06 Tools Funtoad 07-08 Campaigns Frank Ocean, Sia, Massive Attack, Starkey/VR 09-12 Behind The Campaign Area 11

AUGUST 10 2016 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 162

WILL CHATBOTS TAKE OVER MARKETING? COVERFEATURE

The robots are taking over. Well, not quite, but chatbots are the buzziest thing in social media marketing right now. The idea is not exactly new in music – Radiohead were using them 15 years ago after all – but they appear to have come of age with acts like Bastille and Hardwell using them. This

is all aligned to the rise of ver since assorted research messaging apps and the reports came to light fact that ‘dark social’ is Eclaiming the younger generation are not quite as keen on often out of the reach Facebook as those in their 30s, the hunt of marketing teams. has been on in the music industry to find where the youth are hanging out, digitally Chatbots are their speaking. way in and are also The answer has been messaging apps more likely like Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook’s own Messenger, Line, WeChat and so to serve up on – which have seen usage shoot up messages that over the last five years. Just last month, in fact, Facebook announced that are read compared Messenger now has more than 1bn to other social active users, after adding 200m in platforms. We just five months. WhatsApp, which Facebook owns, passed the billion-user speak to those mark in February, while Snapchat is said building them to have 150m daily users. Not all of these users are young, of to ask how they course. But as Syd Lawrence, co-founder can move from of We Make Awesome Sh, explains, the interesting privacy of messaging apps has boosted their appeal for young consumers. gimmick to “Parents have done quite a good job proper explaining to teenagers that what they do on the internet isn’t private,” he says. marketing “I probably wouldn’t like Katy Perry on opportunity. Facebook or follow her on Twitter, but

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I probably would have Record Bird, also available for Facebook a conversation with her Messenger, allows users to ask about new in private. It is a private music releases. (Facebook Messenger, communication – like a incidentally, is very much the chatbot king guilty pleasure.” among messaging platforms, with 11,000+ chatbots already available.) Trying to cast light Andreas Mahringer, founder of Record on ‘dark social’ Bird, recently explained on ProductHunt why he chose to create a bot rather than But what is good news an app. “ First of all, barriers of for fans of privacy and downloading an app, typing URLs concerned parents has proved into mobile phones, signing up, something of a conundrum putting in credit card details, etc. for the music industry. are being eroded almost entirely Whereas social media for a first product experience platforms like Facebook through chatbots . Users can play and Twitter are open for all to see – and use of chatbots/messenger bots, currently around with new products or features therefore easy to analyse and make use of – one of the hottest topics of interest in the from the well-known environment of their messaging apps are closed off. That makes tech industry. Chatbots are, essentially, messaging app. It will be hard to predict behaviour there hard to track. “Some 30% of programmes designed to simulate whether bots offer the opportunity for time spent on smartphones is in ‘dark social’, conversation with human beings using AI deep engagement for all products, but they messaging apps largely, where we have (artificial intelligence). surely will play a crucial role in the growth very little visibility on what is being shared,” They’ve been around for years but engines of many future products and explains Luke Ferrar, senior digital marketing have really come to prominence with the companies.” manager at Virgin EMI Records. “We’re keen recent boom in messaging; so much so, to get amongst this conversation.” in fact, that many people are now talking Bots, super-fans and He’s not the only one. The last two years them up as a possible replacement for avoiding the hard sell have seen the music industry do all it can to apps, the thinking being that instead try to figure out how to push together digital of, say, opening up Shazam to work out The music industry has also started to music and messaging. There have been what a piece of music is, you could ask a integrate bots into their digital marketing some successes. Snapchat has become bot instead, saving valuable seconds and campaigns. One of the first examples one of the most important digital platforms freeing up memory on your phone. of this happened in June when Virgin for musicians to communicate with their That’s one fairly obvious use for a EMI act Bastille got their own Facebook fans and Paul McCartney has done well musical chatbot – and there are already Messenger bot, which promised to furnish with his sticker sets on Line. But on the several chatbots out there that will users with information about the band’s whole, music and messaging remains an perform a similar task. Peach, which was new album, Wild World. unconsummated marriage. created by Vine founder Dom Hofmann, “The bot started by asking fans if has a Shazam-like music recognition they’ve been good or bad, or were full Rise of the chatbots feature, as does AudioShot ; of joy or grief – which teased the single Music Rover is a Facebook Messenger name [‘Good Grief’, released on 16th June],” The latest attempt to bridge this divide bot that recommends music on Spotify explains Ferrar. “It sent you exclusive video might just work, though. It involves the based on the tracks you like; and teasers and GIFs. It’s also played along

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be used on Hardwell’s On Air show, vote for their favourite tracks and even submit fan art. “Hardwell’s audience is mainly under 25,” says We Make Awesome Sh’s Lawrence. “They don’t use Facebook as much as we do. But they do use Messenger to send messages to their friends. They are constantly on it.” The original idea of the Hardwell bot was to promote On Air, but it has since evolved into a more general communication tool. The bot will respond to about 1,600 keywords, some of which are pretty straightforward – say “Hi” and the bot will respond “Hey!”; ask about Hardwell’s next gig and the bot will send with the narrative of the music videos to extremely personal space to a user, so you to the Hardwell website. There are help bring Bastille ’s creative world alive. it’s a softly, softly approach,” he explains. also some more amusing uses. If you We are building out more functionality “We wanted to do something cool and mention “Yanicke Agnes” (Hardwell’s and developing its personality.” creative that aligned with the Wild World ex-girlfriend) to the bot, it responds The bot also asked – very politely – if campaign. It obviously has PR value, with a broken heart; if you say “Tiësto”, users would be interested in hearing but it also allows the band to operate the bot tweets a link to Hardwell and more news about forthcoming music from in the messaging space, something Tiësto’s collaborative track, ‘Zero 76’; the band, with some 20,000 fans saying super-important for their fanbase; and if you mention Dimitri Vegas or Like yes. That is a pretty promising response, and it has opened up a whole new Mike – two DJs that Hardwell has had his although Ferrar says that the greatest marketing channel for us. It will disagreements with in the past – the bot value of the bot will be to the band’s never be a ‘sales tool’, but I think simply responds “Who?”. “super fans”. it can guarantee near 100% Lawrence says the response has been “We’ve sent some cool exclusive instant delivery of a message strong. “Over the first few days there GIFs and had a great response, though to a group of superfans, which were lots and lots more people than we it’s tricky to measure how far through is quite a powerful thing. ” expected, actually having conversations messaging networks these travel,” he Joining Bastille in the musical chatbot with the bot then posting them to Twitter,” adds. “There are very few analytics party is Dutch EDM DJ Hardwell , whose he says. “They know it is a bot, but it is available at present, but we believe own Facebook Messenger bot – built by still increasing their relationship with the this will change as more start to get We Make Awesome Sh at the behest of artist.” developed. We are doing some more Sorted Management – launched in July. testing with how much traffic it can refer; The idea was to encourage two-way fan From gimmick to proper but at the moment it’s focused on being interaction with fans: the Hardwell bot marketing tool? fun and engaging.” will supply users with information on the The intention, Ferrar adds, was not to DJ’s gigs, releases and merchandise; but The challenge now, Lawrence explains, will be overtly commercial. “Messaging is an fans can also record audio messages to be to prove the promotional worth of the

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RADIOHEAD’S GOOGLYMINOTAUR

prove a promotional success. “You can send a message out and you don’t have to do a Facebook boost to get people reading,” he says. “ With Messenger, Bastille and Hardwell may have got in pretty early on the chatbot wave. But you have to go back you read every message you get an impressive 15 years to June 2001 to find the first example of a musical chatbot: Radiohead’s sent. You don’t read every tweet GooglyMinotaur. from people you follow on Twitter The bot, developed by bot pioneer ActiveBuddy, worked on AOL’s popular Instant Messenger or every Facebook post from network and was intended to promote the band’s latest album at the time, Amnesiac. Fans who added people you like. ” GooglyMinotaur to their IM buddy lists could ask it questions about the band and their new album or It is early days, of course, but Ferrar just chat. GooglyMinotaur also played music on request and would even challenge fans to a game of believes that chatbots can become an hangman. essential part of the music marketing mix, It proved a massive hit: when the bot was finally retired in March 2002, it had sent almost 60m Hardwell bot in terms of building the DJ’s especially as messaging apps continue to messages to around 1m people fanbase and mailing list, something the grow. But he stresses that they need to Bastille team have already achieved with be “cool, creative and have a purpose, as their 20k fan sign-up. well as working properly so it’s not saying The Hardwell bot will eventually, anything undesirable”. which sits inside Facebook Messenger, date/ticket you have to search for the when the time is right, also start to send (No one wants their bot to Skype, Telegram and Slack. It answers a website, go to live, find the right date and more straightforward, broadcast-style experience the same problems that befell series of “What if…” questions and does get the ticket link,” Ferrar says. “With promotional messages. Microsoft’s Tay , for example, which was Photoshopping on the hoof to answer bots, we can have fans simply say their But Lawrence, who was initially manipulated by users to start spitting your queries. It’s daft but impressive how location and it can serve you up the correct skeptical about the idea of chatbots, is out racist tweets. The company is having quickly it all works.) ticket link. It removes many stages in certain that the Hardwell bot will one day another swing at it with MurphyBot “Currently if you want an artist tour conversion.” :)

5 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 TOOLS FUNTOAD

Just as bands found out years ago, most of the Imagine you’re at a gig and good names have been taken. In music and suddenly your phone lights up, technology, there are only so many ways to the vocalist’s voice live-streaming twist the words “song”, “tune” or “melody”. directly from your speakers. You look up as 20 other phones light up with Ergo, new entrants have to think drumming streaming through theirs, counterintuitively, dreaming up something while from the opposite end of the that will put them at the top of Google room comes the faint beginning search results and be memorable. That’s as of synthesisers, which rise as they sweep 25th August is a serious challenge the startup playing with a string quartet from Napoli important as your first VC meeting. What across smartphones towards the middle has set for themselves: an isolated gig at an and most of the songs were in Italian, while does your service do and what’s it called? of the audience. The bass comes in and the ancient fort in the middle of the desert (watch Mira was singing Arabic songs to a Hebrew Which brings us to Funtoad. Yes, Funtoad. lowest frequencies, not quite possible through out for the livestream). As Ziv says, “If we can audience.” The platform was able to offer Fun. Toad. The name may be ludicrous but speakers, begin to vibrate in your pocket. do it there, we can do it anywhere.” subtitled translations for the audience to let’s dwell instead on its purpose. In short it’s This is one of the more basic ways that There have been a few platforms understand both performances. “I’d toured an interactive experiential app for live music. Funtoad could be used within an audience: attempting similar things, but on this scale with Mira, so I knew her music well, but even So what exactly does it do? Let’s say that think of the Coldplay wristband effect for the there isn’t really any notable competition; I never knew what she was singing about,” you’ve been to at least one gig in the past whole world, but all through an app. Easier, Funtoad has features spanning visual, he says. “I took the phone and listened and year. At this gig, was the view spoiled by more accessible, more manageable, more audible and sensory simultaneously. Where it was amazing. I could understand what she arms holding up smartphones and waving affordable. The team’s philosophy is that others have stopped at flashing lights and was singing about.” torchlights? We’d take a bet that at least half Funtoad should be available for everyone torches, this platform has gone beyond the The obvious revenue source here is of you have at some point or other watched and for free – even for the most budget- gimmick to create something that, literally, branding and sponsorship. Branded visuals the majority of a gig through someone strapped DIY artists. “It’s a blank canvas for brings the fan into the centre of a live event. across a 5,000-cap venue would be huge else’s smartphone camera as they film/ whoever wants it,” says Ziv, the company’s Imminent features include the ability for exposure. This would also allow the platform Snapchat/Instagram/Vine their way in front co-founder. “We’ve created the concept fans to “play” instruments with the band. to remain free for users as well as help of everybody else’s view of the stage. inside the room; now they can take it outside On a more sober note, revenue is a artists get a foot in the door with future Enter Gur Ziv, who claims that those and be creative.” concern here. There’s no monetisation plan partnerships themselves. “stupid black things in our pockets” could As always, there’s value in the data, too. in place as yet, mainly because the makers Funtoad is adding crucial layers to the live actually help strengthen the connection CEO Harel Bear spoke to sandbox about are convinced that they can build something experience and the features coming soon between artist and audience, delivering what this kind of experience can offer. that people love and so will eventually bring sound even more enticing. Apart from the what he and his colleagues refer to as a new “People are really engaged,” he explains, in revenue after it hits scale. The team is obvious issue of money coupled with the dimension of creativity. Funtoad harnesses adding that of 600 attendees at a show at made up of different types – including sound risk of appearing gimmicky as a one-use mobile devices throughout live gigs and Berklee, Valencia, 400 downloaded the app, designers and musicians – so there’s a sheer application, this is a platform to watch and performances to give the audience members making this a very enticing proposition. passion there to make a difference in the live get involved with. It’s now possible to direct an opportunity to be part of the experience Funtoad is still in its early stages, but music experience. the focus of the audience’s mind, turning they’ve paid for, bringing them closer to there’s a lot of potential here. Alongside the Co-founder Gadi Seri talks about their what used to be a distraction into part of the the artist and (hopefully) building a lasting show in Berklee, it was involved in a Kiev gig experience “Funtoading” performances in show – and learning more about an audience’s relationship. with new act Bloom Twins. Coming up on Israel for NOA and Mira Awad. “NOA was behaviour each time the app is downloaded. :)

6 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena HERE COMES THE OCEAN (OR, RATHER, HERE DOESN’T COME THE OCEAN) SIA WIGS OUT ON SNAPCHAT

Just when you thought that performances on herself weird licking puppy filter was and her dancers (such as the best thing they could come Maddy Ziegler and Shia up with, Australian singer Sia’s LaBeouf). Alongside the famous wig has landed on moving wig lens, Snappers Snapchat’s roster of lenses. can switch their phones off silent to sing along to one Now every child, teen and of Sia’s biggest (and less mid-life-crisis adult can rock melancholy) hits, ‘Cheap the iconic black and Thrills’, making July 2016 came; July 2016 went. Still no Frank white wig which them completely Ocean album. Fans cry an ocean (see what we has been concealing Sia-fied for their did there?). Sia’s face across friends. live performances, Snapchat Last week brought a spine-tinglingly and television has proven riveting live-stream camera from Frank’s the impending release. Further to the curious appearances and to be a great website – boysdontcry.co. Broadcast to the livestream, two filters were added to Snapchat chat shows. Her tool for artists, world was Frank... cutting wood. Oh… as well. One was of an OSX TextEdit window motivation to don with geofilters For the most part, there was a black and reading “Dear Frank…” with another captioned the wig originally among the white room with him building boxes, with the “Waiting for Frank Ocean’s music like…” next was due to her more affordable occasional instrumental overlay. to a sad, badly drawn skeleton. desire for a non- aspects of the Fans on Twitter went wild at the This might seem a cruel celebrity lifestyle. disappearing- show, teased endlessly waiting example of teasing your audience As she said in content platform for Frank’s new release which was too much, but so far it works. conversation with and making a supposed to drop last month. Incredibly he got his fans up in the Ellen DeGeneres, splash earlier this @ChandraAncell tweeted her early hours to watch a blank room “It’s so that I can year. With reports irritation: “Someone wanna tell and then snap their sad faces to go to Target and of sponsored me why I been watching Frank one another. What’s more is that, buy a hose.” What lenses costing Ocean saw wood for hours now”, when the album does drop, it will better inspiration between $450,000 while @MikillPain accurately tease them even further by being for something that and $750,000, this described Ocean as “that pal that rings your an Apple Exclusive. Won’t someone think of people use to hide one is a bit further landline to say he’s almost outside yours, only these poor fans? or enhance their out of reach for for 1471 to tell you he called from his house Whatever happens, at the time of writing own faces? the majority of the music industry. Saying phone”. something should be dropped soon; we just Regardless of that need for privacy, the that, wigs are being snapped all over the Frank Ocean is a real tease and easily got don’t know if that’s going to be an album or a wig has now become an emblem of Sia’s shop. So with 100m DAUs on the platform, his fans in a state of high anticipation over wooden boat. career, appearing in music videos and live if you’ve got the cash, then splash it.

7 | sandbox | ISSUE 162 | 10.08.16 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena MASSIVE ATTACK’S FANTOM MENACE VR GETS CLASSICAL

This is a rather big year for Massive Attack. In Bronze technology which produced music January, their EP ‘Ritual Spirit’ marked the first in an ever-changing, never-ending nature. release in six years for the band. Further to This technology is slightly more intelligent, You might have heard about Decca’s new of 3D we’ve ever seen, but it compliments the releases, some of you might have heard of producing very personal mixes which can be re:works compilation, whereby original Decca Starkey’s piece very well (see for yourself their app released in conjunction with that EP recorded as a stylistic, monochrome video recordings have been reproduced in new here), following the steady growth within at the start of the year. before being shared across social media. forms by artists such as Kate Simko, Fort the music through a plethora of lights. The We’ve written a lot about albums as apps Romeau and Henrik Schwarz. video is set on some sort of island rock where It is called Fantom and exists as a “sensory” in the past and one of the issues here is often the user stays for the whole track, watching app, amending music according to various that they are very isolated creations, forgotten The compilation is a stunning one, ranging a kind of glorified Aurora Borealis from all factors and indicators such as light sensors on the page next to Spotify, Apple Music or from ethereal to intense as some of the best around, lights pulsating through the ground in your phone’s camera, movement sensors, whatever your preferred music service is composers of all time are celebrated and as luminous, graphic mountains rise up from your heart rate (if you’ve got an Apple Watch) right now. The social/sharing aspect of this developed into hybrid electronic styles. a glassy sea. and time of day. So, if you were falling asleep application sets it aside from the rest, making Matching this move into the digital world, It’s exciting to see classical music at night, the music would be very slow and it something that could potentially live on after the world’s first ever 3D classical music being explored through digital and virtual undramatic; equally, if you were on a run the lifespan of these tracks or album campaign. video has been released for the fourth reality. The market is small, but bridging with your iPhone in your hand, your Apple The official release of the band’s latest track – Starkey’s reimagining of Erik Satie’s the gaps between traditional, classical and Watch strapped on and your camera picking double single happened last week after ‘Gnossienne No.1’, which has doubled in experimental music brings some really up sheer daylight, the mix would be upbeat, debuting both tracks on the Fantom app. length as it is brought to an immense peak beautiful forms of music to the table. With it bright and dramatic. You can find it on all major music services; or through soaring synthesisers and feverish being such an immersive form, we can expect The idea is to experience music in a you can do something different and listen to percussion. to see more uses of VR within the classical dynamic, unique way – similar to Gwylim Gold’s it on Fantom. The video itself isn’t the most riveting use world in the near future.

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Area 11 cut their teeth on YouTube before coming to independent what they had already done and to start label Cooking Vinyl for their second album, Modern Synthesis. breaking out a bit more into the traditional MARCUS KNIGHT, product and marketing manager at Cooking media of radio and press. When they Vinyl, explains how the label was focused on taking the band came to us, they already had the album prepared. It had been recorded and they to the next stage, why YouTube collaborations were a return to were just looking to get it mastered. their roots, how an in-store tour raised their profile and where They had already run their own pre-order Snapchat filters became a central part of taking their live activity campaign where fans could get things like into social media. meet & greets, listening parties and other cool things – and that played really well to The band built their following their fanbase. They were doing that when initially on YouTube… they came to us, but what we then had to do The band have been together a from there was to take the finished album few years and put out an album by and have an official announcement that it themselves a couple of years ago was coming, adding links to iTunes and so [ All The Lights In The Sky in on – and that’s on top of having a strong D2C 2013]. They have just been doing pre-order as well. things themselves – like going out The first thing we had to do was to close on tour and doing other bits and down their existing “Help fund our album” bobs. They managed to build up a pre-order initiative and then set up a significant following off their own bat. proper album announcement. They had started developing a really Because they had already had the good and hardcore fanbase. They came out album up for pre-order for quite a long of the YouTube world – connecting with time beforehand, they were keen to get gamers and other YouTubers who were it out as quickly as possible and to not into Japanese culture. They came from that leave the fans waiting too long. It all came subculture so they had built up a really together quite quickly. strong allegiance around themselves. They They delivered the album and had had a significant and strong online fanbase already released one track from it before that was really engaged, but they didn’t this with a video, so that was already out really have any significant press or radio to there. When we came to announce the their name by that point. album officially, we knew that we had to get the fans new content. We decided to go … but wanted a label deal with the track ‘Watchmaker’ and the band to take them to the next stage made a very cool lyric video for it. When They had a second album they had been the album pre-order went live, we went working on, but they needed someone live with the track they had already out to help bring it into shape and utilise the there as an instant grat and also this new fanbase they had already built. They are track; that meant it was appealing heavily signed to Cooking Vinyl and ultimately it’s a to the fanbase but obviously any new fans label services deal. coming along at that point could also get They wanted us to help them build on the track that was released to fans earlier.

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key component they have here. In regards to creating assets and content, the band were great on the road. We were able to create different pre-rolls from that. It felt organic as they looked good and were created by the band. We had an announcement that they shot at the Bristol in-store where they were all backstage, talking and being YouTube collaborations were of the release week. The band went out and funny. It was charming to watch and they a return to their roots played acoustically in front of people. That used the opportunity to say the album They had come from a world of being very was a big bulk of the work we were doing on was out and fans should go out and buy it YouTube-focused. They obviously had the release week, but we also want to make the to support them. It was great to have that connections and the partnerships there. most of letting the band go out there and do sort of content as well as pictures from Plus, it was where they built up a lot of things and to really exploit that. touch. The band trusted us to do the stuff the different stores. their fanbase. When it came to release We build an album pre-roll and an we needed to do in order to push them at Plus, they were retweeting fans and week, the band got in touch with one of in-store pre-roll – and we were running press, radio and retail. Likewise, we had that being very engaged. That made a big their previous contacts and made some those pretty heavily and targeting people trust in the band that they knew what they difference and ultimately that is what content with Martyn Littlewood who is a in those regions [where the in-stores were were doing and they were going out and drove them getting a top 30 album. The video blogger. They sat down for a series happening] across Facebook and Twitter. doing it well. band worked really hard and did a great called Couch Potatoes , playing new We were running a lot of ad campaigns. We were making sure that everything job of engaging the fanbase. We managed games and chatting. We wanted to make people aware of their was happening on time and we were all to create a campaign that felt organic and It gave them a chance to make some new shows. This was a really good place for us working towards an end goal. But the band utilised the assets we had. content that wasn’t solely music-focused. to convert new fans and get them on board. were out on the ground and communicating It gave the band an extra personality and Obviously when you are working with a new with the fans so they were in the best depth that their fans have come to expect. band, then it’s really important. We knew position to be creating the content. That’s They were able to mention and push the it was really important to make sure that great and it’s so nice to have a band that is album multiple times through the video and people were aware that these in-stores really active in doing that. they even featured the album pre-roll that were happening. Their in-stores were a mixture of Fopps, we had made. They were open-minded to We also wanted to see how we could HMVs and independents. promoting the album [that way]. maximise the exposure around what was This is really important if you want to happening at the in-stores. get a good result – you need a band who Release week and a seven-day in-store tour Given the band are from an online and will work for it. They really did and were This was coming into week one. We always video world, they are great at creating out on the road, happy and eager to do it. knew it was going to be hard. Although we content. It’s what they do and it’s all very They weren’t shy about letting people were making progress with the press and organic and efficient. They know exactly know the album was out and they were at radio, we were looking for other ways what works for their fanbase. I could really calling on their fanbase to rally to get people in and get them interested suggest roughly what they could do and behind them. They told the fans they had a throughout that week one. Part of that then they would go off and do it their own good shot of breaking into the top 40 but was getting the band out there and in front way. Sometimes content can feel forced [if really needed their help. They knew that it of people. the label is pushing things too much]. was the fans who were going to make the We did seven in-stores – one for each day It’s not even a case of going in with a light difference. Having a strong fanbase is the

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Snapchat filters went that extra layer and building those hand-in-hand with the tour relationships. We wanted to see how we could maximise the exposure from the in-stores. There has Radio and press remain key in been a lot of talk about Snapchat being the taking an act into the mainstream next hotspot for bands to push content out I still think press and radio are massively and building fanbases. It’s very direct and important. We have broken ground with seems to be picking up a lot more speed and this band. When they came to us, they had is getting mentioned a lot more in ad agency maybe only a new band feature in Rock and marketing meetings. We really wanted Sound. We are building on that definitely – to do something with the band on there. It but, unfortunately it was not at a stage that felt very natural to do. it needed to be by album release to make It’s like a jigsaw puzzle and slowly but We decided to build our own Snapchat a significant difference. They are out there surely each part is falling into place. That, filter that was geo-targeted to wherever the in front of people and that’s how they build ultimately, is what this campaign is about. band were playing at during each in-store – their fans; but press and radio are really It’s about taking a band that didn’t really running a couple of hours before the show important to bring the new fans on board. have anything there at all and creating that and a couple of hours after. We did find that once we hit up the picture so that hopefully on the next album The band announced they had their fanbase, it was difficult to go beyond that. they have all the bits in place and they can that they had got a top 30 album. own Snapchat filter and were getting fans Our main focus now is to continue building really hammer it home. Before we started working with them to use it. They were very much involved in these things and to get the band out there they had about 5m streams on Spotify. pushing that. On top of that, they said they in front of people and to continue to get Facebook live Q&A plus how streaming We wanted to increase that engagement would hang around after the in-shows and radio and press support – on top of what gives everything that extra boost and have their fans interact on Spotify in told fans they’d put their photos through we have already achieved. That is ultimately On week of release we were trying to do the same way they would on any other the band’s Snapchat filter. That gave fans what we are trying to do. It has been a everything we could. Fans had gone out social media site. The band created an extra reason to hang around and get great success so far. We got the album and pre-ordered the CDs so we thought we two contrasting playlists on there – one involved. In terms of fostering the fan out there in a relatively short amount of should try and convert a few more people was upbeat and the other was more angsty. relationship, it worked really well. time and hopefully this gives the band the onto the streaming side. They had already So they now have these two playlists that The Snapchat filters were really cheap to ammunition to get good support slots on bought the CD, but if they started streaming they can keep promoting and they update make – probably only a couple of hundred tour and make the press pay attention. it too that could really help us. them every month. That means they are pounds to create – and they ran across all Our job is to keep working on that and The idea was the band would go on creating original content on Spotify and that their in-stores. It’s basically just an image keep pushing it. It would be all too easy to Facebook and talk through the album as ties in with what else we are doing. :) that sits on top of a picture you take. That’s think that once we had a top 30 record, the well as answer questions from the fans live. what we used; it was an album-branded job was done and everybody could go home. It gave us an extra push on the streaming picture. This is really where the work starts. and helped create a bit more noise. WANT TO FEATURE IN You identify the area you want the filter We now have the framework to work It was the end of the release week. They BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN? to cover and the amount of time it will run from and so we just need to keep pushing had been playing all around the country and Marketing people: do you have a campaign you are working for. If you pick a high-density area, the cost and engaging the fans. We need to keep working the fanbase really hard. It felt like on that you would like to see featured in Behind The Campaign will be more. The filters where the in-stores creating content that draws in new people. it all came together right at the end where in a future edition of sandbox? If so, send a brief synopsis of were happening were not expensive to book. We are speaking to YouTube about they could sit on the sofa and talk about all it to Eamonn Forde for consideration and your work (and your We managed to get great exposure maybe doing something with them a bit the things that had happened. That was a words) could appear here. around that – about 20,000 impressions further down the line. That would fit really really nice way to end that release week. Email: [email protected] overall. It was a really good result, adding organically with the band. Then the day after that they got the news

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