THE WALKERS

Bronze Eurobest
TitleTHE WALKERS
BrandALAN WALKER
Product/ServiceFADED
Category B02. Fan Engagement/Community Building
Entrant SONY MUSIC SWEDEN Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation SONY MUSIC SWEDEN Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation 2 MER MUSIKK Oslo, NORWAY
Media Placement SONY MUSIC SWEDEN Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR SONY MUSIC SWEDEN Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production BROR BROR Hägersten, SWEDEN
Additional Company ACCOMPLICE Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Lisa Hultengren Sony Music Sweden Creative Manager
Johanna Hoffman Sony Music Sweden Product Manager
Claes Uggla Sony Music Sweden A&R
Katrin Bohman Sony Music Sweden Head of International Exploitation
Gunnar Greve MER Managing Partner
Gilbert Lunde MER Manager / Partner

The Campaign

-Bridge the gaming and music world, in the mind of a new artist, where fans can join the movement. -Utilize the Alan Walker brand with the gaming community to build a devoted fan base. -Maintain and increase fan-engagement with relevant content. MAIN INITIATIVES: 1)Exclusive coding-style platform w41k3r.com: -Secret community with hidden identities. -Gather the gaming fans + new fans in one place. -Pre-release content. -Forum to spur discussions and get feedback. 2)Gaming competition: -We invited gamers to include “Faded” in their own gaming videos and share across YouTube and Twitch. 3)Video content: -“Faded” music video and teasers. -Orchestral version of “Faded” called “Faded (Restrung)”. -Behind The Scenes (BTS) from studio. -BTS from live performance. -BTS from music video making. -Interviews of Alan Walker , singer Iselin Solheim and other team members.

Creative Execution

PRE LAUNCH: Release of three teasers: start hype amongst gamers. NICHE LAUNCH: Launch of exclusive platform: Invite only. Each member received an identity number based on when they joined. e.g. “Walker #62”. Platform presented exclusive previews of upcoming material. BROAD LAUNCH: December: “Faded” song released on all digital music platforms and the music video on YouTube. Partnered with a number of Scandinavia’s biggest gamers. January: Launch of gaming competition where gamers were invited to creatively include “Faded” in their own gaming videos. A playlist was created on Alan’s YouTube that highlighted the best videos. February: Release of “Faded (Restrung)” with associated music video, which was performed by an orchestra and filmed in a dismantled nuclear reactor. POST-LAUNCH: -Continue to engage with fans via tailored digital material. Curated content includes: behind-the-scenes material, video interviews, videos from live shows, etc. -Invite more listeners via “Faded” remixes by Tiësto and others.

ENGAGEMENT: -Over 600 members on platform (excluding 1900 invite requests). -650 million views on music video with over 4 million likes, 250.000 comments and 5 million shares. - YouTube following grew 7200% to 2.915.000 subscribers. - Facebook following grew 6200% to 785.000 followers. -Most shazamed song in the world (for 7 consecutive weeks). SINGLE “FADED” -#1 on official singles sales chart in 10 countries. -7.5 million singles sold worldwide (including 500 million streams on Spotify). -Germany’s "most streamed track in a week" ever and cracked Adele’s "Hello" record. -8 billion impressions on Radio in Europe (#1 on European Airplay Chart for 4 weeks) -Top 30 most streamed track ever on Spotify. ALAN WALKER: -The most successful breaking act of 2016. -Established as one of the hottest new names within Electronic Music. -Successful European summer tour at the biggest festivals in EDM such as Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza and Summerburst.

In just four months, 18-year old Alan Walker went from being an unknown gamer to a record-breaking artist with his first single “Faded”. But Alan’s rise to instant success is about more than a good song. It is about how a young man dared to step out of his comfort zone to make music, and it is the story of how carefully curated content and a strategic digital dialogue united the gaming and music world - by creating a world of Alan’s own.

-Build curiosity and invite people into Alan’s world step-by-step by sharing details about Alan’s story, talent, music and life. Let fans discover his world by presenting a context through curated content. -Stay true to Alan’s gaming roots: Give gamers VIP-treatment to ensure their hard-to-get-loyalty. -Bridge gaming world and music industry by: 1) using Alan Walker’s “Fade” as base for new single for recognition/support from gamers, 2) adding vocals to make the music more accessible to a mainstream audience, and 3) continuously creating content to engage on a deep level directly with the fan community. -Include the target audience in building Alan Walker as an artist through interactive elements. -Apply gaming world logic to engage audience by storytelling videos, mystery, challenges and rewards. -Market through professional gamers and gaming sites (like Twitch). -Create initiatives that build the brand story around Alan Walker.