In this day and age, working from the office is out of the ordinary. The new normal is working remotely, usually from home. Researchers say that working from home actually increases productivity. We are not questioning the results, but did the experts take into account all the factors when they did the study? Elements such as house noise? Studies have shown noise is a primary cause of decreased employee productivity. And our indoors abound in loud decibels…

A dog’s bark equals 75 dB, a crying baby – 92 dB, a vacuum cleaner – 48 dB. And the list could go on. Our home can be noisy sometimes, so why not turn these sounds into something nice?

To promote its noise-canceling headphones, Bose joined forces with Wunderman Thompson Dubai and found an ingenious way to maintain people’s productivity at home, despite the noises that unfold indoors. For Bose, each decibel counts as discount points. Basically, “The louder your home office, the bigger your discount.”

Via its “Noise-O-Meter,” the brand gives its consumers the opportunity to measure the ambient noise levels and then instantly transform these over-the-limit sounds into discount coupons. The offer is available in the UAE only and is based on an algorithm that interprets sound data.

Pablo Maldonado, Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson Dubai, explains: “Unwelcome decibels are everywhere, from the whooshing hairdryer to that rattling washing machine and those boisterous neighbors. We wanted people to have some fun even as they save more and bring the calm inside. What makes Noise-O-Meter extra rewarding for us is the fact that it was dreamt up and brought to life from our home offices!”

And as if the sound of your washing machine was not enough, you are still forced to listen to the same sound, but coming from the other side of the wall. You can’t deny that they are annoying… You get to know your neighbors by sounds only: You know when they wake up because their alarm rings, when they make their coffee because they turn on the coffee machine, or when they make a smoothie because they use their blender.

But what if you looked at these noises in a different way, Bose asks in another of their campaigns. Helped by the same Dubai-based agency, the brand introduced consumers to a new world, that is all about the neighbors, where noises are actually signs that they are safe. “Dear Neighbor” is a one-minute-long video in which the narrator thanks the person next door for all the sounds they make in a very positive note. “Dear neighbor,” the narrator kindly concludes, “I just want to say I’m glad to hear you’re OK.”

So, next time you hear your neighbors vacuum-cleaning the house, don’t get mad at them. That’s the sound they make to let you know they are safe. But hey, just in case the noise gets on your nerves, you can always use Bose’s Noise Cancelling 700 headphones.

Credits:

Client: Bose

Agency: Wunderman Thompson Dubai