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Magnetic Stories
Agency Area 23, an IPG Health Company / New York + Bro Cinema / Lisbon + Sonido / Lisbon + Ars Thanea / Warsaw
Category
Advertising / Branded Content / Entertainment
Annual ID
ADC104_PHW029M
Background
Cancer is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in Portugal, with more than 400 new cases every year (in a country with 11 million people). The survival rate in the country is around 85%, but the consequences of treatment are responsible for a lower quality of life in 2/3 of survivors.
Getting an MRI is a scary experience for most children. Radiology technicians usually prefer to have patients under 12 fully sedated with general anesthesia to help them get through such an anxiety-inducing experience. For kids over 12, more than 85% report having a fear of the MRI machine due to the noises.
Siemens Healthineers, the major manufacturer of MRI machines in Europe, was in a prime position to help turn this negative experience around.
This was our goal with Magnetic Stories, a library of unique audiobooks crafted to integrate the sounds of the most common pediatric MRI scans, turning their dreadful sounds into delightful narratives.
Getting an MRI is a scary experience for most children. Radiology technicians usually prefer to have patients under 12 fully sedated with general anesthesia to help them get through such an anxiety-inducing experience. For kids over 12, more than 85% report having a fear of the MRI machine due to the noises.
Siemens Healthineers, the major manufacturer of MRI machines in Europe, was in a prime position to help turn this negative experience around.
This was our goal with Magnetic Stories, a library of unique audiobooks crafted to integrate the sounds of the most common pediatric MRI scans, turning their dreadful sounds into delightful narratives.
Creative Idea
Magnetic Stories is a unique audiobook collection that transforms a scary MRI into a wondrous experience for younger patients.
Every MRI scan makes a unique sequence of sounds, so it is possible to predict when each of them will occur in the scan. We collected the sound sequences of the most common pediatric MRI scans (cranial, liver, spine, sela turcica, and ears) and, in partnership with renowned authors and sound designers, produced audiobooks that synch story moments precisely with each sound in the scan.
With Magnetic Stories, we are giving new and delightful meaning to all MRI noises –turning the fast spin echo beeping into a cute robot talking, and the constant pumping of the helium re-condenser into the sound of a flying train.
Every MRI scan makes a unique sequence of sounds, so it is possible to predict when each of them will occur in the scan. We collected the sound sequences of the most common pediatric MRI scans (cranial, liver, spine, sela turcica, and ears) and, in partnership with renowned authors and sound designers, produced audiobooks that synch story moments precisely with each sound in the scan.
With Magnetic Stories, we are giving new and delightful meaning to all MRI noises –turning the fast spin echo beeping into a cute robot talking, and the constant pumping of the helium re-condenser into the sound of a flying train.
Insights & Strategy
Our target audience is diverse, covering pediatric patients and their parents, as well as radiologists and hospital purchasing departments.
An MRI produces one of the loudest and most agonizing sounds. If this is disturbing for you, imagine what it can be like for children undergoing cancer treatment. The harder it gets for patients, the more difficult it becomes for the medical staff, with much productivity being lost to spending time consoling young children or, even worse, having to give them anesthesia.
Our approach to changing this ordeal was not just to remove patient anxiety but to create an experience that children would love and want to come back to again and again.
That’s why Siemens Healthineers partnered with Leya to create Magnetic Stories. Children hate being cancer patients but still love stories, especially if they can make their treatment less stressful.
An MRI produces one of the loudest and most agonizing sounds. If this is disturbing for you, imagine what it can be like for children undergoing cancer treatment. The harder it gets for patients, the more difficult it becomes for the medical staff, with much productivity being lost to spending time consoling young children or, even worse, having to give them anesthesia.
Our approach to changing this ordeal was not just to remove patient anxiety but to create an experience that children would love and want to come back to again and again.
That’s why Siemens Healthineers partnered with Leya to create Magnetic Stories. Children hate being cancer patients but still love stories, especially if they can make their treatment less stressful.
Execution
09/2023: We collected the sound sequence of the most common pediatric scans (from the train noise-like sound of the helium re-condensing pump to the beeping of the fast spin echo).
11/2023: Conducted market research with radiology technicians and parents of pediatric patients to uncover customer needs and assess the idea in concept form.
12/2023: Teamed up with children’s book authors, who created stories that leverage the MRI noises as unique storytelling elements.
02/2024: Commenced thorough sound design and tested the stories with children.
03/2024: In collaboration with radiology technicians at CUF, we integrated our recorded stories to the set-up of different MRI scanners, so that each audiobook could play in perfect synch with its corresponding MRI.
Now, we are expanding our scan library and creating multilingual stories to launch Magnetic Stories in Spain and other European countries. We are also developing an integrated AI that writes stories in real-time based on any scan.
11/2023: Conducted market research with radiology technicians and parents of pediatric patients to uncover customer needs and assess the idea in concept form.
12/2023: Teamed up with children’s book authors, who created stories that leverage the MRI noises as unique storytelling elements.
02/2024: Commenced thorough sound design and tested the stories with children.
03/2024: In collaboration with radiology technicians at CUF, we integrated our recorded stories to the set-up of different MRI scanners, so that each audiobook could play in perfect synch with its corresponding MRI.
Now, we are expanding our scan library and creating multilingual stories to launch Magnetic Stories in Spain and other European countries. We are also developing an integrated AI that writes stories in real-time based on any scan.
Results
Siemens Healthineers launched Magnetic Stories at CUF, Portugal’s leading hospital network. It’s now available at all 25 CUF hospitals and clinics.
The next step is expanding to Spain, using the Iberian Peninsula as the launch pad for other European countries like Germany, Italy, and the UK.
The pilot project was a success, helping Siemens Healthineers establish its brand as one of the most innovative MRI manufacturers. The Magnetic Stories audiobooks transcended the hospital setting and are now available at Leya’s online store on Kobo, which is evidence that the stories aren’t just good in the context of an MRI – they are just good stories that kids love.
Some patients need to repeat exams every two months, so an initiative like this becomes a powerful ally throughout their care journey. With Magnetic Stories, we are turning every MRI scan into an experience of magic and wonder.
The next step is expanding to Spain, using the Iberian Peninsula as the launch pad for other European countries like Germany, Italy, and the UK.
The pilot project was a success, helping Siemens Healthineers establish its brand as one of the most innovative MRI manufacturers. The Magnetic Stories audiobooks transcended the hospital setting and are now available at Leya’s online store on Kobo, which is evidence that the stories aren’t just good in the context of an MRI – they are just good stories that kids love.
Some patients need to repeat exams every two months, so an initiative like this becomes a powerful ally throughout their care journey. With Magnetic Stories, we are turning every MRI scan into an experience of magic and wonder.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
Agency
Area 23, an IPG Health Company / New York
Client / Brand
Siemens Healthineers / Lisbon
Production Company
BRO Cinema / Lisbon
Music / Sound Production Company
SONIDO / Lisbon
Tempest Original / Brooklyn
Guel / Lisbon
Post Production Company
Ars Thanea / Warsaw
Publisher
Leya / Lisbon
Chief Creative Officer
Tim Hawkey
Creative Director
Diego Tórgo
Victor Afonso
Guillermo Aracena
Digital Artist
Peter Jaworowski
Director
Mário Patrocínio
Director of Photography
Tomás Paiva Raposo
Editor
Ricardo Damásio
Executive Creative Director
Eduardo Tavares
Chinkara Singh
Group Creative Director
Viton Araújo
Music Supervisor
Lucas Duque
Sound Designer
Manuel Pinto
Executive Producer
Philip Schneider
João Cruz
Global Executive Creative Director
Danilo Boer
Other
Eneida Neves
Miguel Souza
Victor Ribeiro
Lexie Wolfs
Jimmy Egreja
Sadik Jamal
Daniel Laranja
Ricardo Viana
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