The sound of someone eating while talking is never pleasant, and it’s a problem gamers have faced for years as they interact through their headsets while blasting up a storm on Fortnite. Well, snack brand Doritos has been listening, and after a year in the works, it has released an artificial intelligence tech solution to cancel the noise of the famous crunch of its chips.
The campaign has been introduced by the PepsiCo-owned flavored tortilla chip brand following research by One Poll that found over a third of U.K. adult gamers (35%) felt the sound of someone crunching Doritos while talking to other gamers was distracting.
The company initially released a teaser campaign around the U.K. in the days building up to the reveal that included press, a hand-painted mural and out-of-home ads. This was seen on the biggest screen in London’s Piccadilly Circus and on digital screens at Mare St. in Hackney, Liverpool and Birmingham, featuring an ear with a Dorito sticking out of it. It included the statement “You won’t hear it coming.”
According to Matt Watson, executive creative director at PepsiCo who leads its in-house creative team Sips and Bites in the region, the brand hoped to create a “stop and stare” moment ahead of the reveal today.
Ultimately, the teaser built interest toward “Doritos Silent”—software downloadable for free featuring three pieces of AI trained to detect and mute the noise of a crunch of the brand’s chips. This will be available through a dedicated Doritos campaign microsite.
The campaign idea and tech originally ran a year ago in Spain in a limited capacity but is now expanding internationally with the more advanced “Crunch Cancelling” technology roll-out, beginning with the U.K.
“Doritos Silent is counterintuitive in its natural existence because how do you eat Doritos with zero crunch?” questioned Watson. He explained that the aim of the idea was to be “disruptive” while attempting to solve a problem that gamers say they dislike.
The power of AI
The AI download, developed in partnership with U.S. company Smooth Technology, claims to be able to detect over 3 million crunches, having been trained using over 5,000 Dorito crunch sounds, with one AI recognizing the crunch and another then working in real-time to separate that specific noise from the voice before transmission.
“What we want people to do is to continue to choose Doritos for their love of its bold flavors and bold crunch in their gaming sessions with their mates and this technology is something that we can give to our audiences,” continued Watson.
A 30-second hero film to promote the technology and the brand’s microsite was released in the U.K. It signs off with the tagline “Game on, Crunch off.”
The campaign is by Sips & Bites and OB management, shot by Josh Cohen and Lillie Eiger, with consumer PR activity by Splendid Communications and media planning and buying from OMD.
Campaign success metrics
The success of the campaign will depend on the number of downloads and the level of buzz that it drives for Doritos among the gaming community.
“For Doritos, gaming has always been our heartland,” added Watson. “It cements our position as a brand with this community, even deeper than what we’ve done previously.”
While he wouldn’t confirm other regions where the activation will roll out, PepsiCo is considering making the tech download and accompanying campaign available beyond the U.K. and Spain.
“The connection between Doritos fans and the gaming community is undeniable. Both boldly and unapologetically embrace their individual flavors,” Fernando Kahane, global marketing head at PepsiCo, added in a statement.
