Sound Affects is highly relevant for the audio category because of its innovative approach to leveraging audio to support a significant social cause.

The campaign addresses how certain sounds can trigger PTSD episodes in conflict victims, and also offers a creative solution, using foley techniques production to recreate sounds of conflict, that could be downloaded from the audio library platform.

These could have been created digitally. However, to be authentic to the idea, we partnered with foley artists, who painstakingly created the sounds exclusively with everyday items, highlighting how sounds have the power to make a difference

ONE OF THE LOWEST POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF REFUGEE CRISES

UNHCR’s most recent study estimated that, in 2023, for the first time in recorded history, the number of people forcibly displaced was 110 million, with over 36.4 million refugees.

90% OF VICTIMS OF CONFLICT SUFFER FROM PTSD

Latest war trauma studies estimate that nearly 90% of adults and almost 100% of children from conflict zones will grow up to suffer from PTSD. THEIR #1 PTSD TRIGGER IS EVERYDAY SOUNDS Everyday sounds such as cars honking, glass breaking, or ambulances trigger PTSD episodes.

It is widely said that “you can take a person out of the conflict. It’s even harder to take the conflict out of a person.” For most refugees, escaping conflict is only the beginning of their problems. The scars of war and oppression continue to haunt them for many years to come.

In the audio led campaign, a collection of sound effects was created, each linked to the personal stories of PTSD survivors. These sounds, which replicated common PTSD triggers, were made available for download in a specially designed online library.

Users could download these sounds for use in various media and entertainment projects. With every download, funds were raised to support the trauma victims associated with those sound effects, thereby providing a dual benefit: enriching creative content and aiding those in need of psychological support due to the traumas of war and conflict.

83% OF NGOs STRUGGLE TO SECURE CONTINUOUS FUNDING

While several NGOs provide aid, sustaining funds is a recurring challenge, making it even harder for victims to get access to help.

THE IMPACT OF MUNDANE SOUNDS ON PTSD

The number one trigger for their PTSD episodes are sounds, noises from the simplest and most mundane, everyday items such as vacuum cleaners, and electric razors take them back to their trauma.

INSIGHT: While the production and entertainment are producing and using millions of sound effects everyday, the same sounds are a source of daily trauma for the PTSD victims.

Sixieme Son, one of the world’s leading sound design companies aimed to use their credentials and expertise to harness the meaningful power of sound. What if the sounds that drive trauma can become an entirely new way to fund organizations that support the victims' healing?

32% response rate from companies engaged

36.3K downloads

3.4M$ earned media

+88% Donations to NGO's over usual donations

Out of respect for the victims who shared their stories, every detail of each soundtrack was carefully crafted, taking into consideration their descriptions of exactly what occurred in the events they described.

And just like that, a sewing machine became a passing tank, a water stream transformed into an explosion, bubble wrap mimicked gunshots, and traumas that caused pain became a form of healing for those who suffered.