Feel music in a whole new way.

Cochlear and agency McCann Australia needed the product to appeal across the age range and inform customers of its vast offerings. There was a lot to say in a small timeframe. So, the creative agency focused on music and the joys it brings to everyone who can hear the music, feel the beat and move their feet.

The idea was to see people dancing and moving without any visual headphones – the idea of enjoying life and not looking crazy.

Production company 90 Seconds approached Director Aaron Petersen to bring the silent commercials to life. From the brief, Aaron provided various treatments; one being a dance routine in a busy suburban area, the talent busting out some serious dance moves along a walkway, humming to themselves and really going to town, leaving on-lookers perplexed and unsure as to how and why they are moving as though they are listening to music without any hearing devices in sight.

The client and agency loved the idea and gave the go ahead. The tricky part was creating two campaigns on a minimal budget that included casting talent and extras, choreographing the dance routines and filming everything in one short day.

The tricky part with outdoor filming and no schedule flexibility is varying conditions throughout a day. Being early spring, the available natural light was reduced to 10 hours in the best of conditions. Unfortunately, the day went from fog and overcast to full sun around midday followed by a stunning early sunset. The elements could not have thrown more complexity into the ring. All this made the post-production process even more challenging for the Cobox team.

Thankfully there was plenty of amazing footage captured by the Director of Photography, Jamie Lepre. Piecing each commercial together was rewarding, seeing the choreographed routines come to life. The tricky part was the colour grade and handling the varying light changes.

Sky replacement was an option, but time wasn’t on the team’s side. Overall, the campaign was a successful launch for Cochlear and their revolutionary technology. The world now knew about what was possible and word quickly spread. The commercial campaign had a limited on-air spend but mostly featured on social platforms and a print campaign across billboards and buses.