PepsiCo launches Doritos liquor
PepsiCo began selling (and quickly sold out) a Doritos flavoured liquor last week. Produced with the renowned spirits maker Empirical, the alcohol was developed to taste just like the real thing—it “opens with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavours of the chip to finish on a soft salty note,” it said.
PepsiCo began selling (and quickly sold out) a Doritos flavoured liquor last week. Produced with the renowned spirits maker Empirical, the alcohol was developed to taste just like the real thing—it “opens with umami and tangy aromas of nacho cheese, moving to the deeper, corn-forward flavours of the chip to finish on a soft salty note,” it said.
PepsiCo also recommends mixing with a tequila or mezcal to make a bloody mary, or margarita, though it can also be sipped neat over ice.
"Doritos is all about disrupting culture and bringing our fans unexpected, bold experiences," said Tina Mahal, senior vice-president of marketing for Frito-Lay North America. "We're always pushing our fans to try new things, so we figure it's time we disrupt the spirits category by offering our iconic nacho cheese flavor in a bottle."
While it has the look, smell (and taste) of just another crazy food combination stunt, Empirical actually created the Doritos liquor on its own, before taking it to PepsiCo. The liquor was retailing for $65 for a 750 ml bottle, and while they sold out quickly, PepsiCo is working to produce more.
Starbucks getting charged up with Volvo
Starbucks has introduced 50 electric car chargers at 15 locations between Denver and Seattle as part of a deal with Volvo.
The companies announced the project last year in response to underdeveloped charging infrastructure to service the fast-growing number of EVs in the US—just 32,000 fast chargers for 2.3 million cars, reports Quartz.
While the stations are installed by Volvo, they can be used for other cars with standard CCS1 and CHAdeMO receptables (ie. not Tesla), although Starbucks told Quartz it also plans to offer Tesla charging when opening more stations. “Public EV charging should be as easy as getting a great cup of coffee—and now, it can be thanks to our partnership with Volvo Car USA,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer in a release.
“As we reimagine the Starbucks Experience of the future, we’re excited to invite our customers on our journey to become a resource positive company.”
Taco Bell, Whole Foods, 7-Eleven and Subway have also said they plan to add EV charging stations to their stores.
Maybe your phone is listening to you after all
For anyone who has ever wondered “is my phone listening to me?” it turns out it could be. A marketing subsidiary of Cox Media Group in the US claims it uses “active listening” through smartphones, smart TVs, and other connected personal devices.
According to a report by 404 Media, based on marketing materials from CMG and a pitch given to a marketing professional, CMG claims to be able to “target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for,” and offers ad targeting based on what people say in “their day-to-day conversations.”
CMG also directly answers the question of legality head-on: “Yes, it is totally legal for phones and devices to listen to you,” they say, because consumers usually give consent when accepting terms and conditions of software updates and app downloads.
But the marketer who spoke with 404 Media about the pitch said: “I immediately removed all my Amazon Echo devices and locked down microphone permissions on things like my phone,” they said. “[R]eceiving confirmation they are doing things like this have confirmed my worst fears and I, for one, will not take part in it.”
PETA picks Apple
Animal rights group PETA has chosen Apple as its Company of the Year for 2023, for its decision to stop using leather for any of its accessories. “The company’s decision to say “adIOS” to leather—a cruelly obtained coproduct of the meat industry—will spare countless animals and help mitigate the climate catastrophe,” said a PETA release.
Based on market capitalization, Apple is the largest company in the world, said Jacqueline Sadashige, PETA’s senior officer of corporate responsibility. “So their decision to end the use of animal leather really sets a strong and solid example for other corporations to follow.”
The decision to no longer use leather is part of Apple’s larger efforts to be carbon neutral by 2030. However, Apple faced scrutiny earlier this year over claims about its first “carbon neutral” products, specifically in regards to its supply chain emissions. “We believe there is a need for full disclosure and explanation of how Apple achieves carbon neutrality of its products, given the increase in carbon emissions from some of its suppliers,” said a report from the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE).
Puma parts ways with Israel soccer
Puma is ending its sponsorship of Israel’s national soccer team, though the German based sportswear brand said the decision was made a year ago—long before the current war with Hamas. However, the pro-Palestinian BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaign took credit for the decision, having called for a boycott of Puma since the sponsorship deal was signed in 2018.
According to the Financial Times, the decision was made for financial, and not political reasons, and the paper said “people familiar with the internal discussions who said it was part of a broader, ‘fewer-bigger-better’ strategy to become more selective in sports marketing.”
Puma is also parting ways with the Serbian national team, and will announce a new partnership with a “high-profile squad soon.”
BDS initially called for the boycott, because it said the sponsorship deal covered teams in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, though Puma said it “does not support football teams in settlements nor does its Israeli distributor have branches in settlements."
