Title	A LIVING RIVER
Brand	HSBC
Product/Service	BRAND
Category	D04. Brand Installation & Experience
Entrant	J. WALTER THOMPSON London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	J. WALTER THOMPSON London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Axel Chaldecott	J. Walter Thompson London	Global Executive Creative Director
Joseph Petyan	J. Walter Thompson London	Global Executive Partner
Jonathan Terry	J. Walter Thompson London	Head of JWT Live
Tom O'Donnell	J. Walter Thompson London	Board Event Director
Mia Silverman	J. Walter Thompson London	Creative
Sophie Browness	J. Walter Thompson London	creative
Luke Kenny	J. Walter Thompson London	Business Director
Tom Ring	J. Walter Thompson London	Account Director
Gemma Swinglehurst	J. Walter Thompson London	Account Manager
Adam Lotz	J. Walter Thompson London	Planner
William Anderson	J. Walter Thompson London	Project Manager
Nick Ryan	Freelance	Sound Designer
Laurence Green	Freelance	Sound Designer
Terence Lloren	Delta Sound	Sound Designer
Sam Barker	Freelance	Photographer
Davey Williamson	Delta Sound	Sound Designer
Yusi Cheng	Freelance	Producer

The Campaign

HSBC have brought one of the world’s longest rivers to the sky by creating an ambitious and unique sound installation in Gatwick Airport’s Skybridge: ‘A Living River’. The experience brings to life the entire length of the Yangtze River, from source to mouth, travelling 6,300km using sound alone, giving travellers the chance to experience authentic sounds from the river in rich detail, featuring over a 100 hours of real sounds taken directly from locations along the Yangtze. Designed to transport people from one location to another, it makes people consider water and the river in a thought provoking manner. A key component of the idea was to make the experience responsive, meaning the soundscape adapts to time of day, weather and the movement of people, making it immersive and realistic.

Creative Execution

Travellers hear real sounds from the 6,300km river taken from over 35 locations, with 100 hours of multi-channel audio captured from 35 locations. The layout of the microphone array was directly related to the layout of the speakers, so the real environments are superimposed in incredible detail and realism into the airport. The experience is controlled by a bespoke system and algorithm; it adapts to the time of the day, the movements and density of travellers and the weather on the Yangtze using a real time data feed. Every experience will be unique, adapting to these variables and triggering different sounds from the system. As you walk along the Skybridge, you pass through five zones, starting high in the mountains and gorges, dropping down to the plains, through cities and finishing in Shanghai. It’s a geographically dynamic journey.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

¥ Average rating of the experience: 7.73 out of 10   ¥ 71% said the experience rated 7 or higher ¥ 73% said improved my experience walking through the the airport ¥ 49% 'HSBC is an environmentally conscious organisation': 49% agree ¥ 51% people said it improved the reputation of HSBC

The Skybridge is a 300m elevated walkway taking passengers over planes as they taxi to the runway. Over 7 million passengers cross the Skybridge each year. It’s never been used by advertisers before, requiring a creative approach. Also, It’s airside, so passengers are either approaching their gate to board, or have just stepped off a plane: a transitional space allowing us to communicate with them immediately before or after their journey. An opportunity for reflection, contemplation or, in this case, a chance to take them somewhere else entirely. By using sound, we not only worked with the confines of the environment but we encouraged a different type of interaction, one that demands attention and consideration, driving awareness of the scale and importance of the Water Programme.