they've having a tough time coming up with a name. There is no clever way to indicate, "Mustard and Ketchup on a Bun with no Meat". The Poor Man's Dinner. is the most accurate name I can come up with.
Posted by: Anony | June 25, 2007 at 08:25 PM
I think they spent millions developing a cheese burger flavor, couldn't get it right, and tried to come up with a plan to get rid of these horrible chips. I mean, has anyone tasted this thing? Read the ingredients on the back, otherwise your tongue might go into shock. Sidenote: the game on the website is fun, but I can't figure out the super hero clue. Can anyone else?
Posted by: MC Guire | June 26, 2007 at 08:50 PM
I worked at McDonald's for 2 years, (and I'm not saying this is the flavor, I'm just stating a fact) and I can say definitively that these things taste identical to a Big Mac. A lot like a Whopper, yes, but exactly like a Big Mac. Bite a Big Mac, taste it with the Mac sauce, everything, then eat the chips. You'll see what I mean.
Posted by: Jeremy | June 28, 2007 at 06:17 PM
As soon as I tried it, I tasted ketchup, then I said McDonalds or BK burger. My wife said there's definitely pickles in there so there you go. AWESOME marketing! Got ME to buy it. I also think many who claim to have a good sense of taste will get them to see if they can decipher the taste.
Posted by: Felix | June 29, 2007 at 06:12 PM
Although my first thought was McDonalds Filet-O-Fish, then Big Mac, I can assure you all that any connection to McDonalds is either unintentional or will not be admitted to. Reason? Doritos is owned by Pepsico, but McDonalds is in bed with Coke.
There could possibly be a Burger King connection, but I honestly doubt they intended for any particular brand connection. This is meant to be a generic flavor, like "cheeseburger" or "hotdog."
In spite of my initial reactions, I'm going to say hotdog with relish, and I'd suggest "Ballpark Frank" as a name.
I think they taste great.
Posted by: SGB | June 30, 2007 at 02:33 AM
ABSOLUTELY THE WORST TASTING SNACK MY FAMILY HAS EVER TASTED. Frito Lay should immediatley offer to refund anyone who bought this garbage.
I intially thought we bought a bad batch, but after reading other posts it seems that Frito has made a very poor decision to market the most distasteful thing you may ever place on your tongue before spitting it out.
Posted by: JEFF | June 30, 2007 at 04:21 PM
What SGB said
Posted by: Anon | July 12, 2007 at 10:46 AM
What SGB said
Posted by: Anon | July 12, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Yes, these chips are gross. Now that my husband figured out it's a Big Mac, they're slightly more tolerable, but really. When was the last time you or your kids shoved a snack in your mouth and bothered to look at it, let alone taste it? I bet if you sucked on a Twinkie half as hard as you disected this Dorito experiment you'd spit it out and seriously question eating it again. One guy was able to pick out hamburger grease in there for god's sake. Maybe it's Dorito's way of slowing down consumers and campaigning against fat children. It takes a contest, not 14 year olds getting stomach stapling surgery, for us to stop and smell the meat chips.
Posted by: Crystine | July 19, 2007 at 05:48 PM
when are the x 13 chips going to be available tryed them last summer and been waiting love um
Posted by: jim sawyer | December 21, 2007 at 05:00 PM