Challenge

We were asked to test a media and production partner combination, reach a younger demographic, and retarget ads based on affinity. Efforts focused on the new QuietComfort 35 headphones, showcasing uncommon use cases. But, this project was coming at the end of our fiscal and budget was limited. The Marketing team wanted to use learnings from this work to inform the following year’s campaign budgeting.

The Media team set out to work with Vice, a powerhouse who had the cache and ability to help accomplish our goals. They shared with us several talent, including Chef Kristen Kish, and others. My role was to guide the creation from a brand perspective. And, find any possible way to eat what Kristen eventually made.

Insight

The common characteristics and creativity of chef and musician is a case of worlds colliding. Chefs are artists, creations inspired by their heritage, exotic worldly locations, love, and culture. Their instruments of steel and flame. And what we found about the great ones, both chefs and musicians, they find a way to mentally escape when they create. We wanted to tap into the musician-like creativity that Kristen oozed.

Our idea was to make a music video starring a chef in less than 30 seconds. All the raw action footage overlayed with a classical music piece to balance the grit and beauty on screen. Our creative goal was to show music empowering the laser precision in whatever Kristen was doing relating to her craft.

So, did you eat?

No. Well, not what Kristen made. The lamb you see her eating is raw as F, not recommended for consumption. It was all for the cameras and she was super cool about it. But, we ate well. This was filmed at the New York Culinary Academy. There was no short supply of chefs willing to test their creations on a crew of 20+.

In the end, the results did not work in our favor. The Vice team was awesome, much respect for that crew. But, in my mind, we at Bose tried to brand this too much and we didn’t use the consumer insight for the platform correctly. The Vice viewer wants the story, not the advertising. That’s why Viceland advertises only their own content. Rarely will you see a product integration (at least as of this writing). By us trying to brand this too much, we turned the viewer off and the results showed it. In fact, our original creative idea was abandoned because it was considered untraditional (exactly, right?). But, in the end, it was a test and I think we learned a valuable lesson of listening to what our audience wants to experience on the platform we’re interacting.

Creds

Art Director: Dana Edwards

Producer: Abbe Novack

Marketing Partner: Kyle Graham