Doritos and PepsiCo’s in-house agency, Sips & Bites, have unveiled ‘Doritos Silent, the world’s first AI augmented snack - powered by Crunch Cancellation technology.
The groundbreaking technology lets PC gamers enjoy their favorite chips without distracting other players.
The innovation followed a new research that revealed a strong demand across the globe for an innovative solution that eliminates crunching sounds while gaming, even though 85 percent of gamers chose Doritos as their snack of choice.
In the UK, a third (35%) of gamers claim the sound of someone snacking frustrates them when playing, while one in five (18%) gamers saying the sound makes them want to log off, with crisps identified as the worst audio culprit.
“The connection between Doritos fans and the gaming community is undeniable,” said Fernando Kahane, global marketing head at PepsiCo. “Both boldly and unapologetically embrace their individual flavors. 'Doritos Silent' recognises this bond and demonstrates the brand's continued commitment to innovation and elevating the experience for gamers who choose Doritos.”
To cement Doritos as a top choice for gamers by allowing them to enjoy the crunch without distracting fellow players, Doritos and Sips & Bites have created the first ever silent chip, Doritos Silent: delivering the same crunch, but with no sound. Powered by the innovative Crunch Cancellation technology, the sound of someone’s voice is separated in real time from the noise of the Doritos crunch. The AI then stops the crunch audio from being sent down the microphone – meaning all PC gamers can enjoy that famous crunch without it distracting them and their squad from winning.
A teaser launch of a new Doritos Silent product fed off natural intrigue, with the disruptive image of a Dorito in an ear across OOH and digital intensifying speculation, before the Doritos Crunch Cancellation technology was revealed.
Designed in partnership with Smooth Technology, a leader in electronic and interactive design, the new technology took six months to develop and involved the technical analysis of more than 5,000 different crunch sounds.
“Working with Doritos to create this cutting-edge technology has been an incredible journey,” said Dylan Fashbaugh, the lead developer at Smooth Technology. “We all know that gamers love Doritos, but that unmistakable crunch can often disrupt those intense gaming moments. With 'Doritos Silent,' we've worked to ensure gamers can enjoy the crunch of Doritos without disturbing their fellow players, making for a better gaming experience.”
The campaign kicked off by teasing the launch of a Doritos Silent “product”, with attention-grabbing adverts at four high footfall OOH locations. Shown at Piccadilly Circus, Mare St (Hackney), Liverpool and Birmingham as well as across digital, it featured a divisive creative of a Doritos chip placed in an ear alongside the tag: “You won’t hear it coming”. A microsite continued to tease gamers, inviting them to cancel the crunch.
(PRNewsfoto/Frito-Lay North America,PepsiCo)
Digital and social content finally revealed the AI-augmented product, showcasing the technology in action for two gamers. The ad signs off with a ‘Game on, Crunch off’ tagline.
“Our Crunch Cancellation tech delivers an entirely new snacking experience to gamers - the “Doritos Silent” experience. What we loved is how the concept is so intriguing to people; how on earth can you silence the iconic crunch of a Doritos? It’s this immediate curiosity that was the spark behind our big idea as we teased a new Doritos Silent “product”, Matt Watson, executive creative director for Sips & Bites, at PepsiCo, said commented.
“People immediately asked “what?” and “how?” and the disruptive image of an actual Dorito in an ear escalated the buzz, before we revealed it to be the world’s first AI Augmented Silent Snack. By silencing one of our biggest assets, we made it even louder.”
Karina Stoltz, senior brand manager UK – Doritos at PepsiCo, added: “Gaming is a massive industry worth over £7bn, and is particularly enjoyed by Gen Z - a key demographic for Doritos. We know that the nation loves the satisfying crunch of Doritos, but listening to someone else enjoy them can be off-putting, particularly when concentrating while gaming. This concept isn’t a gimmick – it’s the real deal. The campaign aims to provoke immediate buzz and asks the questions, ‘how is it possible to silence the famous Doritos crunch’? ‘Crunch Cancellation’ software is simple to use and can identify over three million crunches in real time and silences them from travelling down the microphone.”
By expanding this new technology to all PC gamers, Doritos hopes its silence can benefit the 80 percent of millennials and Gen Z who classify themselves as gamers.
Doritos teased the idea of ‘making Doritos silent’ with social media and out-of-home advertisements that featured Doritos chips in-place of noise-cancelling headphones in the UK, US, Spain, Poland, Brazil and Portugal promising that ‘you won't hear it coming.’
The brand-new software can be downloaded for free from Doritos.co.uk/SILENT. Once activated, play with friends and the software will eliminate all traces of Doritos crunching.
The male toiletries brand Lynx is ensuring young men smell great and targeting further growth in 2025 with the addition of Sunset Fresh to its core portfolio.
Available across convenience and wholesale channels, the revitalising Sunset Fresh fragrance is available in multiple formats - body spray, anti-perspirant, stick and shower gel formats* – to appeal to a wide range of shoppers. The fragrance profile has been designed to resonate with Lynx’s core audience of 11-34 year olds.
Formulated using refreshing ingredients from nature, the fragrance aims to leave consumers smelling great and bursting with energy throughout the day. Tapping into the trend for "aquatic fragrances", Sunset Fresh is a refreshing, crisp and invigorating scent. With uplifting tropics notes of mango and sweet mandarin, it’s a natural cocktail for success.
“Innovation is vital when it comes to exciting shoppers and bringing new consumers into the personal care category," said Monique Rossi, General Manager, Deodorants, Unilever UKI. Lynx is a signpost brand for male grooming and Sunset Fresh has been developed with a clear target audience in mind, whilst helping retailers to freshen up their shelves.
“Fragrance is still the number one confidence driver amongst young males, who are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd and feel good about themselves. We’ve had considerable success with our two latest editions to the Lynx core portfolio, Epic Fresh and Jungle Fresh, which have contributed to the brand’s recent growth. We expect Sunset Fresh, with its vibrant fragrance profile to appeal to young guys by resonating with the latest personal care trends. We’ll be supporting the launch with substantial marketing investment across the summer months, so now is the ideal time for retailers to refresh their personal care shelves.”
Lynx Sunset Fresh will be backed by a £2m marketing campaign running from July to September. All Lynx products are PETA Approved Vegan, and all new Lynx innovation is packaged in infinitely recyclable cans.
Unilever is the number one deodorant manufacturer, with over 54 per cent of the market. Its three market-leading brands, Sure, Lynx and Dove, all lead in the three key need states which form 97 per cent of the market – Protection, Protection & Care and Fragrance. In the last year, the deodorants category continued to see significant growth, with Unilever contributing £42m of this.
Philip Morris Limited (PML), the UK and Ireland affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), has announced the expansion of its TEREAPearls capsule range with the launch of two new dual-flavour variants; Riviera Pearl and Provence Pearl.
Featuring innovative capsule technology, the TEREA Pearls range enable users to switch seamlessly from a traditional tobacco blend to a unique flavour with a single click. This enhancement elevates flavour delivery, offering an enriched experience for users of its IQOS ILUMA heat-not-burn device.
The latest duo adds two new flavours to the portfolio, bringing the full TEREA flavour range to fifteen, meeting the top taste preferences of legal-aged nicotine users in the UK:
NEW Riviera Pearl: Raspberry Rose (on a click)
NEW Provence Pearl: Grape with Menthol (on a click)
Abora Pearl: Strawberry and Basil (on a click)
Amelia Pearl: Watermelon with Menthol (on a click)
Starling Pearl: Green Apple with Menthol (on a click)
Twilight Pearl: Blueberry with Menthol (on a click)
The TEREA Pearls range caters to the high demand among adult smokers and nicotine users for smoke-free, capsulated tobacco products. Early sales data revealed that nearly one in five TEREA packs sold in a top-four grocery multiple within the first three months were Pearls, demonstrating a strong preference for these capsulated products.
“For some adult smokers, having responsible access to a preferred flavour can be an important factor in making the switch from smoking cigarettes,” said Anthony Loinsard, Head of IQOS at PML. “Capsulated heated tobacco products offer retailers a unique proposition for legal-aged nicotine users to seamlessly switch from traditional tobacco blends to unique flavour blends of their choice with a single click,” he added.
“With the addition of two new flavours, Riviera and Provence, we will continue to strengthen the taste portfolio of IQOS ILUMA, providing an appealing and real tobacco alternative for adult nicotine users who would otherwise return to smoking cigarettes,” Loinsard concluded.
Available across all indirect retail channels, retailers can benefit from profit-on-return (POR) offers on selected TEREA Pearls, which are used exclusively with IQOS ILUMA.
IQOS ILUMA complements gantries because, when used with TEREA, it delivers tobacco taste and satisfaction, but with 95 per cent less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes and enables savings of up to £3,300 a year.
IQOS ILUMA is part of PMI’s expanding portfolio of smoke-free products available in the UK, including ZYN nicotine pouches and VEEV ONE, the latest innovation in PMI’s VEEV E-Vapor range.
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Unilever sponsors Women's EURO 2025 with top brands
Unilever and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have on Thursday named brands from Unilever’s foods and personal care business groups as official sponsors of UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.
The tournament, set to take place in Switzerland this summer (2–27 July), is anticipated to be the most viewed and attended UEFA Women’s EURO to date. With the game’s growing popularity, Unilever aims to leverage the platform to showcase its portfolio of brands – including Power Brands Hellmann’s, Knorr, Dove, and Rexona (also known as Sure) – with integrated campaigns.
“We are thrilled to partner with the UEFA Women's EURO 2025, enabling our foods brands to connect with a large audience who come together enjoying the thrill of a football match with friends whilst sharing delicious foods,” Robbert de Vreede, general manager Unilever Foods Europe said.
“Just as a great BBQ brings people closer, football unites fans in a shared experience of passion and camaraderie. In this partnership we will create memorable moments that highlight the best of summer – good food, great company, and beautiful games.”
Fulvio Guarneri, general manager Unilever Personal Care Europe, added: “This is an exciting opportunity for some of our biggest brands to tap into a big cultural moment and connect with millions of consumers who will be watching the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. It’s a great time for women’s football, and this partnership fits perfectly with our Personal Care products which are all about feeling clean and confident, and taking part in sports.
“Together with our retail partners, we look forward to building on the success of last year’s men’s tournament, delivering unmissable campaigns across a variety of channels that celebrate the power of women’s football.”
The partnership builds on Unilever’s previous sponsorship of the UEFA EURO 2024, in which it activated across 16 brands, 24 markets, and over 126,000 stores. It will see the brands activate a range of initiatives designed to enhance the fan experience and promote the company's commitment to growing the women’s game, removing barriers to entry, and inspiring the next generation.
A centuries-old Indian spirit, banned during British colonial rule, is poised to make a dramatic entrance onto the UK drinks market.
Six Brothers Mahura, distilled from the culturally significant Mahura flower (Madhuca Longifolia), will launch in the UK in 2025, marking the first time this unique spirit has been sold outside of India. This launch follows the unveiling of a limited-edition ultra-premium release, the Six Brothers 1922 Resurrection Mahura, of which only 102 bottles are available.
Also known as Mahua, Mahuva, Mahuda or Mhowra, the Mahura tree is native to the forests of western and central India. Its flower has long been cherished by indigenous tribal communities and royalty alike, but its distillation was suppressed during colonial times to protect European spirit imports. Now, South Seas Distilleries, one of India’s oldest malt distilleries, is reviving this forgotten heritage with two Mahura expressions.
Six Brothers Small Batch Mahura, the spirit launching in the UK, is a premium spirit, double-distilled in copper pot stills and platinum filtered. Its complex and aromatic profile offers sweet, earthy notes of dried fruits, pepper, and ginger, followed by a clean, spicy finish with lingering raisin and hay. The spirit is expected to be versatile, lending itself to a range of sophisticated cocktails.
To celebrate the UK launch and introduce Mahura to the market, South Seas Distilleries has launched the Six Brothers Mahura Masters cocktail competition. Set to take place in March at the prestigious Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood London, the competition invites top bartenders to create innovative cocktails using Mahura.
Andy Loudon, Director of Bars at Scarfes Bar, said the venue was the perfect setting for the launch of a new spirit category.
“With a legacy of redefining cocktail culture through creativity and narrative driven storytelling, Scarfes Bar naturally aligns with the symbolism of the Mahura flower: rare, vibrant, and full of possibility,” Loudon commented.
“The venue’s history of hosting world-class competitions and championing forward-thinking bartending makes it a fitting stage to unveil a spirit that, like the Mahura, signifies growth, transformation, and a bold new chapter in the world of cocktails.”
Drinks critic Douglas Blyde, a judge for the competition, added: “The competition provides an opportunity to introduce this groundbreaking spirit to the UK market, engaging the capital’s best talent in the process. Bartenders will have the unique chance to shape the way Mahura as a category is received in the UK, and to push the boundaries of what this versatile spirit can do in cocktails.”
The competition will see two winners being rewarded with a luxury trip to India to learn about the spirit’s cultural and distilling heritage, timed to coincide with the Mahura tree’s blooming season.
Doritos' Super Bowl ad, chosen by the American public, is set to air in Britain this Sunday during the big game between Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for the most coveted trophy in American Football.
While many Brits may not fully grasp the nuances of American Football, the Super Bowl commercials themselves offer a spectacle often as entertaining as the game.
This year, UK viewers will get a taste of the #DoritosCrash competition, a unique initiative that empowers aspiring filmmakers.
Last September, Doritos challenged fans and creators to produce their own 30-second Super Bowl ad for a chance to win $1 million and have their work broadcast during the game. The call to action was simple: “Think you can do better? Prove it.”
Thousands of entries were whittled down to three finalists – Abduction, Barbershop, and Charades – by a panel of judges including players and advertising experts. Ultimately, the American public chose the winner: Abduction.
Created by co-directors Dylan and Nate, Abduction humorously depicts that no one can resist the bold crunch of Doritos – not even extraterrestrials! This sci-fi-inspired spot, packed with twists and turns, will be shown on ITV and Sky Sports during the Super Bowl broadcast.
While this marks the first time a #DoritosCrash ad will air in the UK, the competition itself has a rich history. Launched in 2006, it was a pioneering effort in user-generated content, placing the biggest advertising moment of the year in the hands of fans. Despite social media being in its early stages, the gamble paid off, and the contest ran for ten years, producing some of the most memorable Super Bowl ads ever seen.
“This year’s #DoritosCrash contest winner, Abduction, is the ultimate embodiment of Doritos’ For the Bold ethos,” Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer at PepsiCo, said.
“They truly pushed the bounds of creativity with their Abduction ad. We can’t wait to showcase their vision on the biggest stage in advertising, as we know the spot will inspire our fans to continue stepping outside of what is expected.”