In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping every corner of the business landscape, brands are struggling to stay relevant and differentiated. While most marketers are still exploring the role of AI in creativity, content generation, and consumer engagement, only a few have managed to cut through the noise with work that’s not just AI-enhanced, but insight-led.
Doritos is one of them.
Their latest innovation, Doritos Silent, wasn’t born from a fascination with technology. It emerged from a clear, customer-centric insight: young people love snacking, but their squad hates the crunch.
From Observation to Insight
PepsiCo-owned Doritos has long recognized that its core audience overlaps significantly with Gen Z and the gaming community. But instead of just advertising in those spaces, the brand chose to listen. And through that listening, a specific insight came into focus.
Many young people wear headsets while gaming, working, or socializing. And while snacking is common during these activities, the unmistakable crunch of Doritos, one of its most iconic features, was becoming a barrier to smooth interactions. For the person eating, the crunch is satisfying. For those on the other end of the conversation, it’s disruptive. Some even stopped snacking on Doritos during gaming sessions.
This wasn’t just a data point. It was an insight and theone that redefined Doritos not just as a snack, but as part of a shared social experience.
Doritos didn’t respond with a flashy new flavor or a clever ad. They built a tech solution rooted in empathy.
Partnering with their in-house creative agency, the brand trained an AI model on over 5,000 variations of crunching sounds. The result was a system that could detect and remove the sound of crunching Doritos in real time from a user’s audio feed, without affecting their voice.
The person eating still hears the crunch. The others do not.
It’s a playful solution, but it addresses a real, friction-filled moment in everyday interaction. By solving this micro pain point, Doritos showed up for its community in a way that felt genuinely helpful, not gimmicky.
A Campaign That Spoke the Audience’s Language
The launch campaign was just as insight-driven. Teasers appeared across the UK, with outdoor ads showing Doritos chips tucked into people’s ears alongside the line: “You won’t hear it coming.” Bold, slightly absurd, but completely aligned with the humor of their audience.
The Doritos campaign is a powerful reminder that good research doesn’t stop at data collection or surface-level observation. It only becomes meaningful when brands explore what that data means in real, human terms.
The Doritos crunch wasn’t just a sound. It was a blocker to connection. The solution wasn’t just AI. It was a demonstration of empathy.
Doritos didn’t need more data to win with gamers. They needed one strong insight and the courage to act on it.
Conclusion
As marketers and strategists, it’s easy to be dazzled by technology or overwhelmed by the volume of data available. But real impact lies in understanding the emotional, cultural, and contextual layers that drive behavior.
At Unpac Research, we go beyond data. We uncover the human truths that inspire creativity, drive strategy, and deliver measurable outcomes. Because when brands take the time to truly understand their audiences, the results are not just effective but they’re meaningful.
