FREESTYLER: THE REBIRTH

Bronze eurobest Award

Case Film

Presentation Image

TitleFREESTYLER: THE REBIRTH
BrandTELENET
Product/ServiceYUGO
Category 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.