Dentsu Beijing has created Sonic Sweetener in collaboration with the University of Oxford to address China’s over-consumption of sugar.
To help people reduce their sugar intake, Dentsu in Beijing has created Sonic Sweetener, a new campaign based on research by Dr. Charles Spence at the University of Oxford. With the educational institute’s support, the agency has developed a soundtrack designed to focus one’s attention on the sweetness found in food and drinks.
By tuning in to the audio aid, the product being consumed is rendered sweeter in taste as a result. The background of the project runs on the insight that an over-consumption of sugar poses many health risks—an issue continuously raised by numerous media outlets and other organisations in recent years.
As an epidemic, it is talked about frequently. Countries such as the United States and United Kingdom have introduced a Sugar or Soda Tax to hopefully address the problem. Meanwhile, obesity remains a huge social dilemma in China, which is largely attributable to an over-consumption of sugar.
With the lack of public awareness around the issue serving as a contributing factor, Dentsu went on to propose a unique and innovative idea to both heighten awareness and reduce consumption. The outcome is a soundtrack which works on the premise that people associate certain sounds with sweetness.
Applying that theory, Sonic Sweetener is engineered to make food and drinks appear sweeter that they actually are, because the audio aid heightens one’s sensitivity to sweetness. The product seeks to lower the intake of the risky ingredient. In line with the push, the product debuts at XINCAFE, a known creator’s space in Shanghai.
The brand was chosen as a launch partner for the project because of its keen focus on the dietary habits of China’s younger generations. The group is also an avid supporter of innovative technologies.
