Bose is facing a period of transformation. For years, its reputation for quality has been one of the best in the market, spearheaded by market-leading noise-cancellation technology. But in a world where consumer choice is driven more and more by cultural relevance, winning the features war is no longer enough to break through.
After multiple years of decline in familiarity, especially with younger buyers, we needed to re-establish Bose as relevant in today’s culture. To spark the emotional connection that was preventing them from being a “badge brand”; one chosen not because of what it does for you, but because of what it says about you.
Our goal was to refresh brand perception and drive brand/product consideration among young-skewed Premium Music Lovers who truly care about sound.
POSITIONING:
Bose’s refreshed brand belief and positioning leaned into its Bose superpower as a brand that prioritizes sound experience above all else:
To make Bose synonymous with “transformative sound experiences” we needed to make these moments more tangible, starting by tracing music’s influence through culture.
INSIGHT: The influence of music reverberates in every direction, creating a domino effect of creative output across endless mediums, moments, and expressions
STRATEGY: “FOLLOW THE MUSIC”
Branded storytelling highlighting the transformative domino effect of music’s influence via a series of connected creative media and moments.
Three strategic principles:
EXECUTION: “MUSICAL DOMINOS”
In collaboration with Complex, A-list rapper 21 Savage, and visual innovator Oseanworld, this multi-media story illustrates how a single song can create a ripple effect of transformative creative output. Weaved throughout the story is the power of Bose Quiet Comfort II earbuds, with industry-leading noise cancellation delivering ideal conditions for creative transformation.
TRANSFORMATION #1: NOTHING - MUSIC
It all starts with 21 Savage discussing the inspiration behind his hit song “Out for the night” and conveying to Oseanworld what he was trying to capture and translate for his fans.
TRANSFORMATION #2: MUSIC - ART
The pair then dissected the visual imagery conjured in Oseanworld’s mind when listening to a crisp version of the song in his Bose QCE II’s. We showcased the creative process he then undertook to transform that inspiration into static and video visual art, setting the stage for the final transformation.
TRANSFORMATION #3: ART - PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE + CUSTOM EARBUDS
At “the cultural Superbowl” of music and pop culture — Complexcon — manifestations of the video art were projected onto an inflatable pop-up experience in rhythm with the song. Visitors could physically interact with the art, in turn altering the visuals and song to continue the “domino effect.” Custom QCE II’s with the art were also available via a limited edition drop giveaway.
ASSETS:
MEDIA:
The campaign delivered huge engagement and impact for Bose among a highly relevant community of music lovers.
Our +13MM video views were extremely sticky, with average dwell time on the brand page of 9 mins 43 seconds, ~5x over Complex’s benchmark. This proved the power of our borrowed credibility strategy to drive attention and engage true fans.
The experiential event at Complexcon was a hit, with tens of thousands of visitors interacting with the experience and 1.5k giveaway entries over the two days.
But most importantly, the program attacked the heart of Bose’s challenge of driving brand equity, with 90%+ increase between control and exposed for ALL metrics (Awareness, Message Association, Favorability, Purchase Intent).
And even though it was a brand program we were still able to drive product perception goals, with 75% agreeing that the content clearly shows the quality of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II.
