Tostitos Goes Beyond the Crunch for Its First Sonic Logo

For Tostitos’ first sonic logo, a zesty corn-chip crunch! simply wasn’t enough.

Through the years, the Frito-Lay brand often closed commercials with such sounds, but “a crunch isn’t ownable—a lot of competitors have that,” John Taite, EVP, global brand partnerships and development at Made Music Studios, tells Muse. “You need a truly iconic sound to make an impact with consumers.”

So, Taite’s team developed “a fast memory trigger to stand out in a crowded market, designed to complement the brand’s visuals” and resonate in pure audio settings.

Ultimately, Made Music kept the crunch, while adding pops from Tostitos salsa jar lids into the mix, plus drumbeats played on said containers.

Launched as 2022 began, the resulting ID lasts 1.5 seconds and rocks a lo-fi party vibe. You’ll hear the audio at the end of this recent :06 from lead agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners:

“The beauty of this sonic logo is that it’s easy to recreate at home with your friends,” Taite says. “It’s approachable and universal. All you need are a few Tostitos products, a sense of fun, and a little imagination.”

Made Music also created a fresh Tostitos instrumental theme, which plays in the spot above. Made Music hopes to release elements for fan remixes and will invite recording artists to interpret the track.

Taite believes such tuneful tactics help clients gain traction in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace. “Consumers are exposed to around 10,000 ad messages per day. And if your brand is on mute, you’re easier to ignore,” he says.

Here’s a case study illustrating that point, with Veritonic research showing significantly higher recall and appeal for Tostitos’ new sonic logo compared to CPG norms:

In 2019, Singapore Airlines took a somewhat similar though more grandiose aural flight, releasing a 2:32 track with droning engines, mechanical whirrs, clacking seatbelts, and other jet-plane noises. Last fall, producer A.G. Cook created a song for Apple using 45 years of bleeps, pings, bongs and other iconic sounds from the brand’s products.

CREDITS

Founder + Executive Music Producer: Joel Beckerman
Executive Music Producer: Amy Crawford
Music Co-Producer: Tevin Prince
Composer + Music Co-Producer: Lucas Murray
Mix Engineer: Dennis Wall
Group Account Director: Stephanie Hunt
SVP, Head of Experience: Alex Coutts