Laundry Records

Background

Miele and Serviceplan Russia teamed up with famous Russian singer Dmitry Malikov on an unusual initiative to turn a laundry full of Miele washing machines into a fully functioning recording studio.

Idea

In an ideal world you need complete silence to record music, so is it possible to record an album with washing machines? A groundbreaking new project from Miele and Serviceplan Russia named “Laundry Records” proved you can, if you use Miele washing machines. A real-life operating laundry was created in the basement of a hotel, and transformed into a recording studio with all the necessary equipment, including high sensitivity microphones and an audio console, with a team of sound engineers, and constantly working washing machines. The laundry in the hotel was equipped with Miele professional machines prior to the Laundry Records Project, which was the reason for choosing this particular location to create a recording studio with domestic Miele machines. The first one to test the studio was Dmitry Malikov – a legend of Russian pop music. Recording his new neoclassical composition in these unusual circumstances was a great responsibility. Grand piano, guitar, clarinet, drums and chimes – every instrument had to be recorded clearly so that Dmitry’s touching melody could sound perfect. Dmitry and his musicians (Grishaev Evgeniy, Golovchenko Mikhai and Over Serrano Villalon) played the track a number of times, and the spinning drums didn’t seem to bother them or inhibit their performance. In honor of this outstanding experiment, the composition was given the name ‘Keep Spinning’.

Dmitry Malikov is celebrated in Russia for his 30-year career as a musician, composer, pianist, charity volunteer and blogger. Malikov is an accomplished musician in the genre of pop as well as symphonic music, and one of the most awarded musicians, winning the Gold Gramophone Award on 10 separate occasions (in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2015 and 2019), as well as receiving the accolades of Best blogger 2017 (Mail.ru) and Media person of 2017 (AdIndex Award).

The experiment with Laundry Records was made possible by Miele washing machines and tumble dryers. The noise level during a washing machine’s cycle is one of the key factors determining consumer’s choice of brand – and Miele home and professional appliances are proven to be some of the quietest in the market.

But Serviceplan Russia wanted to shout loudly about the low noise levels of the Miele machines: so the creative team came up with the concept for ‘Laundry Records’, an unconventional and genuinely product-oriented project. The success of the recording with Dmitry Malikov in the laundry recording studio, proves that the noise levels of Miele washing machines and tumble dryers really are minimal, to the point of being able to record music unhindered when the machines are functioning. It’s possible to hear this in Dmitry Malikov’s instrumental track or see it for yourself in video footage from the studio.

The project doesn’t stop there – quite the opposite: the next step was an album: Miele invited musicians to record their own songs in this unusual studio. Both solo artists and bands applied on the project’s page Stirio.Miele.ru and shared their songs to win a professional recording and music video shoot inside Laundry Records – and a chance to become a part of Miele’s upcoming album.

The project’s execution required the joint effort of a large team: Miele’s marketing teams for both home and professional appliances were in charge of procuring the access to the laundry and all the work with the appliances. Redesign and professional recording of the track, as well as supervision over the artist, was made by Fancy State Music Agency. The production company responsible for the shoot were Antidrama.

Idea, strategy, visuals for all of the campaign’s elements including identity, landing page design, single cover and supporting advertising materials were developed by Serviceplan Russia, with PR support by Louder agency and media placement by Mediaplus Digital. All the three agencies are part of Serviceplan Group and make up the House of Communication in Russia. Operating according to single-window approach, all the division work in synergy and guarantee that all the campaign’s elements are integrated. View the film here: https://youtu.be/4PKf3B4hml0 Executive Creative Director Evgenia commented: “This project shows that the idea is key. Not just what media you choose, but how you can bring creativity to your product. The ‘Laundry Records’ supported by Miele project was made with the principles of Übercreativity in mind. The product is visible, along with use of music, PR, new aesthetics and digital promotion, but the core of ‘Laundry Records’ is the creative idea itself. Plus the vast amount of work and dedication of a big team on agency and client side to execute the idea with excellence” Marketing Director of Miele Veronika Shlepina commented: “Recording a track in Laundry Records was an experiment and even a challenge, both for us and the musicians, including Dmitry Malikov. Some people would be sceptical about the sound quality in a room full of working washing machines and tumble dryers, but Miele appliances were up for the job and showed their best side. Such benefits of our washing machines as silent ProfiEco motors and “Extra Quiet” option for additional noise cancellation work stronger together, and help to provide something more than just comfort at home. You’ll see and hear this “more” yourselves when you watch the video with the new track from Laundry Records – titled ‘Keep Spinning’.”