“A truly augmented experience that made people go deeper into what they were experiencing. This is what mobile devices and technology must do—provide people with a greater experience.” —juror Mark Renshaw

“I loved this one. It’s a great and simple insight. I want my five-year-old son to try it.” —juror Drew Ungvarsky

Overview: Beethoven, Wagner and Bugs Bunny: orchestrated classical music has long provided a musical backdrop for children’s cartoon shows. This relationship inspired a solution for publicity agency Artplan’s recent assignment to bring a (much) younger crowd to the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. Recordings of the orchestra were compiled into a free tablet app, and children just needed to point their tablet to the TV to synchronize. They could then listen as classical music refined the equally classic childhood experience of weekend morning cartoons.

•Artplan recorded the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra playing complete episodes from several cartoons.
•This project introduces classical music during an educational moment of a child’s life.
•The sound effects were recorded from several cartoons.

Comments by Augusto Correia:
Did you meet with any out-of-the-ordinary obstacles during development? “Eighty-five percent of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra’s audience is made up of senior citizens. In order to renew the audience, it was necessary to incite a taste for classical music among younger people.”

What was the thinking behind the navigation feature? “Before the cartoon starts, children point the tablet to the TV to sync. Then they enjoy listening to the orchestra playing throughout the entire episode, and they can get to know the whole orchestra, session by session, even learning a bit about different instruments. Finally, we showcased the location and date of the next concert.”

What was the response? “The app had upwards of 20,000 downloads and had an impact on more than 500,000 children. There was even a 60 percent increase in the number of children at the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra’s concerts.”