Play quietly
The PepsiCo-owned tortilla chip brand has introduced the world’s first ‘crunch-cancelling’ tech that lets PC gamers enjoy their favourite snacks without distracting other players.
Research shows 46% of gamers in the UK dislike the sound of other people eating, while in the US, 30% complain the crunching impacts their performance. However, like love and marriage, gaming and snacks go together - even though 68% of Portuguese gamers and 64% of Spanish gamers rank crisps or chips as the ‘loudest’ and most irritating noise-wise.
A whopping 85% of gamers across the globe - primarily millennials and Gen Z - consistently choose Doritos as their snack of choice - best loved for their noisiest crunch.
The crunch is a key reason consumers love Doritos. With this new 'crunch-cancellation technology,' Doritos gives gamers the ability to continue enjoying the crunch without disrupting their fellow players' performance.
“The connection between Doritos fans and the gaming community is undeniable,” said Fernando Kahane, global marketing head for PepsiCo.
“Both boldly and unapologetically embrace their individual flavours. Doritos Silent recognises this bond and demonstrates the brand’s continued commitment to innovation and elevating the experience for gamers who choose Doritos.”
Designed in partnership with Smooth Technology, the tech took six months to develop and involved the 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, lead developer and co-founder of for Smooth Technology, a one-stop creative engineering and design studio based in Brooklyn, New York. Led by industry veterans Fashbaugh, Sachem Arvidson, James DeVito and Dave Sheinkopf, their combo of cutting-edge tech and artistic sensibility allows the company to create outstanding interactive experiences for some of the world’s biggest brand names.
“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.”
Doritos has teased the idea of ‘making Doritos silent’ with social media and out-of-home ads that featured Doritos chips in-place of noise-cancelling headphones. The ads - which flighted in the UK, US, Spain, Poland, Brazil and Portugal - promise that ‘you won't hear it coming’.
Download Doritos Silent for free.
The Doritos survey was conducted by market researcher ONePoll at the beginning of October among 200 gamers in each market: China, India, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the US.
