In the current era, where technological advancements are shaping consumer experiences, brands are exploring innovative ways to stay ahead and resonate with their target audience. Doritos, a flagship brand under PepsiCo, has recently taken a giant leap in this direction, launching what they proclaim as the world’s first AI-augmented snack, "Doritos Silent."
The Backstory
With the rapid development and fascination surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), brands from diverse sectors are diving headfirst into the AI revolution. It's become a marketing battleground, with AI-augmented and AI-generated campaigns becoming the norm. Events like Cannes Lions and Advertising Week New York have AI as their central theme, underlining the technology's transformative potential in the advertising world.
Doritos’ Innovative Approach
Amidst this AI-fueled competition, Doritos has carved out a niche for itself. Their recent UK teaser campaign set the stage for their groundbreaking product designed exclusively for a demographic they have long cherished: gamers. As Matt Watson, the executive creative director at the European arm of PepsiCo's in-house creative agency Sips & Bites, noted, gaming and snacking are inherently linked. The brand acknowledges the profound relationship between gamers and their snacks, aiming to enhance that experience.
Why the Blend of AI and Snacking?
With around 65% of Americans engaging in gaming for at least an hour a week and global active gamers estimated to be over 3 billion, the gaming community is a significant segment for marketers. However, there's a crunch problem – quite literally. As any gamer would attest, while snacking elevates the gaming experience, the noise associated with it, especially from crunchy snacks like Doritos, can be disruptive. Watson highlights that the loud crunch of Doritos was becoming an impediment to the gaming experience.
Doritos' innovative solution? They trained an AI model using 5,000 unique crunching sounds to detect and subsequently mute the sound of Doritos being munched. This means a gamer can relish their Doritos without any noise intrusion into their gameplay, ensuring an uninterrupted and enhanced gaming experience.
Broad Appeal with a Focused Target
By melding the wonders of advanced AI technology with the simple act of snacking, Doritos has managed to craft a campaign that speaks to a wide demographic – those intrigued by AI, chip aficionados, and of course, the gamers. The campaign, which started with teasers featuring Doritos inside people's ears and the intriguing tagline "You won't hear it coming," culminated in a comprehensive digital launch and collaboration with gaming influencers.
Thought Starter
In a rapidly changing digital landscape, Doritos has exemplified how brands can leverage technology not just as a marketing gimmick but as a forward-thinking solution to genuine consumer concerns. Their recent innovation prompts the question: In what other unexpected ways will AI continue to shape and enhance our daily experiences?
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