steve aoki X qualcomm
soundscape experience

Experiential Strategy
Creative Direction
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Campaign Strategy
Brand & Cultural Activation
Immersive Experiences

Co-led creative direction for the immersive launch of Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound, positioning it as a creator-endorsed performance standard through a 360° experiential activation with DJ Steve Aoki, elevating brand perception, strengthening OEM relationships, and reframing the technology as an industry-defining benchmark.

Business Context
Qualcomm was launching Snapdragon Sound — a differentiated suite of premium audio technologies — into a saturated and technically complex audio market. The challenge was not awareness, but credibility and adoption among OEMs and industry decision-makers.

Strategic Insight
Rather than marketing audio quality through traditional product advertising, we identified a more powerful credibility lever: creators themselves. Audiophiles aren’t just consumers — they’re producers and DJs whose professional reputation depends on audio fidelity.

Strategic Decision
We positioned Snapdragon Sound not as a spec-driven technology, but as a creator-endorsed performance standard. To embody that positioning, we designed an immersive launch experience centered around cultural authority: DJ Steve Aoki.

Execution & Impact
We transformed a New York venue into a fully immersive 360° sonic environment, pairing a custom-produced dome film with a live Aoki performance to demonstrate the technology in a culturally relevant context. The result was elevated brand perception, strengthened OEM relationships, and a launch moment that reframed Snapdragon Sound as an industry-defining standard rather than just another technical innovation.

Creative Direction - Deanna Hjerling
Chief Creative Officer - Nick Davidge

Why steve aoki?

At the time Steve Aoki was one of the more well known DJs among our target audience demos, specifically Millenial and Gen X.

Steve Aoki is also known for being a DJ who was interested in emergent technologies. He had just released an album “Neon Futures” that celebrated these technologies.

The Proccess

Bringing this event to life was no small feat—it involved many moving parts and steps and collaborations with expert artists and vendors who were just as passionate about the vision:

Diving deep into audience research to pinpoint a DJ whose vibe resonated with Qualcomm’s business goals—because the right music sets the perfect tone!
Brainstorming sessions with my Chief Creative Officer to ideate event mechanics that would make the experience unforgettable.
Designing a vibrant new brand identity for the event, complete with eye-catching key art, a dynamic logo, and graphic assets that truly captured the essence of the occasion.
Crafting animations, motion graphics, and visual effects that transformed the event space into a captivating environment.
Developing and storyboarding a 360 Soundscape video that would immerse attendees in a multisensory journey.
Channeling my inner art director to ensure the Soundscape video had a cohesive look that tied everything together beautifully.
Collaborating with talented 3D vendors and artists to breathe life into the Soundscape video, turning creative concepts into stunning visuals.
Partnering with a 360 Video agency to navigate the nitty-gritty of video specs and set clear expectations for its stunning appearance in the 3D dome space.
Curating every detail of the event’s art direction—from the lighting and furniture to on-stage graphics, branding, and signage—ensuring that every element harmonized to create an extraordinary experience.

The work

BRANDING, KEY ART, Video

The Key Art was developed using 3D and photo compositing.

VIDEO DEVELOPMENT

Below are some preliminary renders of our innovative Steve Aoki Robot and the cockpit featured in the 360 video. Th
ese visuals provide a glimpse into our creative process and the intricate design elements that brought the project to life.