CAPITAL ONE - CAFÉS & AIRPORT LOUNGES
With their goal of revolutionizing consumer banking, Capital One contacted us to reimagine their customer experience with music in their new retail branches and also their inaugural airport lounges.
Contrary to common practice, we do not believe that music is just an obligation or accessory, to be played in mono, as a background, with music on repeat, that no one really cares about.
We’ve seen many other retail banks, who provide similar products and services, modernize the look and feel of each of their branches by re-designing their interiors and furnishings. For Capital One, we believed that a comprehensive and ambitious music program would be a differentiating factor and that music would be the connector. We also viewed the customer as a guest, who would be treated in the same way as in the world of hospitality, with the idea that guests can “reset, relax and recharge”.
Similarly, the guest experience upon entering the airport lounge till departure should be a complete experience that is enriching, memorable and transformative, where the guest might feel “relaxed, refreshed and recharged”, ready for their next phase of travel.
We considered what an airport lounge experience should be and how music can be used to amplify the modern design of various areas in the lounge, evoking the different cultures that we discover in our travels.
Our program of work consisted of:
For new Cafés,
Main Areas ~ Curating playlists for main areas, including commemorative playlists during the year (Black History Month, Women’s History Month, PRIDE, Hispanic Heritage Month)
ATM Vestibule ~ Creation of a custom, original and exclusive soundscape in stereo, with beautiful sounding acoustic instruments, as well as high-end quality recorded sounds of nature and electro-ambient soundscapes.
Restrooms ~ Creation of a custom, original and exclusive soundscape in stereo, knowing that the Restroom is a widely used space in the Café.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAM
PRIDE MONTH SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
PRIDE MONTH PROGRAM
PRIDE MONTH PRGRAM
PRIDE MONTH PROGRAM
For new Airport Lounges,
Main Areas ~ Curating playlists for main areas during the day, selecting known music in different genres from all over the world.
Bar Lounge ~ We wrote and produced original music with a modern feel, evoking the distinctive sounds and moods from different parts of the world, like a music time machine.
Wellness Areas ~ These include the different closed rooms designated as Mother’s Room, Prayer Rooms, Shower Room, Fitness Room, Relaxation Rooms, where guests can escape everything and everyone. Guests are invited to completely relax, close their eyes, nap, meditate or read. Here, we have harnessed the power of music and natural sounds to reset minds. Before boarding, guests will hear music created specifically for these moments, like a score to a movie.
Restrooms ~ We created an original soundtrack, combined with various sounds and poetry, implemented in stereo. We recorded voices in numerous languages reciting poems in the public domain. This is another occasion to surprise and delight guests with the extraordinary.
A note on choosing music for our clients ~ we strongly believe that this is an important task that should not be assigned to companies that use software and algorithms as the basis for their selections. Our practice is to choose each and every song ourselves, also screening for lyrics and hidden meanings.
We also care about implementation ~ Curating or creating original music needs to be supported by a suitable sound system. We designed these, the speaker placement and the required audio equipment, which includes an audio override control in the airport lounges for cases of emergency. Aside from collaborating with all designers and architects involved, we also visited the sites to verify the implementation and establish volume standards.
We also provided a turnkey music system and service with remote controlled players, that also manages the licensing of songs with copyright companies such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC. The playlists are programmed, uploaded, monitored, and controlled remotely by us at The Other Side Of The Brain. Onsite staff will only need to interact with the system to control the volume and to power up/down at the open/close of business.