AKQA Brussels gives traditional newspaper obituaries a soundtrack

We attend the funeral, pay our respects, and send our condolences. But as the rest of the world moves on, those left behind are met with silence: the absence, the empty seat at the dinner table. Mediahuis, one of Belgium’s leading news publishers, and AKQA Brussels, decided to break that silence. With playlist.inmemoriam.be/en an extension of its existing obituary platform, families can now add music to a death notice. The feature turns what was once a static, one-time announcement of loss into an enduring musical tribute, a place that does not merely mark a departure, but celebrates the beauty of a life lived.

Reimagining the death notice
​A traditional death notice often marks an end: the practical logistics, the date of the funeral, the final farewell. With The Inmemoriam Playlist, Mediahuis and AKQA Brussels want to turn that one-time announcement into a warm, lasting space for remembrance. Because grief does not end with the funeral, and neither do memories. By adding music to a death notice, a loved one’s journey is given its own personal soundtrack.

“Grief and language often don’t go together. Words easily fall short when we try to describe or capture something as deeply felt as grief: the feeling of loss, of love, of pain… Music, on the other hand, speaks the language of emotion. Especially when it’s a song your loved one used to love, or a song that makes you feel profoundly close to them again. When you hear that song, something ‘switches on’ inside your body. The cellular memory in your body stirs with remembrance and tenderness. Grief doesn't live in our heads or in our thinking, grief is present in every cell of our body and in everything we feel. And that is the magic of music: through that one song, your loved one feels very close to you again, even just for a moment,” says Katrijn Desteghe, integrative psychotherapist.

A virtual tree of memories
​These personal stories come together in a unique digital experience: a virtual tree filled with memories. ​ Suspended among the leaves and branches are white earbuds, inviting visitors to click and listen to the soundtrack of someone’s life. While mourning can often feel quiet and isolating, the tree shows that no one is alone in their grief. Visitors can wander through the memories of others, find shared comfort in each other’s songs, or quietly return to the memory of their own loved one.

“By seamlessly weaving together design, technology, and audio, we’re transforming a traditionally formal medium into a rich, interactive experience. The virtual tree serves as a metaphor: grief is no longer a solitary process confined to a static page, but a living ecosystem of shared memories,” says Peter Ampe, Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at AKQA Brussels.

Belgian launch ahead of All Saints’ Day
​Mediahuis is marking a new chapter for Inmemoriam with the launch of the Inmemoriam Playlist in the run-up to All Saints’ Day, a time traditionally dedicated to remembrance. The campaign will roll out across Mediahuis’s print and digital network, supported by targeted native content, social video assets, and earned media coverage.

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CREDITS
​Client: Mediahuis
​Clients: Evy Nulens, Dries Vereecke
​Agency: AKQA Brussels
​ECD: Peter Ampe
​Creative team: Yana Gestels, David Magnus, Lilith Kempinck
​Account team: Marko Van Dyck, Kirsten Verbeke, Julie Bongaerts
​Strategic planner: Yarne De Schrijver
​Design Director: Jan Sidgwick
​Motion Design: Simone Curzi

Web development: Arno Van Biesen, Sebastiaan Weytjens, Judith Bosmans
​Technical producer: Gregory Pin

Head of Production & Craft: Olivia Naudts ​
​Producer: Manon Laenen
​Production company: Czar.be
​Director: Kenneth Mercken
​Executive Producer: Eurydice Gysel
​Producer: Maarten De Sutter
​DOP: Charlie Speeckaert
​Editor: Manu Van Hove
​Grading: Tom Mulder
​Post Producer: Bieke De Keersmaecker
​Post Production Online & Delivery: AKQA Productions
​Editor: Sven Vanhee, Gilles Desplanque
​Sound Production: AKQA Productions
​Producer: Manon Laenen
​Sound Engineer: Mathieu Savenay ​

Agency: AKQA Brussels PR
​Senior PR Manager: Astrid Jacobs