Target Goes All Out On Social Media With #MoreMusic For Imagine Dragons Live Ad Concert During Grammys
The retailer shows how impactful multi-platform event marketing can be in a popular musical effort.
Last night during the Grammys, Target aired a 4 minute commercial but it did things a bit differently. First, the ad was live. Second, the ad wasn’t for Target products, rather, it was a live concert performance by Imagine Dragons, which was estimated to cost $8 million according to Billboard.
The live commercial, shot on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, serves to promote a special edition of the new Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors album — with four bonus tracks — available only at Target beginning February 17.
The live performance, attended by 300 invited fans and directed by Jonas Akerland, will be cut down to a 30-second commercial which will begin to air February 15.
Now that the Grammys have aired, Target is following up the effort by trying to keep the buzz going — encouraging followers to tweet to “unlock” more content and running paid search ads to capitalize on the interest it’s generated so far.
Loved the @ImagineDragons live show? Tweet #MoreMusic to see how it came to life and hear a not-yet-released track. http://t.co/rj1D3KLPsK
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Here’s a time-lapse of the concert set up:
And here’s an interview with Imagine Dragons leading up to the concert:
Leading up to the live concert, the brand unleashed all manner of digital promotion under the hashtag #MoreMusic. First, the band teased the concert on Snapchat with a video of the set up and sound check:
The brand made mention of the concert on Twitter and Facebook with images of a Target-branded guitar pick:
T-minus a few hours until we're flipping this pick and revealing what we've been up to! #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/V4i76r5776
— Target (@Target) February 7, 2015
Secret's out! We're turning a #GRAMMYs commercial break into a LIVE @ImagineDragons show. Now that's #MoreMusic. pic.twitter.com/ai7S6L7DlC
— Target (@Target) February 8, 2015
And touted the concert and the hashtag from its Twitter account:
.@ImagineDragons is taking this stage during a special #GRAMMYs commercial break, tonight. Tune in for #MoreMusic. pic.twitter.com/moVgFTWuKj
— Target (@Target) February 8, 2015
During the concert, the brand actively tweeted the performance:
Safe to say this live @ImagineDragons show is the most fun commercial break ever! #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/H652NLn56N
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Now @KatyPerry. Next: @ImagineDragons LIVE from Las Vegas. #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/15W3tdDVga
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Popular internet personality Justine Ezarik (1.75M followers on Twitter) and her sister Jenna along with Vine celebrity, Lele Pons, were in attendance and tweeting:
See if you can find us during @Imaginedragons #GRAMMYs performance! @lelepons + @jennaezarik
Ezarik and Pons were also involved in the promotion of the concert:
So excited to go to @Imaginedragons performance tomorrow with @Target during the #GRAMMYs! You guys can watch it live too :) ! #moremusic
— Justine Ezarik (@ijustine) February 8, 2015
Opening act for @Imaginedragons #MoreMusic @Target performance! @lelepons @Cody @LoganPaul @BrentRivera
So hyped for @Imaginedragons performance tonight during the #Grammys! Thank you @Target for the invite #MoreMusic
Pons (127k followers on Twitter), Ezarik and sister, Jenna (87k followers on Twitter), even tweeted their experience and front row antics during the concert:
Awesome show!! ❤️ @Imaginedragons #MoreMusic @Target #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/HUi9jxQDpv
— Justine Ezarik (@ijustine) February 9, 2015
Tweet us if you see us on TV @ijustine pic.twitter.com/4i0AkfnmyA
— Lele Pons (@lelepons) February 9, 2015
HOLY MOLY I AM CLOSE. #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/pabCbiKigc
— Jenna Ezarik (@jennaezarik) February 9, 2015
Following the concert, Target thanked the band, the fans and began promoting the special edition Imagine Dragons album:
What happens in Vegas rocks the #GRAMMYs! Thanks to @ImagineDragons for an awesome performance!! #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/co7JYsWoTC
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Love what you heard from @ImagineDragons? Preorder now & get #MoreMusic when it drops Feb 17. http://t.co/0VWleyAe1e pic.twitter.com/2qFxVh1oBR
— Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
UPDATE: A previous version of this story included a tweet by a person identified as a Target employee. That identification was incorrect. The story has been edited to remove it.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
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About The Author
Steve Hall is a marketing professional, publisher, writer, community manager, photographer and all-around lover of advertising.
