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CASE STUDY FILM
DRAFTKINGS NETWORK - Sonic Branding
"They discovered a new and better way of crafting brands" - Transform Magazine 2023
DESIGN agency Makerhouse and SONIC agency Sonic Lens raised the bar for branding when they pioneered a new process of intensive collaboration and creativity called “Synchronized Branding.”
How the DJ "DROP" formula
inspired the brand sound.
A DJ device called the “Drop” became a keystone of design and motion as well as the formula for DKN’s audio mnemonic. It tells the story of building anticipation to a moment of suspense, like what a DJ creates at a live show, and then rewarding this with a “Drop” into the main groove, in this case representing the emotional payoff of receiving DKN’s breaking content. The DKN brand is not defined a single mnemonic, but by following the “Drop” formula with both sound and motion design, allowing DKN to evoke its brand promise and flex its identity across limitless styles and permutations.
How we used SOUND
to "ELECTRIFY" the brand
As ‘electric’ was a top brand adjective, our experimentation around using real sounds of electricity paid off in spades as it not only gives DKN a unique sound but also inspired color choices, design patterns and motion behaviors.
We recorded sounds of electricity and created virtual instruments to help us 'run an electric current' throughout the brand sound, making it possible to viscerally feel the buzz of excitement and speed of culture that DKN delivers.
Sonic Strategy became a foundational pillar
of the entire holistic A/V branding system.
"Music Intelligence"
Cautious about forcing another sports brand into a crowded ecosystem, our sonic strategy used ‘music intelligence’ to identify ownable sonic positioning and the ingredients of a unique sonic DNA. We analyzed the sonic landscape not only of sports brands, but of networks that successfully evoke our brand values, next gen news outlets, and culture creators and used these insights to build an accurate and ownable sonic branding strategy for DKN.
Collaborative Workshopping
These insights fed extensive moodboarding and strategic workshopping sessions to align sonic approaches - resulting in a very clear sonic strategy and a well defined and detailed creative brief filled with music and sound examples, inspiration and thought starters.
Results
Early DraftKings testing shows “the mnemonic is unique and perceived as fresh and exciting” - the top ranked adjectives we were tasked to evoke from the start. Focus feedback of the sizzle which combined audio and visual branding also outperformed on the most important metrics, a direct result of our “synchronized branding” process of co-developing audio and design as two sides of one coin.
Client
DraftKings
Creative Directors
Marco Vitali -Sonic Lens
Michele Silvestri - Makerhouse
Scott Salsbury - DraftKings
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Composers
Glen Cavanagh
Marco Vitali
Executive Music Producer
Marco Vitali / Sonic Lens
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