Sony

The Future of Noise Cancellation

PROJECT TYPE

Product Launch
Immersive Experience
Influencer Engagement
Content

SERVICES

Strategy 
Creative Direction 
Industrial Design 
Creative Technology 
Editorial & Content Development
Graphic Design

Thanks to AI technology that blocks each sound around you individually, the WH-1000XM4 are arguably the most sophisticated noise-cancelling headphones ever made. Sony Electronics approached Good Friends to curate an exclusive preview for press, VIPs and influencers. Initially planned as a vibrant IRL event, COVID-19 forced us to find a way to deliver an equally exhilarating experience at home. So, we designed the ultimate unboxing experience. When opened, the event unfolded around you. 

We tailor-fitted the experience to a target audience that was locked down at home with their loved ones. Everyone was suddenly particularly sensitive to noise from nearby zoom calls or playing children, making the product itself a welcome addition. Our goal was to make the unboxing as informative as it was spectacular—a way to help recipients engage with noise and its relation to other senses in a new, personal and 4d way. 

We designed a custom lightbox that responds to the sound around you, bringing a new source of light and rhythm into their homes, creating an ecosystem with the headphones. The final stroke was a tactile element that would get them thinking: a carefully curated magazine—with original essays on noise by star author Kyle Chaka—that also unfolds into a poster.