The Challenge

As acclaimed conductor Klaus Mäkelä prepared to step onto the podium, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra needed a season campaign that honored its storied legacy while injecting fresh energy. The task: evolve the brand without overhauling it by creating buzz, welcoming new audiences, and giving the in-house team a system they could easily adapt across a packed season.

The Insight

Symphonic music isn’t just an event, but a living force that reverberates through the city. By reframing performances as experiences woven into Chicago’s daily rhythm, we could make the CSO feel more vital, more present, and more irresistibly alive.

The Approach

Our “Sound Effects” concept turned the orchestra into a kinetic presence moving through Chicago. Bold visuals and lines like “Feel the Sound Effects” positioned each concert as a sensory, citywide event, shifting perceptions from a formal night out to an electrifying cultural current.

The Impact

While the CSO ultimately expanded and adapted the campaign in new ways, this work laid the creative and strategic foundation that shaped the season’s voice, energized audiences, and charted a path for where the brand could grow next.