BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF 05 Tools Leaf Grow 06–07 Campaigns Chainsmokers, TuneMoji, Meek Mill, Now United ™ 08–12 Behind The Campaign- Superorganism AMP IN ASSOCIATION WITH sandbox NOVEMBER 28 2018 MUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 217 thE year’s best music marketing campaigns SPONSOR PAGE SANDBOX 2018 SURVEY thE year’s best music marketing campaigns very year we are overwhelmed by the number and the quality of Contents 16 ... FRANZ FERDINAND 30 ... BARBORA POLÁKOVÁ Eentries for sandbox’s round up 03 ... 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 17 ... JERRY GARCIA 31 ... RAY BLK of the best marketing campaigns. 04 ... AMAZON MUSIC 18 ... TOM GRENNAN 32 ... RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS That is not just hot air; there were a 05 ... THE BEATLES 19 ... GUNSHIP 33 ... ROBYN staggering number of submissions 06 ... TONY BENNETT & DIANA KRALL 20 ... CALVIN HARRIS 34 ... SIGALA this year, making the picking of a final 07 ... ANDREA BOCELLI 21 ... ISLAND CO. LAB 35 ... JORJA SMITH 40 an especially arduous task this 08 ... BRING ME THE HORIZON 22 ... MYLES KENNEDY 36 ... ROD STEWART time around. Here, then, are the best 09 ... BRIT AWARDS 2018 23 ... DAN MANGAN 37 ... SUPERORGANISM 40 campaigns of the year – listed in 10 ... BURY TOMORROW 24 ... KARA MARNI 38 ... TANK & THE BANGAS alphabetical order but with special 11 ... JOHN COLTRANE 25 ... METALLICA 39 ... TROJAN 50 awards for the ones that had that 12 ... DEEZER 26 ... M.O 40 ... TWENTY ONE PILOTS something extra, that something 13 ... DISNEY 27 ... NICK MULVEY 41 ... THE WOMBATS unique, that something new. It is, we 14 ... GEORGE EZRA 28 ... NINA NESBITT 42 ... YEARS & YEARS must say, a hell of a list. 15 ... FIRST AID KIT 29 ... NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 2 | sandbox | ISSUE 218 | 12.12.18 SANDBOX 2018 SURVEY 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER CAPITOL RECORDS UK Team members involved city, pop-up shops and video tour diaries. Our content objective was to always be Marla Altschuler, Hannah Maldon & Kinga reactive and timely. Nowicka – Cantine (digital agency) 3. Cocktails chats – a twist on the album Maddy Smith – head of digital, Capitol UK track-by-track where the band got drunk Becky Thomas – campaign manager, whilst explaining the album process – was Capitol UK by far our most successful content thread. Kate Sullivan & Abbie Hollebone – Each video has averaged over 350k views digital managers, Modest! Management with 3m views across all seven videos on YouTube and Instagram TV. Overview of campaign 4. Flash sales that gave fans short windows to access limited-edition The release of 5SOS’s third studio album, merchandise and digital bundles to drive Youngblood, marked a shift in direction pre-orders into album release. Social musically and aesthetically for the band. media was key to announcing these In a multi-layered campaign, we aimed drops and ensuring they all sold out to re-engage the existing fanbase whilst and eventually contributed to the band Our biggest learning was to never ask or expect from fans. They give reaching new audiences through a more securing their third US #1 album and so much already so we followed their lead and dropped tools for fans mature style and vision. making history. to propel the album themselves rather than explicitly asking them to Content was key to new discovery, 5. Global Snapchat lens for ‘Youngblood’. create assets. For example, one of the main flash sale merchandise engagement and the retention of existing The stats were overwhelming and helped items included childhood photos of the band with the Youngblood fans. At every step of the campaign a within the fanbase. The activity trended drive Shazams for the track particularly in signature branding on top. We provided fans with all the main album moment was created to excite fans and worldwide before the video had even been the US. Overall the lens had 262m plays 5SOS branding so they could create assets. Fans placed themselves drive conversation. It was imperative released and resulted in 145% increase in and 185m views over three days. within the artwork using their own childhood photos, just like the that everything came from the band average daily engagement, 335% increase band. This created huge extended visibility across digital, reaching themselves, with their own voice front in daily likes and a 628% increase in Results & key learnings outside of fans with the band interacting. and centre. Below are a few examples of average daily @ mentions. activations where these key values were 2. Content evolution. The aesthetic for • Youngblood the album went to #1 on the put into action: this album developed throughout the Billboard charts, making history with 5SOS ! campaign breakdown 1. ‘Want You Back’ video teaser. A tweet campaign. With the input of full-time being the first band to have their first three was sent from the band’s account with creator Andy Deluca, we delivered daily albums hit the top spot. CAMPAIGN BUDGET £15,001–£25,000 the video release date and a still from the photo and video pieces from the band’s • 1m album sales globally and 1.5bn album AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHIC video. Every fan who engaged with this travels, a frequency needed to keep the streams. tweet was delivered a personal response audience engaged. These daily content • ‘Youngblood’ the single has had 1n AGE: 14–18, 19–24 from a member of the band with an posts were amplified by geotargeted streams across all DSPs. AUDIENCE GENDER (M/F): 56% / 77% unreleased gif from the video shoot. This activities such as local Snapchat filters, • ‘Youngblood’ #1 at US radio for five LOCATION: Global – primarily UK, US and Australia caused huge discussion around the video individually designed tour posters for each consecutive weeks. 3 | sandbox | ISSUE 218 | 12.12.18 SANDBOX 2018 SURVEY AMAZON MUSIC Team members involved Carrie Underwood, twenty one pilots, Steve Boom – VP, Amazon Music Lil Wayne, Nicki Tami Hurwitz – VP of global marketing, Minaj and Imagine Amazon Music Dragons, with TV to Josh Fein – senior marketing manager, come. Additionally, Amazon Music select digital, radio, Colin Gaul – group creative director, Amazon and display ads have launched in the UK Overview of campaign and Germany. Each creative In August of this year, Amazon Music features a voice launched its largest-ever multi-media utterance to engage advertising campaign, titled A Voice Is All Amazon Music You Need, highlighting the powerful vocals on Alexa, while of iconic songs while demonstrating the highlighting the simplicity of using your voice to find the power of voice. New music you love. The multiplatform media ad creative featuring plan – inclusive of TV, radio and digital – additional artists and was developed with global independent songs will continue agency Wieden+Kennedy, to celebrate the to roll out throughout growth of Amazon Music and its lead in the rest of the year. voice innovation. Each advertisement is a striking Results & key visual interpretation of songs paired learnings: N/A with isolated vocals from notable artists, showcasing the emotional power of simply asking for a chart-topping vocal performance. The result is an ear- ! campaign breakdown grabbing, eye-catching musical rendition of legendary tracks that end with a N/A listener asking Alexa to play the featured CAMPAIGN BUDGET artist. A voice is all you need to make that campaign, with songs including: Kendrick Since its initial launch, Amazon Music AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHIC happen. Lamar & SZA’s ‘All the Stars’; Ariana has run online creative and billboard out- AGE: N/A At launch mid-August, digital creative Grande’s ‘No Tears Left to Cry’; Kane of-home across the US in cities – including AUDIENCE GENDER: N/A featuring a variety of top artists across Brown’s ‘Lose It’; and Freddie Mercury of LA, NY and Nashville – featuring artists LOCATION: US, UK, Germany various genres began appearing in the Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’. such as Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, 4 | sandbox | ISSUE 218 | 12.12.18 SANDBOX 2018 SURVEY BEST CATALOGUE MARKETING THE BEATLES UMC / Universal Music Group Team members involved historically laid-back Katie Alley – head of digital, UMC streaming Lee Jenson – director of marketing, UMC audience. Orla Lee-Fisher – SVP global marketing The Guy Hayden – VP international marketing YouTube Jack Thomson – senior marketing manager, live stream USM has Olly Walsh – director of digital, USM amassed Doug Barasch – senior director, UMe commissioned brand new, over Tom Smith – VP marketing, UMe full-length music videos 150k streams to date and will be edited Jeff Jones – CEO, Apple Corps Ltd for ‘Glass Onion’ and ‘Back into digestible segments to be deployed Jonathan Clyde – director of production, In The USSR’ that premiered with Apple across The Beatles’ other social channels to drive traffic and Apple Corps Ltd Music and YouTube respectively. sustain viewership of the full-length asset. The campaign trailer Jeremy Neech – digital director, Lisa Salem – A core theme for this project was the has smashed 1m views and beyond The Beatles’ undeniable social digital marketing producer (both Motherlode impact and influence of the album and we fanbases, we delivered over 600k impressions to UK cinema-goers Media) eventised this discussion with a live stream in only seven days. Our content and communications plan has so far Darren Evans, Caroline Jones, Nick Barratt – from YouTube Space in London during driven more than 500k clicks to retail and streaming partners overall Able Media Sam Okell and Kevin Howlett. The first of its release week. The concept saw a panel of and is currently tracking at over 15k clicks a day. The tweet to unlock Richard Barnett – Trunk Animation kind, this truly immersive experience was current artists, broadcasters and journalists promotion garnered 15m impressions and 150,000 engagements James Swindells – Loud Beings designed to engage a mobile streaming debating with Giles Martin and host Matt around #BeatlesMarkItFab.