A robot dentist and a really rich Girl Scout: NL #119

Sounds like a winner.

Ears are a big deal these days. Let me explain. Time spent streaming audio is up 32% year-over year. Currently, 67 million US consumers listen to podcasts each month. Not all that shocking, right? It seems like all small talk these days ends with “so… what podcast are you listening to?” It’s the modern version of “what about this weather?”

And now that everyone is tuned in, sonic branding is all the rage. Quick refresher. Sonic branding is a single, simple jingle, voice or logo that represents your brand. Think the Netflix duh-dum, or the McDonald’s classic “ba da ba ba baaaa.” Those quick snippets are simple, but distinctive and memorable. The kind that you could hear anywhere, at anytime, and immediately think of the brand.

The new Tostito’s bit just might be that next hallmark sound. In an attempt to create something truly authentic, Tostito’s new sound entails opening a variety of the brand’s jarred queso, guacamole and salsa to capture the perfect pop. The pop is followed by the noise of biting into a chip, combined to capture an inevitable sound for the brand. The sound lasts for all of 1.5 seconds, but it’s created an experience that’s unanimous with the beloved tortilla chip.

It’s wild to think that just a few sounds spliced together can establish a brand association. Audio elements tend to be an after thought, but they have the potential to hold a powerful impact for your brand. When your entire relationship with a brand can be indentified by a 2 second sound, that’s a pretty big deal.

Dennis Haysbert asking if you’re in good hands, the creepy, robotic Playstation sound, and one we’ll never get out of our heads, the Apple ring tone that we hate to love. We hear these quick soundbites, and we know the brand without even thinking. Imagine scaling back your ad campaign to a whole 1.5 seconds of seemingly meaningless noise? It’s just so crazy… it might work.

Top Stories

Kroger buys Albertsons.

Kroger agreed to buy Albertsons in a deal valued at $24.6 billion. Both companies’ boards unanimously approved the agreement, which is only slightly disappointing. I was hoping for a food fight on aisle twelve.

Kroger is the second-largest grocer in the US, following Walmart, and is followed by Costco, with Albetsons trailing close behind. If approved, Kroger and Albertsons will together capture nearly 16% of the US grocery market, inching their way closer to Walmart, who had roughly 21% of the market as of June 30.

What does this mean for shoppers like you and me? Great Q. Kroger promises to invest $1.3 billion in Albertsons to “enhance the customer experience,” which hopefully means lower costs, and not more of those Super Bowl displays made from Coke cans. Please. We are no longer impressed. Lawmakers are weary, and fear the merger will lead to higher costs. And with food prices still on the rise, we can’t help but wonder… how much more expensive could groceries possibly be?

Netflix announces ad supported tier.

Netflix with commercials? Is this some sort of Halloween trick?

Nope. It’s as spooky as it sounds. On Thursday, the streaming platform announced its plans to roll out an ad-supported tier version, with ads going for $6.99 a month. The Basic with Ads plan will join the service’s three current ad-free plans: the Basic for $9.99, Standard for $15.49 and Premium for $19.99. Remember when Netflix was $7 a month? No questions asked? Tear.

Ads aren’t the only punishment you’ll get for going the cheap route. The ad-supported plan will not include Netflix’s full content catalogue. Depending on the country, about 5% to 10% of titles will be unavailable on Netflix Basic With Ads. Which feels like a personal attack.

Best of the Week

Trend Watch

Marketing Dive’s roundup of Gen Z marketing trends, and thoughts on how to connect with this tough-to-reach demographic across CTV, the metaverse and social media. Basically, how to sound hip.

Stats to See

Nerd alert. The State of AI report analyzes the most interesting developments in AI over the course of the last year. It’s excessive at 114 slides, but packed with smart info.

Cool Stuff

Check out Anthony Bourdain’s World Map, and discover where the cool king of food spent his time. Sad to see he never made it to Dallas. I would’ve taken him to Whataburger.

Weekly Tunes

No surprise here, this week is dedicated to Taylor’s newest album, Midnights. We haven’t turned it down since its release on Friday, Track four is a team favorite. And tracks one through thirteen.

More News From The Week

• Oil protestors threw cans of soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and then super glued their hands to the museum wall. To everyone’s shock, none of this solved anything.
• Mackenzie Scott gave the Girl Scouts an $84.5 million donation. Important follow-up question, does Mackenzie prefer Thin Mints or Do-si-Dos?
• What’s the one thing that’s been missing from your Big Mac all these years? A Krispy Kreme.
• A robot that can perform root canals is on the loose. I’ll pass.
• Add this one to the list of headlines I never thought I’d read.

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