2011 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

The challenge was to launch a regional legal music download site, Music Master, to a youth target who were used to downloading their music illegally and for free. It was important to demonstrate the breadth of Music Master’s catalogue and create an easy way to access and bookmark a hard-to-remember URL. The strategy was to create a campaign that allowed the target to directly access the website, whilst engaging with a creative idea that was relevant to them, and also provided them with the instant gratification of free music. A campaign exploring the idea that people are defined by their tastes in music was developed. Interactive executions using a Facebook app, press, ambient posters, online banners, e-shots and radio allowed users to access free music via smartphones and microsites in order to explore the concept and their own personalities through music and Music Master. By making music personal and creating an interactive platform, Music Master maximised a limited media budget.

Success of the Campaign

Client’s two-month target for site registrations achieved in just 3 weeks. 1,500 registered users and 3,500 unique users during launch phase. PR coverage valued at >$150K achieved from buzz around launch activity. 30+ news stories in first week of the launch plus innumerable blog and forum posts. "The campaign was a massive success for us getting the brand out and about amongst a hard-to-impress target audience. People actively engaged with the creative and, by the end of the reveal phase, the registrations on the site had exceeded our expectations by 100%." Edward Bagnall, Marketing and Communications Manager at Music Master.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

The teaser "Who is the Music Master?" introduced the QR codes, created intrigue and offered free music downloads through interactive press ads and online banners. The reveal phase then used ambient and press portraits of real people made up of codes that linked to the featured subject's favourite music. Users snapped codes with their smartphones and downloaded up to 60 tracks to their computers to explore the concept: I am my Music. I am Music Master. Consumers were encouraged to define their own personalities and music collections through Music Master, and online banners, radio ads and a Facebook app further amplified the creative idea. Increased smartphone penetration in the UAE meant that using QR codes made sense. The codes gave an instantly recognisable campaign mnemonic, drove traffic to the website to bookmark the URL, plus there was the added incentive of free music. The instant gratification of getting free music from these portraits suited our target’s short attention spans, plus the feel of the campaign reflected their eclectic worlds of technology and music.