The Fajita Effect

0:00Welcome to the Sound in Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, Gina Isham, owner and founder of Dreamer Productions and Sound in Marketing Learning. I create, consult and educate on the power of sound in marketing. In this season, we'll explore how sound influences taste, the ultimate recipe for making sound on purpose. Get it right, your food wins. Make bad sound choices. And the next 100 reviews will not be your taste. When it comes to your food, ignoring sound and sound associations simply isn't an option. Sound does matter, and over the next dozen or so episodes, we'll chew on the possibilities. And I hope you're hungry. My family and I went out to eat after church almost every Sunday. Growing up in

1:00suburbia, chain restaurants were endless. The menu may have altered slightly, or the brand colors might have changed. But by and large, the experience at every restaurant was generally the same. Except for chilies. Chili's had the sizzle. Caution, this episode may induce drooling. When the sizzling fajitas came out of the kitchen, everyone paused and turned their heads. The tray of meat and vegetables would tower over everyone's head as the waiter proudly processed it across the dining hall to its final resting place. The recipient always looked extremely pleased with themselves, as they knew the whole restaurant currently had fomo. A lot of times my dad would get it. The waiter would lay his order down and ask, Can I get you anything else? Knife and fork already in hand, and napkin safely tucked into his shirt. He would shake his head, no, without even looking up. The food was sizzling. It was time to eat.

2:05Sizzling meat is not something that chilies invented, but using it as fomo is. In 1984, chilies introduced sizzling fajitas, the menu. That super loud sizzle was a result of its sizzle sauce, basically soy sauce and oil that was added right before entering the dining room. When the sauce was added to the already hot plate, it created an instant activation of sound. The sizzling fajita, or the fajita effect, as I call it, has been making us salivate for decades. Although the sound can be heard beyond the chilies dining hall, including our own kitchens, it becomes a sort of sonic identity for chilies. It's so easy to create in such a mainstream activation and an onomatopoeia to boot. Although the sizzling fajitas are still around and are still popular today, chilies has moved on to other things. Those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s

3:07will always remember and appreciate the sound of sizzling, as well as the chilies jingle. Who cares that they're singing about one specific food item? It made us want them all. However, just like the Taco Bell Bong, advertising has changed. Although the sizzling fajitas are still around, chilies has moved on to other things. The next generation will never know the pavlovian effect of living in and through the late 20th century advertising jingles. What if chilies brought the late 20th century fajita marketing back full force? What if they used the sizzle as a more prominent piece of their brand identity? What if the sizzle was as famous as Michael Scott singing the jingle on the first season of the

4:08office? I want my baby back baby back baby back. I want my baby back baby back baby back. I want my baby back baby back. Happy the only one who still smiles at that association. If chilies had to continue not not just the sizzle but the jingle, would it be higher in the rankings of popular chain restaurants? What would it mean to commit to the sound of chilies? Here's my 75sens. What I would love to see? Imagination. How can one use the sound of a sizzle? Is it part of the rhythmic undercurrents of a voice over? Could it be incorporated into its already catchy jingle? Could chilies use it as a viral contest on social media? Kind of like Home Depot did with the orange song. Truly, the possibilities are infinite.

5:10Although the sound was intentionally engineered, the sound itself comes from natural sources. Even natural and organic sounds within a broader ecosystem of branding is incredibly powerful and effective. For example, sounds like alarms and notifications. They were originally derived from bird calls. Although our first attempts were jarring and unwanted, aka the alarm clock I had growing up, or that loud sunships bag. We learned the difference between sounds meant to annoy, sounds meant to move, sounds meant to relax, and many other functional sounds along the way. As I've spoken of before, anytime natural sounds can be incorporated into sound design, the more honest and sincere that design will be. Natural sounds skip the problem of relatability. We've known the sounds of nature since birth.

6:15Whether you are an avid camper or strictly a bed sort of person, the sound of a crackling campfire is recognizable and understood immediately. Chili's may not be your favorite restaurant, but that's not the point. Unless you've already eaten, the smell of food is always inviting. We have to eat. So when our food presents itself in an alluring way, the required act of eating becomes much more enjoyable. Remember the old rule of marketing? Sell the sizzle not the steak? Chili's taught us how to do both. At the same time. Now I'm hungry. I hope you're enjoying the show. If sound on purpose sounds like something your brand or company needs more of, I'd love to help. Send me a message and let's explore how your company could be more mindful of its sound and the strategy behind it. Let's make this world of sound more intriguing, more unique, and more and more on brand.