Sonarsound Festival, a global musical phenomenon born in Barcelona

In 2002, Diego Maradona was the Sonar Festival image.

In 1994 was born in Barcelona a global phenomenon. After two years working, Enric Palau, Ricard Robles and Sergi Caballero created the Sonar festival. That year 6,000 people attended the public, in last year more than 90,000 in 3 days of the Festival (this year, next 19, 20 and June 21).

Moreover, also accredited 1,000 journalists, 50% are international ones, from 47 different countries, and also more than 3,000 professionals from 30 diferent countries.

According to an article published on the Web Infonomia, in 2004 a study of the economic impact of Sonar conducted by Unisys Consulting, in that year, concluded that the festival generated 47 million euros.

The “brand” image was so strong that the Festival SonarSound was exported to Japan, South Korea, to Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo or Mexico. Also in various European cities. A large number of sponsors

Advanced Music S. L. is the company that produces Sonar, in addition to other types of events for companies. It has 15 employees and about 30 collaborators for the Festival.

The Sonar owes its success to three co-heads, Ricard Robles, a journalist, is responsible for matters relating to communication and sponsorship, Sergi Caballero, who comes from the world of performance art and music, covers the corporate image that changes annually and the design and production spaces. And Enric Palau, musician, focuses primarily on music.

Enric Palau and Ricard Robles

The image of Sonarsound have always been controversial and rule breaker, increasing the visibility of the brand SonarSound. This is the 2007 image.

Hybrid beings with a human head and the body of an animal from a mysterious ‘genetic experimentation’ laboratory in China are at the centre of the festival’s image

The image of Sonar 2008 is mainly in video format and can be seen on the Internet. It consists of seven 1-minute recordings in home video format, filmed in a in mysterious location and showing beings with a disconcerting genetic make-up, that are half human and half animal.

These videos have been gradually uploaded, as viral marketing, to the fake website http://www.b1158.cn/b1158.html and on YouTube, with no links to the Sonar festival made clear. The result has been spectacular – there were 180,000 hits in only two days, it was no. 13 in the YouTube “Most Viewed” ranking” and no. 3 in the Science and Technology section.