Situation:

One in five suffer from hearing loss, many without being aware of it. Figures from the WHO show that half of our young people have a harmfully high volume when using headphones. If their listening habits and way of life do not change it will lead to more people becoming hearing impaired in the future. According to The Lancet and the Norwegian National Hearing Organization, HLF, people in general wait 10 years before seeking help when becoming aware of a hearing impairment, often leading to poor health and isolation.

Brief:

Raise awareness of the hearing loss issue and the importance of enjoying good sound in a responsible way.

Objectives:

Make Gen Z aware of the importance of taking care of their hearing by putting it to the test. Demonstrate how existing Samsung products and proper use can help protect their hearing. Strengthen Samsung’s position as a socially responsible innovator.

The task of fusing science and music by combining elements normally used in hearing test with the soundscape of a catchy pop song was given to audiologist Peter Heggdal, PhD, and Norwegian music producers Skinny Days. Within the song they implemented a variation of high frequencies (17,16,15,13,5,12 and 10,6 kHz) and a speech / noise segment with hidden words. The sequence of hearing test elements formed a challenge for the listeners, where some could hear all of it, many heard parts of it, and a few do not pick up on the sounds at all. The song sparked many discussions, and turned taking a hearing test into an engaging and revealing experience for all.

Impact:

The hearing test song and the campaign message was featured on several in depth interviews and feature stories on major radio stations and news outlets throughout Scandinavia.

Reach:

Nea got to take over Spotify’s Instagram account prior to the release.

The song got listed as nr.1 on popular Spotify playlists such as New Music Friday Norway, New Music Friday Sweden. It was also top chartered on radio.

Massive reach on Spotify with over 1 million (earned) plays, making "Heartbeat" Scandinavia’s most popular hearing test.

Engagement:

TikTok activation 900.000+.

Live performance on Lollapalooza, one of Sweden’s largest music festivals, also making it the first open air hearing test.

Change in Behavior:

Never before have so many Scandinavians tested their hearing.

Achievement against objectives:

Samsung was featured as a socially responsible innovator both for creating the hearing test song and for providing solutions to help take care of peoples' hearing.