Ben&Ben does another collab for a more immersive listening experience

The folk/pop rock band Ben&Ben entered the local music scene and piqued the listening public’s interest four years ago. From then to now, with such songs as Kathang Isip, Leaves and Araw-Araw and albums like Limasawa Street and Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno, the nine-piece group is now an established musical name with a growing following and a thriving musicality. Its music has become part of today’s pop culture and such feat can be attributed to Ben&Ben’s easy-on-the ear sounds and relatable lyric narratives.

It comes as no surprise that Smart has tapped Ben&Ben for a music campaign that treats subscribers to a more immersive and “three-dimensional” sound experience with Apple Music. It is made possible through the latter’s Spatial-Audio feature and the telco’s GigaLife app. The experience puts listeners in a digital space, where they seem to be with the artist. Listeners are being enveloped by the music of their choice.

As the Ben&Ben-topbilled TVC shows, the listening public can feel the music in a different level and see how the vocals, the words and the instruments work together. They can also have a better appreciation of how percussions can be exciting and lively, how the guitars evoke romance and love, and how the crying violins and the beating drums produce feelings of loneliness and courage, respectively.

“Because the campaign is music, we said, you know, ‘Why not showcase Filipino talent?’,” said Smart first vice president and head of corporate marketing and strategy Lloyd Manaloto in a recent virtual interview. “The campaign is about pop culture (and) why not use pop culture from the Philippines. This is to showcase a Filipino content on a powerful music app. That’s the reason why we chose Ben&Ben.”

This is another continued collaboration between the telco company and the band. “We did a drone show with them and we’ve been supporting them with their concerts,” said Lloyd. Ben&Ben provided the theme song for the campaign of Crash Landing On You stars Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. “The song is Inevitable, tamang tama (kasi) kinasal nga sila this year. So, it is inevitable,” added he. The band and Smart, which also streamed Ben&Ben’s Kuwaderno concert on GigaPlay app, have found a creative partner in each other.

“For this year, it makes sense for us to do a campaign with them… very maganda yung sound quality ng Apple Music,” shared Lloyd. “When we thought about that we were gonna do an ad with them, we put also the latest album of Ben&Ben on Spatial Audio. It’s a showcase of technology and Ben&Ben, a Filipino talent. That’s the partnership that we do. We showcase technology with the fastest network, (the) powerful app, which is easy to use, and then with Ben&Ben together.”

Again, all this effort is gearing towards a more immersive listening experience by the subscribers. They can avail of the free six months’ worth of Apple Music subscription via the Smart GigaLife app.

Given each proponent’s capacity, the triumvirate make a powerful combination, as Lloyd put it, which assures one of best quality when it comes to music appreciation. “You get to know great sounds,” added he. As this piece has mentioned earlier, the sounds coming from the varied instruments are played for an emotional purpose and the interplay between them create a music to be enjoyed and pondered upon. Every distinct musical aspect is experienced through the Spatial-Audio feature.

In the campaign, Ben&Ben’s another original composition, Kasayaw, is featured. “You’ll see each of the member is playing a different sound and we put them (those sounds) together,” said Lloyd about the thematic campaign, which speaks of the telco’s role in showcasing pop culture or a cultural product that everyone, especially the young ones, relishes. That’s why Smart has worked with known personalities such as Chris Evans, Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin and BTS.

“Let’s highlight Filipino talent and showcase our best,” said the executive on the telco’s latest TVC. Ben&Ben is among the best Filipino musical acts these days. According to Lloyd, when one listens to a band with nine musical instruments, and the members are all talented, one is being presented a sound that’s really good. Smart wants to be in the forefront of championing Filipino talents in the global scene.

What one can glean upon Lloyd’s train of thought is that the campaign also reflects that pop culture is not just moving from TV, a part of mainstream media, but also from the digital sphere. People have embraced it.

“People are doing more games online, people are listening to music online and people are paying online,” said Lloyd. “Your telco is always what connects you to all of your pop culture, which you are enjoying through digital means.”

Yes, audio, visual, textual content and even a combination of it all can be accessed wherever one goes or what time of day one chooses to. The connection and connectivity that listeners and artists have been established, music-wise, continues. When the right technology is tapped, the experience will be one of a kind. Proof is the Ben&Ben collab for a more immersive musical listening.

(For details, visit https://smart.com.ph/Pages/apple.)