In the age of distraction and content overload, experience builders are leaning on the five senses to tap into the memory-making circuits of the brain. And this year, more events are incorporating moments for brands to literally get in the ears of their target audiences (and effectively, be one-on-one) with listening booths that surround them with music, themes and product information.
Take Netflix and Spotify’s Graveyard Gala. The September event invited 300 fans, influencers, press and top Spotify listeners to Guastavino’s in New York City for a spooky, Tim Burton-inspired celebration of “Wednesday.” Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance to announce “The Dead Dance” song written for season two, and attendees were invited to step inside coffins and put on headphones for an exclusive first listen.
Audible has long been popping up listening stations to showcase its audiobooks, podcasts and original programming at Sundance. The Audible Listening Lodge and ski-themed listening gondolas at the film festival provided a cozy escape, with warm beverages, from the snowy outdoors. At SXSW 2024, it revamped the carnival experience with a Ferris wheel where each gondola offered a different listening experience, creating repeatability.
At Art Basel, Sol de Janeiro brought A Garden for the Senses to Miami Beach. The skincare brand partnered with three emerging female artists from Brazil to design Cheirosa Portals, inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s iconic phone booths known as “orelhões” (“big ears” in Portuguese). The artists’ interpretations of the booths yielded colorful domes featuring original artwork that reflected the essence of Sol De Janeiro’s fragrances. Consumers could pick up the phone to listen to the brand’s story as it played on a video screen and then press a button for a spritz of perfume.
In New York City, Sony Electronics went underground for the launch of Olivia Rodrigo’s custom, violet-colored LinkBuds, and inside the reimagined subway station, fans of the singer could board a purple-splashed Amazon Music Listening car to try out the new earbuds.
“Do you hear what I hear?”—just getting in the holiday spirit.
Featured image credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Netflix
