Bose is one of the world’s leading audio manufacturing companies and a leader in noise-cancellation.

It believes in the power of sound and has dedicated itself to improving it for more than 60 years.

From Apple to Sony to Sennheiser to Beats…the number of brands that manufacture audio equipment is increasing, and overwhelming consumers with so much noise as to which is the true king of noise cancellation.

So in 2022, when Bose was ready to launch its next generation of pioneering and market-leading headphones, the QuietComfort Earbuds II, we had a huge challenge.

We knew that positive public reception was crucial if we were going to drive preference among consumers for the new QCE II.

We needed to present the product in a way that showcased both its functionality and design, but most of all by showing guests the effectiveness of the noise cancelation - which was market-leading.

We partnered with NYFW to produce a two-stage event at one of the most exclusive locations in NYC.

First, members of the press were invited to an exclusive immersive installation, flipping the script on a traditional press event with a theatrical debut of the QuietComfort Earbuds II and an immersive full sensory product demo ahead of the public release.

We gave press what they wanted - the opportunity to take beautiful photos, speak to execs, but most importantly experience the noise-cancellation in real-life scenarios without leaving the room.

Once this finished, we quickly transformed the space into a blowout launch party kicking off NYFW. The influential guests were immersed from the start with a shareable entry moment, bespoke product reveal, two photo moments, a pared-down immersive demo, curated F&B, and a standout musical performance. Each element tied back to the personalization of the QCE II and the power of sound.

Our strategy was to target two distinct audiences via two events in the same day.

First, we targeted members of the press. They received their own experience of the QCE II, where the device was unveiled and could test out the product ahead of their release to the public.

We also made sure they had access to the top executives of the Bose organization and product experts.

We additionally targeted tastemakers and influencers with a buzzworthy lifestyle event that would get people talking and sharing on socials. To achieve this, we partnered with NY Fashion Week and top musical talent to attract the right demographic, and align the product and its release with fashion-forward and cultural trendsetters.

Our strategy was to create unique experiences, with immersive product demonstrations and shareable moments tailored to each audience, focused on the product features that highlight the power of sound personalization.

Guests entered through a multi-sensory tunnel displaying Bose’s key messaging with a 360-degree soundscape, followed by a product reveal with bespoke plinths and custom content on a massive screen.

The product demonstration was a 270-degree projection-mapped space that transported guests to noisy real-world environments with theatrical audio, projections, and lighting cues highlighting the noise-cancellation technology.

A robotic 'Glambot' arm allowed guests to model their earbuds by highlighting the product inside the ear, before pulling out and rotating rapidly to feature a full-body shot.

Several elements highlighted Bose’s commitment to personalization. Our Record Room allowed guests to interact with a MIDI drum machine whose buttons affected the surrounding sound and lighting. Two pour-over drink stations and food art installations flipped the script on F&B. And a NYFW-inspired pop-up shop allowed guests to create their own designs with handheld printing guns.

Closing the evening, The Strokes played a memorable 50-minute set.

Bose aimed to reach consumers and press in an engaging and authentic way, and we achieved these objectives through custom-curated activations, social reach, and most importantly, physical touchpoints.

Press who attended organically reiterated the brand’s talking points, with the overwhelming consensus that the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II took the noise-cancelling crown from its competitors - a key driver in product development. Our press coverage dwarfed that of Apple, which had its annual product release on the same day.

The power of music stole the show, as the event turned into a national story online with tens-of-millions of people engaging socially.

The event outperformed engagement benchmarks by over 400% and garnered over 23M influencer impressions. Google searches and social mentions hit an all-time high compared to the QCE 1 launch.

Total impressions were 3000% over the benchmark goal. Influencers onsite reached 268% more people than originally benchmarked with 9M+ followers targeted.