Advertiser: OSM, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Clients: Marie-Josée Desrochers, Jonathan Prunier, Charlie Gagné, Evelyne Rheault
Agency: K72
Creative director: Simon Beaudry
Strategy: Benoît Bessette
Assistant creative director – Design: Chantal Gobeil
Art directors: Jean-Nicolas Duval, Chantal Gobeil, Simon Beaudry
Copywriters: Guillaume Blanchet, Joshua Lessard
Design: Chantal Gobeil, Frédéric Dupuis, Lian Benoit
Graphic design: Leah Favreau
Account services: Nancy Gendron, Alexandre Gaudreau
Production house: 1one
Producer: Guillaume Dubois
Director: Benjamin Lussier
Colourist: Simon Boissonneaux
Cinematographer: Alexandre Lampron
Sound design and mixing: P.O. Rioux
Motion design: Benjamin Lussier, Sébastien Camden
Editing: Janis McNicoll
Music: Holst’s The Planets, “Jupiter”
Published: April 2018
Synopsis:
If we could perceive music with our eyes, what would we see? The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) sought to answer this question in an ad campaign promoting its 2018–2019 program. Developed by K72, the campaign explores a form of synesthesia (the mixing of two or more senses) by associating music with colours.
“To demonstrate the OSM’s musical depth and maestro Kent Nagano’s artistic vision, we invited people with the gift of synesthesia to translate music into colours. Each piece is represented by its own unique image,” explained Jonathan Prunier, Director of Marketing Communications at the OSM.
Hence, the imagery of the campaign—found in print, outdoor signage, video, digital and all related materials—depicts the great works the OSM will be presenting in its upcoming 85th season, as seen through the eyes of these synesthetes.
To achieve the desired result, K72 worked with production house 1one to develop custom software that brought what the synesthetes saw to life. “We wanted to create imagery that would give real meaning to the concept behind the campaign, that is, to see music. The tool allowed us to translate all of the subtleties and complexities of these major works, and to express their richness with an explosion of colour,” noted Simon Beaudry, Creative Director at K72.
“From a symbolic standpoint, trying to verbalize a rare neurological phenomenon linked to the interpretation of music was extremely inspiring. The challenge was to isolate certain sounds from their orchestral context to create a cause-and-effect relationship between the visual and the sound recording,” added Guillaume Dubois, a producer at 1one. “Close communication between the synesthetes and programmers was key—it was like managing an abstract painting involving 15 people.”
The artistic process is captured in a video that’s a cross between an ad and a documentary.