The agency’s challenge, in effect, was to flip Orkin’s mission on its head.
“The answer was pretty unexpected: Create a symphony that uses the sounds of the cicadas as part of the arrangement to turn their iconic noise into something beautiful,” Selikow said. “It’s a unique way to demonstrate what Orkin does at a time when bugs will literally be taking over popular culture.”
Buggy content bonanza
The partners enlisted some heavyweight help for “Orkinstra,” as the campaign is known, including renowned wildlife director and cinematographer Lex Jones. Using the live show as a content-creating bonanza, Orkin and DDB plan to produce a behind-the-scenes film for distribution in late June.
Rheude—a scoring composer for film, TV, games and branded content with an experimental reputation—called the project “the most scientific music composition I’ve ever done,” according to a promotional video released on social channels.
Because each species of cicada has different notes, rhythms and frequencies, there was “a rich pool of sonic information we could pull from,” Rheude said. (For anyone who wants a sneak peek, go to Orkin’s site to hear a snippet of “Act I: Nymphs of the Underworld.”)
Wall of sound
Trivia on these cold-blooded critters: The two periodical broods, so named because they come out infrequently, are called Brood XIX and XIII. They have not emerged together in 221 years and are not expected to do so again until 2245, per USA Today.
Frank Meek, an Orkin entomologist, has dubbed their 2024 cameo “the loudest natural invasion of sound in our lifetime,” per social videos.
Although its program is elaborate and eye-catching, Orkin isn’t the only brand to co-opt a naturally occurring phenomena for marketing purposes. MoonPie is famous for it, having dropped marshmallow-scented sunscreen for summer solstice and survival kits for this spring’s solar eclipse. The latter event drew a host of brand players, including Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, SunChips, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s.
