Just like taste and smell, music has the power to bring back memories. We can feel each and every one of these senses with our whole body. But sadly, we can’t associate sense of hearing with a specific flavor. Or can we? As a world first, and for Brazilian cookware brand Tramontina, streaming platform Spotify and J. Walter Thompson Brasil joined forces to explore the question “What does music taste like?” Is it bitter, sweet or sour? Can you even find out?
Well, depending on an algorithm that the Sao-Paolo-based agency developed in partnership with neuroscientist Dr. Marcelo Costa, Head of the Neuroscience Department at the University of São Paulo, conductor João Rocha from the University of Kentucky, and Renato Carioni, chef and coach of team Brazil—that took part in the world chef championship, Bocuse D’or—it is now possible to feel the flavor of your favorite song.
In a brand-new campaign titled “Flavor of Songs,” JWT succeeds to transform music into taste. The project is based on an algorithm that is capable of turning any song from the Spotify platform into a different recipe, which means that it is capable of generating 44 million possible gastronomic combinations. The foundation of the concept is built on synesthesia, a phenomenon where the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to a similar experience in another sensory or cognitive pathway. In other words, one sense can involuntarily influence the other. In our case, hearing is the one that influences taste.
The project comes as a result of a six-month-long study, where Tramontina—one of Brazil’s leading brands of cooking utensils—did their best to turn songs into delicious dishes. The project started with collaborations of neuroscientist Dr. Marcelo Costa with conductor João Rocha. The duo used the principle of synesthesia to classify millions of songs available in Spotify’s database.
“If you consider a samba school with its various instruments, that really dense part in terms of sound, you can relate that to dense food,” explains Rocha. In this unusual scenario, Spotify’s parameters were cleverly transformed into ingredients: dance music was associated with temperature; energy as density/texture; positivity became bitterness/acidity, and musical notes became harmonization.
Based on these combinations, Chef Renato Carioni classified all the main culinary ingredients into notes. “If a song is not at all positive, its taste is bitter,” says Carioni.
“Our brief was from Tramontina was to appeal to a younger and more techy audience and get them excited by its stainless-steel line of products. We didn’t shy away from a technologically complex route, which has resulted in a project that appeals to all senses,” uncovers Rodrigo Da Matta, ECD at J. Walter Thompson Brazil.
The database was gathered in one place and utilizes artificial intelligence that is shrouded in the same technology used in financial systems, while “matching” Spotify’s classification parameters and the different combinations of ingredients cataloged by Carioni. This way it was possible to come up with different tasty dishes. For example, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor is a synonym for Salmon caviar and Cold Barley.
The campaign is now available on Spotify and is also supported by an interactive website, where users are invited to insert their favorite song into the platform and wait for it to generate a dedicated dish. Every dish is accompanied by a recipe, ingredients, and cookware, all divided into simple clear steps so that each user can cook their special dish at home. All users need to do is to log in into the platform using their account and type the song they love most. Let us know what song you will ‘consume’ first!
Credits:
Creative Agency: J. Walter Thompson Brasil
Client: Tramontina
Title: Flavor of Songs
CEO/CCO: Ricardo John
ECD: Cassio Moron e Rodrigo Da Matta
Copywriters: Rodrigo Da Matta, Kiko Borger, Heinz Boesing
Art Directors: Gustavo Rates, João Mendes, Marcus Prado, Cristiano Schein
Designers: Gustavo Rates, João Mendes, Marcus Prado
Creative Technologist e Creative Data: Sergio Costa e Tom Corral
Editing: Marcus Prado
Motion: Marcus Prado
Head of Production: Maisa Delgado
RTV: Carolina Pivato
Digital Producer: Sergio Costa e Tom Corral
Photographer: Régis Fernandez
Head of Client Services: Felipe Giacon
Operations Director: Thiago Segundo
Executive Director: Renata Dall Onder
Account Management: Fabricio Soares, Ricardo Montezuma, Rochele Pahs
Media: Giovana Venturelli, Maria Fernanda Galetti, Carolina Lopes, Ana Paula Rotta, Nathalia Silva, Luisa Maia
Planning: Stella Pirani, Marcus Pesavento
Client Approval: Darci Friebel, Rosane Fantinelli, Joice Patzlaff e Josiane Lamera Toazzi
Technology Producer: Casion
PR: Andrea Assef, Vivian Zeni, Livia Martins, Jessica Hartley
Extra Credits: Chef Renato Carioni, Maestro João Carlos Rocha, Doutor Marcelo Fernandes da Costa
TEASER
Production: Landia
Director: Aline Lata
Executive Production: Carol Dantas, Sebastian Hall
Assist Executive Production: Larissa Delfini
Head of Production: Camilla Bastos
Photography direction: Erico Toscano
Production: Natalia Petrechen
Editor: Wellington
Post-production coordinators: Elton Bronzeli, Rafael Malavazzi
Post-production/Finishing: Landia, M&A
Color Grading: Marla Colour Grading
AUDIO
Production: A9 Audio
Soundtrack: Apollo 9 e equipe A9
Account Management: Renata Schincariol e Guta Lima