Imagine combining the power of Artificial Intelligence with an award-winning composer to finish a 197-year-old symphony? That’s exactly what Huawei did when it literally rewrote history to complete Schubert’s famously unfinished Symphony No. 8.
Huawei’s brand proposition “Make It Possible” focuses on using the power of its state-of-the art AI technology to push the boundaries of what is humanly possible. Tasked with bringing this proposition to life and capturing the imagination of people worldwide, we set out to create a world-first moment that combined human expertise with the power of AI to resurrect and complete the symphony.
First up, Huawei taught its Mate 20 Pro smartphone to compose the final movements of the symphony using the power of AI. The device listened to the first two movements of the symphony, analysed the key musical elements and then generated the melody for the missing third and fourth movement from its analysis. Composter Lucas Cantor then ensured the new final movements remained true to Schubert’s style.
The newly completed symphony was premiered at London’s world famous Cadogan Hall and performed by the English Session Orchestra. Over 400 media and influencers attended the event which also featured an expert Q&A hosted by Myleene Klass on how the project opened up conversations about the further possibilities AI could bring to wider culture.
Ahead of the premiere, a teaser film, stills and stories were seeded across PR and social resulting in an initial coverage wave, creating anticipation ahead of the performance.
Throughout the event, social content was pushed out on Instagram, and content from the live event was shared across all channels to continue the conversation and drive momentum.
Ensuring the campaign worked internationally, all media assets and material were translated and adapted to provide each of Huawei’s Western European markets with bespoke content to drive local awareness and buzz. Each market also had an allocation of media and influencers to invite to the live performance, helping raise awareness across multiple markets to make this a truly international event.
Huawei’s Unfinished Symphony smashed its objectives. It dominated international headlines, generated mass consumer awareness and allowed the brand to enter a new territory and showcase the positive role AI can have on modern culture. Over 2,600 pieces of coverage were generated globally and video content received over 99 million views.
The campaign has received numerous accolades including being crowned the winner of three awards:
- Winner – PRCA National Awards 2019 – Campaign of the Year
- Winner – CIPR Excellence Awards 2019 – Best Event
- Winner – SABRE Awards EMEA 2020 – Consumer Electronics
- Highly Commended – PR Week Awards 2019 – Best Technology Campaign
- Finalist – PR Week Awards 2019 – Best PR Event
- Finalist – PR Week Awards 2020 – Best International Campaign
- Finalist – PR Week Global Awards 2020– Global Creative Idea
- Finalist – PR Week Global Awards 2020 – Best Campaign in Europe (outside UK)
- Finalist – PRmoment Awards 2020 – Consumer PR Campaign of the Year (awaiting results)
- Finalist – PRmoment Awards 2020 – Event of the Year (awaiting results)
- Finalist – PRmoment Awards 2020 – Global PR Sector Campaign of the Year (awaiting results)