06-07 Tools Kombie 08-09 Campaigns YACHT, Radiohead, 10-14 Behind The Campaign Aurora

MAY 18 2016 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 157

UNDER THE INFLUENCE music marketing meets social influencers COVERFEATURE

In the old days, there were a handful of gatekeepers – press, TV and radio – and getting music in front of them was hard, UNDER THE INFLUENCE but not impossible. Today, traditional media still holds significant power, but the number of influencers out there has shot up exponentially with the explosion of social media in general and YouTube in particular. While the world’s largest video service might be under fire over its (low) royalty rates, the music industry is well aware that its biggest stars offer a direct route to the exact audiences they want their music to reach. We look at who these influencers are, how they can be worked with and the things that will make them back or blank you.

etting your act heard used to be, if not exactly easy, then at least relatively Gstraightforward for the music business: you’d schmooze the radio playlist heads, take journalists out to a gig and pray for some TV coverage, all while splashing out on magazine and billboard advertising. The digital era – and especially social media – have shaken this all up. Yes, traditional media is still important; but to this you can add a sometimes bewildering list of “social influencers”, famous faces on platforms like YouTube, and Instagram, plus vloggers, Viners and the music marketing meets rest, all of whom (for ) wield an uncanny power over youthful audiences. social influencers Brands, on the whole, have realised this and are now lining up to throw money at

2 | sandbox | ISSUE 157 | 18.05.16 COVERFEATURE this new wave of influencers, not always influencers are not a billboard, so it has to successfully: several were ticked feel like native advertising where the ad is in off by the Advertising Standards Authority the ‘show’.” in the UK in 2014 after not making it clear Universal’s decision to work with the that their participation in an Oreo Lick Race YouTubers proved a success: four months was, in fact, paid advertising. It’s not all an on, Brohave’s video has more than 106,000 easy play. views, while Sofia’s has 78,000. “It resulted in a wide reach as well as helping to build Troye Finding the influencer Sivan’s relatability for a Danish audience, who with the right influence were also encouraged by Rasmus and Julia to buy the ,” Foltmar says. It also helped But what about the music industry? in a more concrete fashion: Foltmar claims There have, it is true, been attempts that the tracking links posted with these to sign YouTube sensations to YouTube videos – both videos have buy links deals, usually with in their descriptions – contributed to 77.5% of limited success. But this is a very the overall traffic to Sivan’s album. different thing to working with Little wonder, then, that Universal these social influencers to promote opportunities compared to, say, the film Denmark has expanded its work with these your existing acts. Is the next wave of studios. “The film industry is doing an awful social influencers: Julia Sofia recently hosted digital music marketing going to involve lot more of this stuff,” he explains. “You’ve a live stream on the label’s Facebook page cosying up to well-known YouTubers, then? got Caspar Lee interviewing Kevin Hart and from Denmark’s Zulu Awards, while Universal And if so, how do you do it? Will Ferrell. The music industry should be Denmark has launched a new music channel Nic Yeeles is the founder and CEO of doing a lot more of this.” on YouTube called REPEAT, which is hosted peg.co, a young company whose lofty One music executive with experience of by YouTube influencers including Brohave. ambition is “to improve the way brands and this new approach is Samantha Foltmar, In the previous sandbox, Tove Blum, YouTubers collaborate” and whose clients social media strategist at Universal promotion manager (local) at Sony Music include Universal Music. In 2013, before Denmark. In 2015, she worked with Entertainment Sweden, explained how she Peg launched, Yeeles worked with Syco Rasmus Brohave and Julia Sofia , two worked with local YouTuber Antonia to on setting up You Generation, a YouTube of Denmark’s most popular YouTubers, to help promote The Royal Concept (above channel that aimed to find new talent online build interest around Australian singer Troye left), traveling to New York to interview and pair traditional music stars such as One Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood album, after the fairly traditional fashion, while Sofia set him them and posting the results on her social Direction and Ariana Grande with well- more traditional media in Denmark proved a “humming challenge”, typical of the tests channels. “This was all done as a way to known YouTubers, including ThatcherJoe and slow to pick up on the artist. “Troye was the she sets her interviewees. promote the band as traditional media Zoella. The experience convinced him of the perfect artist, with an audience fitting for Foltmar says that it was critical to wasn’t accessible,” Blum said. It served to promotional worth for the music industry this type of promotion, being a YouTuber give the two YouTubers creative freedom, alert Swedish of working with YouTube stars. “When you himself,” she says. “Both Rasmus and rather than trying to box them into existing TV and press match up traditional artists with YouTube Julia had been following him for years and, marketing plans. “It’s important that the to the band creators then you get these crazy spikes [in therefore, it was a credible endorsement of music industry acknowledges and embraces and they were viewing figures],” he says. “These people are his brand and music.” these social influencers and their platforms able to secure super powerful.” Both Brohave and Sofia were given the on their premises – whether it’s YouTube, appearances And yet he believes that the music freedom to work with Sivan in any way they Instagram or Snapchat,” she says. “Creative and get industry has yet to really grasp these saw fit: Brohave interviewed the singer in a freedom is very important to success; these coverage that

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plans, avoiding heavy-handed commercial messages in favour of content that feels “tactile and like your friend could have made it”, according to Foltmar. WHY YOUTUBE The other issue with working with these Social influencers live on social influencers is how to find them. This many different platforms, might seem easy in an age where video so why does influencer views and follower numbers are open for marketing tend, for the everyone to see; but with marketing budgets moment, to concentrate on in the music industry dwarfed by the bigger YouTube stars? Nic Yeeles, brands, labels may struggle to afford the very founder and CEO of peg.co , top level of YouTube stars. gives three reasons. Nikoo Sadr, until recently music:)ally’s head of digital training, explains, “Since the 1) YouTube is far more advanced in terms of its ecosystem. Many music industry is a smaller industry and not more creators are making a living from YouTube than something as much money flows compared to brands, like Snapchat. And more companies are cropping up managing we need to find more niche creators and the these people. was previously out of their grasp. “If you amazing at building sustainable audiences, ones that are just on the verge of becoming 2) YouTube is a much more mature market all in: more advanced want to reach the 14-25 demographic, who they connect daily with on an emotional big,” she says. “One of the things in creators, data and APIs. you have to reach out to YouTubers or level. In a way that’s much more reliable and people often bring up in training, 3) We are in the dangerous situation in our society where 99% vloggers,” she argued. “They don’t watch genuine than many brands and bands on and rightfully so, is that the biggest of people hate advertising. But advertising funds our favourite TV or listen to the radio that much. They social media,” she says. YouTubers cost loads.” content and tools. So we need to get into a position where are also listening to music mostly on Yeeles disagrees. He believes that the people love advertising. For me, longer-form video, when YouTube. More than on Spotify.” Don’t expect cash to music industry actually has an advantage executed well, can be a great way of doing that. When you’re Foltmar says that the shift to social influence influencers over the the bigger corporate brands when it limited to a six-second Vine or static photo this can often lead media has changed the way consumers comes to YouTuber partnerships, due to the to gimmicky shite like simple product placements. Longer form see brands, with influencer partnerships That’s good news for brands looking to tap personal power of music stars. “The biggest video gives more breathing room for greater quality content. “the evolution of word-of-mouth into a young audience. But it also means mistake you can make is that you forget that marketing”. “Consumers want personality they have to be cautious in their marketing these people [YouTubers] are human beings,” and close relationships with the media he says. “A lot of people think that money and, therefore, these self-made content will solve everything in this industry – but it creators or ‘social influencers’ have become really doesn’t.” the new ‘stars’ or ‘authorities’ due to YouTubers, he adds, have generally their personal and narrative storytelling spent years building up their audiences online, on a peer-to-peer level,” she says. and they are not going to risk that for a “So instead of making decisions based one-off cash payment, however meaty. But on ads, consumers are looking at fellow if labels can give them access to musical consumers when deciding on purchases stars who will appeal to their subscribers, [and] also when it comes to music.” that can be incredibly powerful. These Foltmar says these influencers offer stars will, on the whole, be mainstream a genuine, long-standing emotional acts. But Yeeles believes there is space connection with their viewers. “They are for all kinds of musicians to work with

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JACKSON’S FIVE... Seth Jackson, MD of marketing innovation company Strange Thoughts, outlines his five key rules for the music industry to remember when working with social talent.

1) Respect the talent: they have built these huge audiences and engagement levels themselves. Imagine being an artist with no label, no manager, no publisher. They may have support now, but most of them built it on their own. 2) Authenticity is everything: even if it is a commercial transaction, the fit needs to be natural. 3) Content is king, queen and the rest: the creator’s currency is content. How can you make their content better? What can you enable them to do that they couldn’t do without you? What are their passions you can align to? 4) Their reach has value: make sure the value exchange is fair and YouTubers, given the ultra-niche plans. “They [Brohave and Sofia] both everyone wins. audiences that thrive on the platform. have a very genuine influence on their 5) They know their audience: collaborate or let them lead; content audience and they actively seek to engage that doesn’t fit their style will never fly. Influence is a two-way street and connect with their communities, across social media platforms, which Peg’s raison d’être is identifying the right was important for us to gain reach and YouTube stars for brands, going so far awareness with the target group in this promotional opportunity, where stars influencers. Just this month, Sweden’s as to identify how ‘brand safe’ a specific campaign,” Foltmar explains. What’s compete in humming challenges rather Eurovision Song Contest entrant Frans YouTuber is. In this goal they are not more, Brohave and Sofia both knew Sivan than being worshipped from afar like promoted his ‘If I Were Sorry’ song through alone: Klout, for example, uses social beforehand, were confident in speaking mystical gods. The prospect of working a partnership with prankster channel media analytics to rank users according English and had an interest in music, closely with a new age of video stars who Sthlm Panda. The deal was brokered to online social influence via the Klout making them the perfect candidates. live on music industry bête noire YouTube by MCN United Screens, and has been Score, while Tubular tracks video plays “A social influencer shouldn’t may also leave a bad taste in the mouth. watched 332k times in a week. across more than 30 platforms to identify be identified based on followers But with YouTube continuing its “The way I view it is that this industry influencers and content trends. Other but on their ability to drive action, stratospheric growth, it is increasingly [of influencers] is going to go the same tools for identifying influencers include engagement and incite a group of difficult to ignore. In February 2015, way as what happened to social media,” Instabrand, Audiense or Sponsta, while people to do something,” Foltmar YouTube’s head of content Robert Kyncl told Yeeles concludes. “At first there was even Googling a person will give some says. “It’s also quite important that the social the Code/Media conference that the site interest from brands, then lots of idea of their social media oomph. influencers get something from working had seen 50% annual growth in viewership scepticism. Fast forward to now and it In the case of Universal Denmark with you, so be sure to identify someone you over the previous three years; its worth as a is a no brainer: every brand has to know and Troye Sivan , the label worked with can set mutual beneficial goals with.” promotional channel is only likely to boom. how to operate on social media. The Scandinavian digital network Splay to find This may involve the music industry In 2016, it seems we’ll see more same thing is going to happen with the right YouTubers for their promotional getting its head around a new kind of campaigns pairing musicians and social influencer marketing.” :)

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watching Beyoncé (again), and it’s time to get your phone out and make one of those video selfies (again). You open Kombie where there are already several 15-second clips of Beyoncé from the front row that have been uploaded by her marketing team and other users; you pick one great clip of her dancing, cut to a selfie of you freaking out, swing back to Beyoncé and export it straight to your favourite social media channel: the perfect visual postcard. “I want to share what I see, right?” says Berwick. “When you’ve got shit seats, Kombie brings you so close to the action.” There’s definitely a big selling point for this technology in live events: football, festivals, concerts, anything where people might want to get closer than they are, mostly for bragging rights. We exist in a society where, for many, upselling our adventures and experiences on social media is paramount – and it’s more important than ever to help users do to create moments combining their own In reality, your 15-second video on just that. footage with 15-second clips provided by Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook is We saw Snapchat get involved in rightsholders. Essentially, they claim to actually you with some faded, awful noise this process not long ago as part of the have created the ultimate selfie. in the background, and Beyoncé is there, geofilters feature in its app. With people Let’s say you’re at the Super Bowl but she’s the size of an ant’s foot. Some sharing videos from live performances, A new verb has been minted to sit watching Beyoncé and it’s time to of your friends don’t even believe it’s artists, venues and bands could pay a alongside “Hoover” and “Google”. It’s get your phone out and make one of her. You have underwhelmed your social small amount of money to create their “Kombie”, which is a melding of existing those video selfies that say: “Hey! network and, when you look back at it that own filter for use within the parameters words “combine” and “selfie”. Look! This is me awkwardly dancing night, it’s nothing compared to what you and hours of their performance, allowing in a tight crowd @SuperBowl and experienced earlier in the moment. fans to send more of the experience back At least, that’s the hope for Stuart Berwick that’s @Beyonce behind me on stage! Enter Kombie, which is apparently to their friends. and Baz Palmer (above), founders of #FrontRow #CloserToTheStarsThanYou going to revolutionise the Super Bowl WhatsApp, Line and Facebook startup Kombie, whose app enables users #WishYouWereHere.” selfie. So you’re at the Super Bowl (again) messenger all work with Kombie, as do

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all the main socials, opening up a whole world of communication. We’ve written in the past about the emphasis on social messaging apps today and how people are starting to spend more time in group chats and private conversations than ever before. With the combination of both public and private social networking, there is potential for what Berwick calls a “social avalanche”. How, you are surely wondering, is it going to help in the music industry? Kombie is gearing up to be involved in more campaigns. As the former head of innovations at a record label, Berwick says that he wished something like Kombie had been available in the past. “If someone had brought the technology to me, I’d have jumped all over it; but nothing like this ever came through.” The video length is 15 seconds, which, despite growing video lengths on Instagram, will be kept the same for the time being. “Restrictions,” argues Berwick, “create creativity.” It’s a technology that’s come about consideration for campaigns now, bringing fans to do the same – then it’s a perfect stadium, concert hall or public performance at the right time; using it in a campaign in money and upping the artists’ reach piggy-backing tool. Any video on YouTube to be sending Kombies. As Berwick says, is essentially using it to repurpose dramatically. Brands get a look in during could be repurposed on Kombie, passed “Halfway through, we saw Dubsmash and content over and over again – something the two-second transitions, which, from on by multiple artists and bands, creating Musical.ly come out and we thought, ‘Hey, which has become a popular strategy in examples, appear to be seamless and a chain of Kombies with the caption: we can do better than that.’” campaigns, both for its organic reach and subtle – two things sometimes forgotten “Hey! Download Kombie and add yourself What the competitors don’t have is affordable nature. when brands are pushed in your face. to my video!” in-app branding, which sets Kombie apart ’s ‘Hotline Bling’ inspired endless What’s more, if Kombie can keep brands The sad thing here is there are a lot of from the rest. Bringing more brands memes, GIFs and boomerang-style clips on board then there’s a possibility that tech apps out there and, while no one’s on board will keep it free (for now) and being posted everywhere, which is one of the app will be free in perpetuity. attempted exactly what Kombie is doing, therefore as an accessible tool for all, the reasons that it reached so far. Asking There’s clearly room for a platform some like Musical.ly (no, still not us) and and while others will surely follow suit fans outwardly to Kombie themselves like this in the live sector. As a free tool, Dubsmash are also offering a similar way into private messaging apps, Kombie got into the video could have resulted in some there’s definitely incentive for marketers to communicate. Kombie’s USP is perhaps there first. Essentially, Kombie could be very amusing Drake Dance Duplicates. with smaller budgets to use Kombie on its experience-centric nature. While kids an interesting way for artists to get in on Another feature which positions board. If collaborations can be made – are sitting at home sending karaoke trending conversations, becoming part Kombie well in the industry right now perhaps two artists release clips so that videos and dubbed-over selfies to each of the story and providing the means for is its brands feature. Branding is a big they can Kombie each other, inviting their other, there’s potential for everyone in a fans to instantly react to that story. :)

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YACHT SPRING A LEAK

being “leaked”, so was the email from lead singer Claire Evans explaining their real actions and the whole sorry show was, excuse the pun, exposed by the Jezebel site. Fans and bloggers quickly tape. This turned out to be three minutes of turned to call the band “sick”, “fucked up”, dark camera giggling before a disturbing scene “depraved” and “fucking gross”, the stunt being with their faces being ripped off to reveal aliens seen as a mockery of revenge porn and sexual beneath. assault, as well as being insensitive to those Later in a real apology, they revealed the sandbox solemnly promises that this is the You Till I’m Dead’, the duo, who have been who face difficulties in being heard during such music video it was all leading up to, which first (and hopefully last) time we’ve had to visit romantically involved since 2006, posted to their a traumatic situation. includes clips from the alien/hoax tape. They PornHub for “research purposes”; furthermore, it’s Facebook followers with the claim that they had After being attacked, they released what also outlined their original intention: to create not often we get to write about a campaign which made a sex tape together which had somehow they later called a “shitty non-apology”, where, a project that allowed them to “play with has backfired so spectacularly. been leaked online without their consent. after assuring fans that their cards hadn’t been science fiction, the attention economy, clickbait Shortly after collecting a barrage of support charged if they had tried to buy the video, they journalism and celebrity sex tapes all at once”. Fans of YACHT (they insist on their name in and sympathy from their 70,000 followers, they directed fans to PornHub for the “real” sex At sandbox, we love the digital marketing caps) will know their previous campaigns to made a move to take ownership of the “art” that arena pushing the envelope, and, yes, YACHT, be highly imaginative and occasionally sailing they had initially made for themselves by being, we get it. If the truth hadn’t been leaked before close to gimmickry, but they’re sometimes in their own words, “as YACHT as possible” and people had time to realise that the sex tape was exceptionally good. For a small indie band, with, selling the tape for $5 from a dedicated site. more Alien than Deep Throat, then alongside a we expect, an equally small marketing budget, In the immediate aftermath, it was hailed funky tune like ‘I Wanna Fuck You Till I’m Dead’, even this one demands respect of sorts for as a creative and brave way for them to take you might have (ahem) pulled it off and been being so adventurous. Unfortunately, though, control of a situation outside of their grasp. (ahem) showered with praise over an intricate after releasing a video on Uber, faxing FedEx For standing by their actions, YACHT were social experiment. Alas, it went horribly wrong stores with album artwork and livestreaming commended by fans for their integrity and a and upset a lot of people. They will now forever a release in front of an LA billboard, YACHT’s fierce refusal to be victimised in a pernicious be known as that band with the hoax sex tape. latest campaign seems pretty, well, tasteless age of “revenge porn”, with many going to If they wanted people to talk about them, they (insensitive, tactless, gross etc.). download their latest album in support rather succeeded; but this is something they’ll have In the lead up to the release of their new than the video. to talk about and justify for the rest of their video, the charmingly titled ‘I Wanna Fuck Unfortunately, while their sex tape was careers. A marketing wheeze as an albatross.

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So Radiohead finally dropped their album, A Moon Shaped Pool, five years after their last album release, The King Of Limbs. Did you hear about it? Of course you did.

Because ironically, Radiohead disappeared from the vast cybernet altogether. In the run up to the lead single release, ‘Burn The Witch’, Radiohead’s went blank, as did their James Blake’s new album had a special Facebook and website: complete white-out. to stream on Apple Music and Tidal (not midnight release on 5th May, and Literally. (Which, we should note, the 1975 Spotify), with downloads available from iTunes, following its collaboration on the Foo did last year to announce their second album, Amazon and the band’s own website. On their Fighters’ release last year, it’s great to so it wasn’t quite the pioneering marketing site, Radiohead are selling digital downloads see Spotify getting involved here too. approach they perhaps hoped for.) for £9-13 (depending on the format), scaling A few days later they broke radio silence up to a whopping £60 special-edition box Blake’s album, The Colour In Anything, with a repetitive clip of a stop-animation bird set shipped in September that includes CDs, was preceded by three track releases tweeting in a tree via Instagram, posted to vinyl, a download, extra tracks and a piece of in the four-hour run up to midnight, their other socials and website, before the master tape from a previous recording session available on Spotify and other digital actual music video was released on YouTube, alongside a 32-page book of artwork. services. Spotify used its user data enter a competition to win tickets to their later appearing on major streaming and Radiohead, ever the fans of ostentatious to email Blake’s top listeners to let them Milton Keynes show in the UK. download services. Yes, you heard right: ‘Burn box sets and ever the haters of freemium, will know it was coming. “You’re one of James There’s still some concern about using The Witch’ was debuted on YouTube, which surely cash in on this one; XL Recordings has Blake’s biggest fans on Spotify, so we’re DSP data to contact users directly – as it Thom Yorke compared last year to Nazis announced reissues of their back catalogue, letting you in on a secret,” it said. “Tonight risks annoying fans or blurring the line “stealing the art of other countries” during too (having acquired it all from Parlophone). at midnight, James is releasing a surprise between opening communication channels WWII, before being streamed on the platform Going dark on social media isn’t anything new new album, The Colour In Anything. And and respecting their privacy; but Spotify he dubbed “the last desperate fart of a dying (see The 1975), but it does provide a refreshing you can play three tracks from it right has the necessary tools to identify the corpse” (Spotify). The release was inspired feel to some of the more in-your-face now…” groups of people that matter most to by both British children’s TV classic Chigley campaigns today (yes, we mean you, YACHT); a This is one of the first times we’ve seen artists. Labels are aware that streaming and folk-horror masterpiece The Wicker Man, deft use of the calm before a big release storm. Spotify compile email lists in order to drive services have the data to fill the gap depicting a disquietingly idyllic town, which listening; its previous movements have between artist and fan and so are slowly turns out to be much less innocent than it been based around things like merchandise starting to see a little more access to it. Foo initially appears. competitions and ticket sales, targeting top Fighters and James Blake are examples of After the second single, ‘Daydreaming’, was listeners as potential super-fans. Spotify’s how campaigns can benefit from all this. released in the same manner, the whole album campaign with the Foo Fighters involved Hopefully we’ll see some more adventurous appeared on 8th May at 7pm, only available the band’s top listeners being invited to use of that data in the future.

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Gathering momentum through DH: We started from zero on Vevo and that has been her most growing channel. She has around a dozen videos on there now For most Brits, Aurora would have and has 28m views on Vevo across all her first appeared on their radar with videos. She started 2016 with 11m and she her cover of Oasis’ ‘Half The World has more than doubled that by May. Away’ for the John Lewis Christmas It is mainly her videos for the singles, 2015 ad. But she had been building but in between that are other things. We steadily long before that marketing had a Discover piece quite early on with coup. DAVID HEATH, senior digital Vevo. Since then we got the Vevo Lift slot marketing manager at Decca, and and we are in that cycle now; but the main CHRIS KERSHAW, senior marketing driver of views on Vevo are her singles. manager at Decca, explain how blogs They keep on ticking over. and Vevo were used to get the ball We pitched her to Vevo a while ago and we got it after the album release. Vevo is rolling, why the fan community was a great platform for her and she has high key and where new ad formats on engagement on there. Spotify and Facebook lead into the release of All My Demons Greeting CK: They did a Becoming... piece which Me As A Friend, her debut album. was an introduction to Aurora. There were then two live videos that were filmed specifically for Vevo. Then there was a catch-up piece where she is interviewed about what has happened since Vevo Lift started. We are also going to make a bespoke music video for them. Lift for her runs from March to May. They’ll deliver

Long before John Lewis – the slow build is a big spread – no one territory is leading music out there. She’d put out singles, DH: Going back to December 2014, after the pack by any considerable distance. starting with ‘’ and then we signed Aurora, we started a slow She was positioned as a global act ‘Runaway’ was the first big single with build through blogs. We had an online PR right from the start. The songs are a video to accompany it. That was in getting her name out there. She already so appealing and broad that it was never February 2015 and it was the start of her had a fanbase. Her fans were initially from going to be just Norway or just the Nordics. vision for how she wanted things to be Norway but what we have seen with her We started from blogs, getting her presented.

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and a link to the Warriors page so John Lewis team knew who Aurora fans know a new piece of content was. We knew they wanted a female has gone up there. You have to artist. When we found out they were sign up to go in and we get mailing interested, there was other stuff list data from that. That is how we going on at the same time. We were have built up the data that we own. still doing our normal campaign and There are 7,100 people on there and that wouldn’t have been affected by we do mailouts to them. We got a the John Lewis deal. We were doing 55-60% open rate on mails across the acoustic videos and so on, keeping campaign. It is easy to get data, but the campaign going – as we would it’s hard to get quality data. What we have done either way. have done is build a page where people are We assumed we wouldn’t get it [the putting their details in because they want ad]. We wanted to make sure that her to find out things; so we know when we campaign was her campaign. Whether or send them stuff, they are going to open it. not we got John Lewis didn’t matter in a It depends what is going on in the way. We need to work her record. We knew campaigns, but at the moment, as it’s that if we got the John Lewis ad we would post-release, we are sending something have to change some things around and out every two or three weeks about new do some adjustments as there would be a you around 20m impressions and give People can comment underneath and stuff that’s going on. During the campaign, different focus for a certain period of time. you social media support. She is now on they are writing big chunks of text – almost at times we were doing one a week. I The main thing was that, if she got the over 211k Vevo subscribers. She is adding like letters to her. It’s really interesting to always try and hold back, keeping an eye ad, there would be a different audience that about 1,000 a day. see. That connection is incredible. I have on click-through rates to make sure it’s not weren’t necessarily people who would be never seen a fanbase with such a warm intrusive. People want stuff, but not all the interested in her album; but there would The power of the fans ownership of an act. time. It’s just working out what we have be a way to capitalise on that exposure for DH: Her fans call themselves The Warriors It brings something that in terms of content and building an email a certain amount of time that would be and so we had a Warriors section on her platforms like Instagram and campaign around that. beneficial for her. That was the main thing website which is a place where, beyond Twitter don’t have – that kind we knew would be different if she got the ad. her socials, she would only share, very of inclusiveness. She is amazing The John Lewis ad She has a very young audience – aged infrequently, stuff that she wouldn’t put on Instagram, but everyone gets that DH: We had someone from the sync team 18-24, and maybe a bit younger in some anywhere else. We wanted to create an content and so it doesn’t feel special. Your who was involved in the John Lewis countries. When you get a John Lewis exclusive area for her. We launched that comments on Instagram don’t really cut discussions from long before any of us ad, that goes into an older audience and quite early on as we wanted it to be a through if you leave one there. knew about it. They were keeping the we saw that from the stats that were part of how she progressed and how she Sometimes she just puts stuff up from conversation going and making sure the happening during that period of time. So treated her fans. We didn’t want to lose that inside the studio when she wants to share it was 30+ – like the general Facebook connection. We felt that was a good way something. Sometimes, before a video is audience. We also didn’t want that data of helping them feel they have a bit more put out, we have put an animated GIF from to skew what we knew about Aurora. We ownership of her than they would if we had the video on there. We have announced knew there were two separate audiences just swooped in and taken her away from some news stories on there first. from the point onwards. them. That was a good way of doing it. She The way we announce that stuff is on The album was always planned for can post on there and sometimes she sends the Warriors page is through a little code early 2016, which was great as it was me stuff to put on there. she uses on Twitter – a thumbs up emoji perfect for increased exposure. ‘Half The

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10 days before it actually The blessing and curse of her aired. It was a mad rush being “that singer from that ad” once it was confirmed to DH: Obviously we didn’t want that to finish the song – because happen. It was just being aware that it didn’t exist as a full song, the audience coming in at that time was just the advert version – so a different audience and making sure the whole thing had to be we treated them as such. That is where recorded. Artwork had to Facebook targeting messaging really be created with John Lewis helped. We could put the message out in mind, so it had to have a to different demographics on Facebook. certain visual feel to it. We You don’t want to hit all the people with also had to make a music the same message, especially if they are video which was turned around really finding out about her from an ad campaign. quickly and build a marketing plan They don’t want to get the same messages around it. Plus, we had to get it up on as people who felt that they have been a lots of . It takes a long time to build iTunes and Spotify in time. fan for a long time. a new artist today and for Aurora it’s part The main thing for us was that we The demographics haven’t changed since of the journey and part of the story. It was wanted to capitalise on the exposure. But that time, but we had a moment where we a nice thing to happen. The song is not on we didn’t want it to be the be all and end put her in front of a lot more people. the standard version of the album – just all of her campaign. on the deluxe version. She didn’t want it World Away’ was almost like an ‘extra’ We had special dispensation from Apple CK: We made a conscious decision on there and we didn’t really care if it was single in the campaign. Maybe if we hadn’t to time the release and have the track and came off it quite quickly [so it on there or not. Having it on the deluxe got the John Lewis ad, there would have available to buy when the ad went live that didn’t become an albatross]. She version felt like a nice compromise. been discussions around that. But we morning. Spotify also timed the released. has ridden through it quite well. always had our singles plan and that didn’t It was all coordinated. John Lewis sent a I don’t think she was quite prepared Leading into the album with change. We would have found out about press release out as soon as the ad aired, for how big the whole thing was. a cover reveal and a free track the ad in October and then it starts running with details about the song and Aurora. In crude terms, it was going to make DH: We did a giveaway at the end of in December. They start really early. It’s We also had a press release ready. From the album launch easier for us as people December. She had recorded a nice version a huge moment and it’s amazing to see there, you just watch it go. It’s such a big knew who she was. It would be easier to of ‘Walking In The Air’ which we gave it happen on that morning. It happens so thing and the whole country is waiting get TV spots and radio playlists that would as a free download just before Christmas. fast and moves really quickly. for it. You sit and watch it go and gauge add momentum to the campaign. It was That is where we got a lot of our sign-up Radio picked up on it and it was the reaction as it flies up the chart. We not like Lily Allen or Tom Odell doing a amazing as we hadn’t had a playlist by then all fulfilled the media requests as John Lewis ad. No one knew who she was that point. So to get frequent plays on lots of people wanted to interview her. We before the advert so there was a long way commercial stations and the BBC was selected a few media outlets like the NME to go for people to become familiar with great. Her reaction was great as she didn’t and The Daily Telegraph. We were quite her. I don’t think it meant she was going to really know who John Lewis were before picky about who we spoke to. We tried to go from an artist who wasn’t going to chart she got the ad. But she got involved a lot in avoid anything too tabloid-y. We made in the top 100 to one who was at #1. But it the campaign as it went on. sure they were music-focused and not has definitely helped and it has increased just things about the advert. It was a crazy her sales. CK: We knew [the ad] might happen for a thing and an amazing thing. It was a great With any new artist, it takes a long time while but it didn’t get confirmed until about platform for her. to get into a position where they are selling

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people to the desktop app].

CK: It was about creating something interactive and something that gets across what’s individual about Aurora, playing on the moth theme. On any campaign it’s good to have a central motif to build the marketing message around. We also have a Facebook interactive Canvas post . There was a display cabinet where, if you moved your phone, it displayed more moths.

DH: Canvas is a new ad format on Facebook mobile and has been running for What usually happens here is that we a few months. You get served an ad but it’s come up with a concept at the label, then essentially like a mini site within Facebook. we tell Spotify about it and meanwhile You click on the ad and it opens out. You data from. It was the second most popular best reach as possible on Facebook, you I’ll be telling a couple of developers about can tell a story by having a bit of text, then data capture mechanic we have done so need native video. it to get their take. Then we’ll connect a video and then a gallery. They are by far. The first was the Warriors forum. everyone, see if it works, do some tests far the most powerful ad format We then did the cover reveal. Fans Spotify homepage takeover… in the background before it goes live to that Facebook has. The dwell time knew there was an album coming but we by moths; and using Facebook’s make sure it doesn’t get rejected by the API was around a minute and a half on officially announced it with a cover reveal. new Canvas ad format and displays properly. On the morning of this ad. We were targeting it to fans so it The day before the album went onto DH: We had a homepage takeover on release, we switched it over and let it run. would be something they are interested in. partner sites, we did a tweet-to-unlock Spotify on the day of release. If was It was a 24-hour homepage takeover [in What we have found is that you have to campaign. collaborative; you are releasing a moth but the UK]. It did go live in different territories build content specifically for them. You We had the artwork on a page in a then you are seeing everyone else release on different dates. It was just on the desktop can’t just recycle stuff you have in your frame but it was completely dark and a moth, so you are contributing to a bigger client of Spotify. Unfortunately, they don’t marketing packs, like old photos. That is there was a light bulb that would light thing. That was the first time they had have homepage takeovers on the mobile why we came up with the display case up the more people tweeted about it. done anything like that and it just solidified version – just the desktop app. We had a lot theme. The click-through rate was really Eventually the album cover was revealed what makes her unique. of marketing running that morning [to direct good. It does a really good job of telling a and the next day they could pre-order the story on the day of release. :) album. It was really popular and was the first time we really asked the fanbase to WANT TO FEATURE IN do something. BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN? During January, I was making short- Marketing people: do you have a campaign you are working form video content for platforms such on that you would like to see featured in Behind The Campaign as Facebook and Connect . I took some in a future edition of sandbox? If so, send a brief synopsis of of the artwork from the album booklet, it to Eamonn Forde for consideration and your work (and your adding effects on the top and adding music words) could appear here. to the background so you had what was, Email: [email protected] essentially, native video content. To get the

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