E05. Use of Licenced or Adapted Music for a Brand or Campaign
Entrant
TBWA\BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Idea Creation
TBWA\BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Media Placement
PHD MEDIA Brussels, BELGIUM
PR
OONA BENELUX Antwerp, BELGIUM
Production
BOZON CONTENT Antwerpen, BELGIUM
Credits
Name
Company
Position
Geert Verdonck
TBWA\Belgium
Creative Director
Jan Macken
TBWA\Belgium
Executive Creative Director
Thomas Driesen
TBWA\Belgium
Copywriter
David Maertens
TBWA\Belgium
Art Director
Bert Denis
TBWA\Belgium
Chief Strategy Officer
Stephanie Vercuysse
TBWA\Belgium
Strategic Director
Pauline Kinet
TBWA\Belgium
Strategic Planner
Janne Scheepmans
TBWA\Belgium
Strategic Planner
Audrey Dahmen
TBWA\Belgium
Integrated Communications Planner
Steve Brown
TBWA\Belgium
Creative Coach
Isabel Broes
TBWA\Belgium
Client Services Director
Charlotte Lindemans
TBWA\Belgium
Account Director
Aubry Crock
TBWA\Belgium
Account Manager
Soraya Hellera
TBWA\Belgium
Account Manager
Lauren Vandendriessche
TBWA\Belgium
Account Executive
Christophe Liekens
TBWA\Belgium
Graphic Designer
Vincent De Boeck
TBWA\Belgium
Motion Designer
Elke Broothaers
TBWA\Belgium
Motion Designer
Frederik Severijns
TBWA\Belgium
Lead UI Design
Yannick Van Der Goten
TBWA\Belgium
Front-end Developer
Max Van der Beken
TBWA\Belgium
Project Manager
Ken Kools
TBWA\Belgium
Digital Process Manager
Ann Vanminsel
TBWA\Belgium
Online Copywriter
Charlotte Mulders
TBWA\Belgium
Digital Creative
Nigel Ooms
TBWA\Belgium
Online copywriter
Mieke Vandewalle
MAKE
Head of AV production
Lore Desmet
TBWA\Belgium
TV Producer
Greet Van Thillo
MAKE
Post-producer
Jan Pollet
MAKE
Sound Engineer
Gert Van Berckelaer
MAKE
Offline Editor
Enzo Piccinato
MAKE
Online Editor
Laurent Dillen
BOZON
Executive Producer
Joop Haesen
BOZON
Producer
Nadia Marquard Otzen
BOZON
Director
Magnus Nordenhof Jønck
BOZON
DOP
Helena Overlaet-Michiels
Freelance
Online Editor
Stijn Van Assche
Freelance
Online Editor
Marc Decoster
Freelance
Online Editor
Kene Illegems
Freelance
Colourgrading
Joost Van Kerckhove
Freelance
Colourgrading
Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?
Knowing nostalgia is picked up easily by the millennial target audience that’s almost impossible to reach, Telenet remade their favorite video that was the soundtrack of their youth and added some extras to discover. Freestyler by Bomfunk MC’s is a tune that directly taps into the heart of Belgian millennials and the story of the video is iconic. It was a nr 1 hit in Europe by the end of 1999.
By remaking the almost 5minute video with just a logo at the end and placed on YouTube only, Telenet followed the way the target audience consumes their entertainment.
Background
Belgian telecom company Telenet launched a new smartphone app YUGO that brings all topnotch entertainment (all HBO series, premium local content,…) and online culture (the best online content based on your personal interests) together with an unlimited data subscription. Watch anything, anywhere, the way you want without worrying about anything. A product built for a digital-savvy generation to freestyle with.
Exactly 20 years ago the catchy breakbeat song Freestyler - by the Finnish band Bomfunk MC’s - hit number 1 in the European music charts and beyond. The music video featuring a teenage boy controlling his surroundings with only the help of a minidisc player became iconic. For millennials it was the soundtrack of their youth.
Knowing nostalgia is picked up easily by a target audience that’s almost impossible to reach, Telenet remade their favorite video and added some extras to discover.
Describe the creative idea
In 1999, Bomfunk MC’s ruled European hit charts with Freestyler. We gave this iconic number 1 music video a modern-day remake. The updated music video celebrates the launch of a new all in one entertainment app by Telenet - Belgian’s largest telco brand. Where the original music video was full of references to the late nineties pop culture – from bomberjackets to breakdancing - culture has also changed a lot in 20 years. Freestyler 2019 is stuffed with easter eggs that are more in sync with today’s culture: from Game of Thrones to Instagram hero The Fat Jewish, from the hyped dances (dab, swish, Fortnite) to famous memes. The one element which didn’t change: the original band members B.O. Dubb and DJ Gismo - who pop up in the same iconic shots as in the original version.
Describe the strategy
The target group of the product are millennials who are almost unreachable through classic media. They stream content instead of watching TV, they listen to Spotify instead of the radio, they read online instead of magazines or the newspaper… Telenet needed to create something that would get noticed online, travel and become a trending topic. The competition was online culture. By starting from a music video that is part of the generation’s collective memory and updating it to the digital and cultural context of today, we succeeded to reach the target group straight in the heart.
By adding easter eggs referring to different fields of interest (fashion, art, memes, series, etc.) the video started travelling.
Describe the execution
Danish music video director Nadia Marquard Otzen - nominated for several UK Grammy’s with music videos for Years & Years and Emili Sandé - was in charge of this reboot. Also crucial for this production was the cooperation of the original band: Bomfunk MC’s. The band members pop up in the same iconic shots as in the original video clip, although 20 years older.
The video was launched on YouTube only but next to being the remake of a 20-year-old
iconic music video, it was stuffed with easter eggs referring to nowadays entertainment and online culture. Every reference to art, fashion, dance, memes, etc. was implemented in a broader and smartly planned PR driven approach. The search for all the easter eggs made the video go viral on many social platforms like 9gag and Reddit.
Describe the outcome
The video hit over 8 million views in less than two weeks. On an awareness-level, 1 out of 3 of the target audience had heard about YUGO within 3 weeks. The PR-value of 910K was the highest ever for a Belgian Telco-campaign. As a side-effect, there was a streaming peak of +230% of the song Freestyler on Spotify.
And because of the success, the band (that is planning a reunion tour in their homeland Finland next summer) has decided to fly over for 1 show in Belgium.