On Sept 14th 2023, Bose announced the next generation of its iconic QuietComfort line: the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and the QuietComfort Headphones, all featuring the world-renowned hallmarks that the QuietComfort name has become synonymous with. Bose collaborated with Mirrored Media to create an immersive brand experience and launch event in New York that introduced the new product to consumers, press, and influencers. 

Mirrored was tasked with producing a launch event where select members of the media were able to experience the QuietComfort products ahead of their release to the public, as well as an evening tastemaker launch party. Working closely with the Bose team, we developed and created a fully immersive entry moment and sound tunnel that welcomed guests, followed by an immersive hands-on demo that allowed them to experience the product’s all-new premium design and debut Bose Immersive Audio, taking audio performance to an entirely new level.

The challenge was to present the product in a way that showcased both its functionality and design, but most of all debuting immersive audio. Guests were able to absorb all aspects of the QuietComfort Ultra product line from the entry moment, to the product displays, to the live demonstration, to interviews with Bose executives and product experts. 

Press Event

We began by creating a welcome moment that was a visual and auditory experience that immersed press in spatial audio. As guests opened the doors to the iconic Weylin venue in Williamsburg, they were met with a mesmerizing immersive light display, transporting them into the Bose Ultra event. Guests entered a light tunnel filled with LED lights pulsing in the updated brand colors guiding guests through the tunnel. The tunnel was accompanied by 360-degree spatial audio featuring a playlist of music from friends of the Bose brand. When guests reached the end of the tunnel, they were met with the reveal and debut of the brand new QC Ultra Headphones and Earbuds on a custom internally lit plinth levitating the product in front of product lifestyle key art.

The press then made their way into the iconic bank vault from the original Williamsburg Bank and downstairs into a custom demo experience. Bose Immersive Audio goes beyond special effects. It creates a wider, more spacious soundstage so your content becomes multi-dimensional and layered. It will bring you closer than ever by virtually seating you right in the acoustic sweet spot from a recording studio. To bring this to life, we recreated a traditional music studio in the basement of the Weylin including a full live band of award winning studio musicians. The space featured a full studio mixing console, studio monitors, a legendary studio engineer, a 4 piece band behind plexiglass, custom lighting, and rugs. Guests entered the space and found a seat on plush leather couches with headphones on displays in front of them. With the help of a host and the studio engineer, the room immersed its occupants visually and auditorily through multiple demonstrations where they could experience immersive audio in real life. Each participant donned a set of QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and was able to hear the live band play through the console and into their headphones. In each demo, guests were instructed to switch between different modes of the product to experience firsthand just how powerful the immersive audio is. Traditionally, when listening to recorded content through headphones, the soundstage is collapsed into your head between your ears. Bose Immersive Audio reveals its true depth, spatializing what you’re hearing by virtually placing it in front of you, so it felt like the music was truly coming from the band in front of them, just as if they were listening to the studio monitors in the room. Guests switched immersive modes on and off, and switched between “Still,”  when guests moved their heads and the audio stayed in place with the band in front of them, and “Motion,” when guests turned their heads and the audio moved with them, so it was always out in front of them. The demonstration ended with an emotional playback of a classic and beloved track, showing how powerful the headphones are, and feeling as if you're listening to the song for the first time again. When guests took their headphones off, they were met with the loud sounds of the NY city streets in the room. A surprise and delight moment reminding guests that Bose is still the leader in noise cancelation. Each piece of this roughly 8-minute demo was timed flawlessly between our A/V teams, presenters, and brand representatives to create a magical experience and provide a real-life picture of how spatial audio is now accessible to all thanks to the Bose headphones and earbuds.  

Afterwards, the press were invited to join Bose for brunch while interacting with key executives and product spokespeople.

LAUNCH PARTY

After the press event, there were just a few hours to transform the space into a blowout evening launch party. We hosted over 600 people, highlighting the product and engaging the crowd, featuring live performances by freshly VMA crowned “Best New Artist” Ice Spice,  VMA Nominee Pink Pantheress, alongside acclaimed DJ’s Jamie xx and Blu DeTiger. The evening culminated with a live performance of the chart topping track “Boys a Liar” by Ice Spice and Pink Pantheress. 

Upon check-in outside of the Weylin, the iconic original Williamsburg Bank, guests made their way into a beautiful space with massive vaulted dome ceilings. Following the creative aesthetics of the event, guests were immediately met with a mesmerizing light show display on the original bank teller glass. They entered the event through the immersive sound tunnel that doubled as a classic fashion show runway as they made their way to the product reveal, and ultimately into the main event, following the same entry path as press earlier in the day. 

Guests could sign up for product demos throughout the evening in order to experience the QC Ultra Headphones firsthand and become immersed in the product. The event featured several experiential elements bringing the immersive messaging to life, encouraging organic social engagement. 

Standout activations included two interactive video booths where guests could create and share content. One was a robotic 'Glambot' arm that gave guests a chance to model their headphones as they stepped into the product photography key art and could be featured in their own Bose ad. Recreating the new Bose monochromatic artwork, guests stepped into the photo studio set and the lighting color in the space instantly changed to match the color of the guests' clothing. The camera was able to hit unique positions featuring the product, then pull out and rotate rapidly to feature a full body shot that allowed guests to get creative with their content. This fashion-inspired piece of content for guests was a perfect showcase for the product and only possible with the robotic arm. 

The second booth was a fun auto karaoke experience inside of a Porsche. Guests took a seat in a Porsche, grabbed the microphone, and sang along to our headliners track. The activation highlighted Bose’s audio integration with Porsche and created fun sharable content. 

In addition to the content capture, a very popular activation touchpoint was our custom merch bar. Guests received custom beaded bags featuring the Bose logo filled with custom goodies including custom Bose vintage tees and a pair of the new QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. 

The attention to experiential detail went all the way to food and beverage. Keeping everything purposeful and immersive, our menu was curated and designed to be an experience in itself, as delicious and innovative as the event. Custom art piece installations passed through the venue with tasty heavy bites attached. 

To transform the previous bank into the ultimate launch event, we flew in a custom truss lighting plot suspended from the towering dome, as well as a custom stage featuring immersive LED walls in front and behind the stage, and full music festival style special FX pyro and lasers. The evening highlighted live performances by Ice Spice, PinkPantheress, Jamie xx, and Blu DeTiger.

Guests were able to learn more about Bose and the brand’s passion for powerful sound, and extend the reach of the launch via social platforms. Guests included a mix of influencers, lifestyle press, key Bose stakeholders, friends of the brand, and cultural tastemakers. Notable influencers and guests included H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Victor Cruz, Julio Torres, Tinx, Charly Jordan, Eva Marisol Gutowski, and more. 

Bose aimed to reach consumers and press in an engaging, authentic, and personal way, and we worked together to achieve these objectives through custom curated activations, social reach, and most importantly, physical touchpoints. Every piece of the activations - during both the press and party events - had a functional and deliberate purpose to highlight the quality, functionality, and immersion of the product. Since its founding in 1964, the company has been dedicated to delivering amazing sound experiences through innovation committed to the belief that sound is the most powerful force on earth. 

For nearly 60 years, this belief has driven Bose to create products that change the way people listen to music. Through this event, we were able to allow guests to experience this first hand. Press who attended organically reiterated the brand’s talking points in their articles, with the overwhelming consensus that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones took immersive audio to the next level. The event generated earned media through positive editorial coverage, as well as hundreds of millions of organic social media impressions from influential guests.