European Commission

The Ode to Joy is a song known by everyone but few people can identify it as the anthem of the European Union. The European Commission in Spain asked Canela to find an imaginative way to commemorate the Day of Europe (May 9th), while celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth and create awareness of the anthem.

Our initial proposal involved street activity but had to be rethought due to the coronavirus outbreak. So we decided to bring the idea alive on social media. We encouraged people at home during lockdown to play the Ode to Joy on any instrument they wanted and share the rendition on Instagram. We launched the challenge on Instagram along with the hashtag #BeethovenAtHome using @comisioneuropea and @comissioeuropea profiles.

We encouraged people to participate through videos, images and Social Ads, as well as offering the prize of a concert of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at Barcelona’s famous Palau de la Música.

In just 3 weeks of the campaign, we reached more than 3 million people and obtained 11.000 interactions. More than 70 people from across Spain took part in the challenge. The Ode to Joy was played on a diverse range of instruments, including flutes, pianos and guitars and even glasses of water. Of all the participants, we chose the best 25, not only in terms of quality and but also in  creativity, to come to the concert at Palau de la Música.