Projects

Pure Michigan

ISD Team

Abstract

In Michigan, the fall foliage is so vibrant you can almost hear it. Studio Resonate brought that idea to life through a six-week multisensory audio experience, using a crossmodal approach that blended original composition, evolving genres, and lyrical storytelling to transform autumn’s shifting colors into a cinematic sonic landscape.

Description

For Pure Michigan, Studio Resonate reimagined destination marketing through sound. Inspired by Michigan’s iconic fall foliage, we created a six-week immersive audio campaign that translated the changing colors of autumn into music, emotion, and storytelling.

Using a crossmodal approach rooted in sensory science, we designed three sequential sponsored station experiences that mirrored the natural progression of the season: from yellow, to orange, to red. To bring each phase to life, a Grammy-winning composer created original music for 12 custom audio assets, translating color into melody, rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation.

Each seasonal shift was paired with a distinct sonic identity informed by shared emotional and cultural associations with color. “Yellow” featured uplifting, feel-good compositions that reflected brightness and optimism, “Orange” leaned into warm lo-fi chill to evoke comfort and nostalgia, and “Red” delivered energetic dance tracks that captured the intensity and vibrancy of peak foliage season.

Together, the evolving soundscape helped listeners intuitively connect sound with the changing colors of the season. Scripts were written with lyrical, cinematic language inspired by Pure Michigan’s broader television campaign, helping evoke nostalgia, movement, warmth, and discovery through sound alone. Instead of using audio as a traditional advertising format, the campaign treats sound as the primary storytelling medium. Music, voice, pacing, and production design worked together to immerse listeners in the feeling of autumn in Michigan.

The result was a highly engaging multisensory experience that blended art, science, and media innovation. Across the six-week campaign, Pure Michigan generated 22.9 million impressions, reached more than 6 million unique listeners at an average frequency of 2.65x, and delivered traffic-driver performance 3–6x above benchmark.