Kia Soundscapes: Turns Road Trips Into Powerful Sensory Journeys for Visually Impaired
Kia Soundscapes turns road trips into immersive musical journeys, using AI to translate landscapes into sound for a more inclusive travel experience.
How Innocean Berlin and Kia Created an Immersive Experience ‘Kia Soundscapes’ for the Visually Impaired
In a world where creativity meets technology, few campaigns manage to blend emotion, inclusivity, and innovation as seamlessly as Kia’s latest experiment, Soundscapes. Developed in collaboration with Innocean Berlin, Soundscapes reimagines the road trip—not just as a means of travel, but as a profound sensory journey. At its core lies a simple yet powerful belief: movement inspires ideas. And this belief has been brought to life through a pioneering fusion of AI, music, and purpose-driven creativity.
A Vision of Inclusion and Innovation
Kia has long embraced the philosophy of “Movement that Inspires,” but Soundscapes takes it a step further—by making inspiration accessible to those who experience the world differently. Designed specifically with visually impaired passengers in mind, the initiative explores how movement, translated into music, can create a meaningful and immersive connection to the surrounding world.
“At Kia, we believe movement inspires ideas, so we wanted to give visually impaired passengers the opportunity to experience the world differently,” said David Hilbert, Marketing Director at Kia Europe.
The idea? Let the car interpret the landscape through sound, allowing passengers to hear the beauty they can’t see.
Turning Landscapes into Sound
The project begins with technology. Using the advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) in the Kia EV9, the team at Innocean Berlin captured the nuances of the terrain—the rolling hills, sharp curves, wide-open skies, and everything in between. These data points were then fed into a custom AI system designed to translate visual elements into musical compositions.
To realize this vision, Innocean brought in Harald Schaack, a creative coder from grotesk.group, to engineer the AI, and Wonder Bettin, a music producer from DaHouse GmbH, to craft the audio experience. Bettin assigned musical timbres to different natural elements based on their perceived size, texture, and motion. For example, a dense forest might be represented by low, layered harmonies, while a mountain peak might translate into a soaring string section.
“Music holds limitless potential to inspire in ways previously unexplored,” Bettin explained. “Through hearing, it awakens the imagination in ways other senses cannot, offering fresh perspectives on familiar things.”
The Human Element: Real Stories, Real Emotions
To bring Soundscapes to life in a way that resonates beyond the realm of tech, Kia invited two individuals with vision loss to join a road trip across some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes. As the car traveled, the AI composed a dynamic soundtrack in real time, enveloping the passengers in a rich, sensory-driven experience.
Their reactions—ranging from tears of joy to reflective awe—were captured in a series of short documentary films. These raw, emotional moments underscored the deeper purpose of the project: creating meaningful, inclusive experiences through technology.
“Kia Soundscapes allows people to experience the world in a completely new way,” said Gabriel Mattar, Chief Creative Officer at Innocean Berlin. “It embodies Kia’s philosophy of ‘Movement that Inspires’ and reflects our dedication to innovation and creating meaningful experiences.”
Why This Campaign Stands Out
In the saturated world of automotive advertising, Kia Soundscapes dares to do something different. It doesn’t just showcase a car; it champions empathy, accessibility, and creativity in equal measure. Here’s why it’s one of the most compelling creative campaigns in recent memory:
- Purpose-Driven Creativity: The project isn’t just about innovation—it’s about making a real difference.
- Sensory Storytelling: It taps into music and emotion, creating a visceral connection with the audience.
- AI with Empathy: The use of artificial intelligence isn’t cold or robotic—it’s human-centric.
- Inclusive Brand Messaging: Kia is positioning itself as a brand that thinks beyond its product.
Key Takeaways for Marketers and Creatives
- Inclusivity is Impactful: Designing for underrepresented groups doesn’t just fulfill a social good—it results in deeply compelling storytelling.
- Tech + Emotion = Magic: When innovative technology serves an emotional or human purpose, the results are powerful.
- Brand Values Matter: Kia’s commitment to “Movement that Inspires” is more than a tagline—it drives action, experimentation, and connection.
Final Thoughts
Kia Soundscapes is more than a marketing campaign—it’s a testament to the power of creative technology to drive empathy and inspiration. By turning landscapes into music and offering new ways to experience the world, Kia and Innocean Berlin have crafted something truly unique: a journey not just of miles, but of meaning.
For marketers, creatives, and storytellers alike, this campaign is a bold reminder that when brands align innovation with purpose, the results can be unforgettable.
Credits
Client: Kia Europe GmbH
Advertising Agency: INNOCEAN Worldwide
This campaign is about:
Kia Soundscapes, Visually impaired experience, Inclusive travel, AI-powered, Car technology, Accessibility, Accessibility innovation, Kia EV9 technology, Soundscapes experiment
