Sony Music Entertainment: Bob Dylan - Studio A Revisited [video]

Credits & Description:

Agency: Havas Worldwide New York
Brand: Legacy Recordings / Sony Music
Country: USA
Advertising Agency: Havas Worldwide New York
Entrant Company: Havas Worldwide New York
Media Agency: Havas Worldwide New York
Pr Agency: Havas Worldwide New York
Production Company: Studio 6, New York
Additional Company: Studio 6, New York
Design Agency: Studio 6, New York
Senior Digital Producer: Michael Bucchino (Havas Worldwide New York)
Group Creative Director: Can Misirlioglu (Studio 6)
Creative Technologist: Jian Xu (Havas Worldwide New York)
Chief Creative Officer, Americas: Toygar Bazarkaya (Havas Worldwide)
Senior Digital Producer: Anna Santiago (Havas Worldwide New York)
Audio Engineer: Brandon Jiaconia (Studio 6)
Social Coordinator: Katie Campo (Havas Worldwide New York)
Director Of Product Design: Scott Galbraith (Havas Worldwide New York)
Art Director: Woonji Kim (Studio 6)
Web Developer: Angus Lo (Havas Worldwide New York)
Creative Director: Charles Marrelli (Havas Worldwide New York)
Group Executive Creative Director: Jason Musante (Havas Worldwide New York)
Lead Creative Technologist: Jad Mintun (Havas Worldwide New York)
Social Strategist: Rachel Korenstein (Havas Worldwide New York)
Global Chief Content Officer: Vin Farrell (Havas Worldwide)
Executive Digital Producer: Stuart Culpepper (Havas Worldwide New York)
Senior Web Developer: Dalton Ridenhour (Havas Worldwide New York)
Acd, Experience Design: Joseph Mcheffey (Havas Worldwide New York)
Visual Designer: Soobin Park (Havas Worldwide New York)
Head Of Content, North America: Sylvain Tron (Havas Worldwide)
Campaign Description:
Our research uncovered that Dylan’s 65-66 recordings actually happened across two recording studios, in two locales, both named “Studio A.” There had never been a single Studio A. Until now. Our solution was to virtually create Studio A, all in a touchable, modern, interface. This would give new fans a unique opportunity to sit in at the sessions. Rather than designing a place-based metaphor with a mixing board, microphones and so on — we set about developing a, minimalist UI, designed for touch. This made sense because research showed millennials consumed music primarily on their mobile devices.
Outcome:
The design and development approach was modelled after the original Studio A sessions — fast and loose with multiple iterations from the cross functional team. The project itself took on the life of a "rock & roll" recording with experimentation, improvisation and frequent iteration.
Strategy:
The strategy was to get younger fans to connect with Bob Dylan the way the 50+ demographic already did. The Bob Dylan brand means many things to many people. With a career spanning over 50 years, it’s easy for any artist — even the legendary Dylan — to get lost in the “Spotify Shuffle.” Our goal was to capture the energy from Dylan’s “electric era” and deliver it to a new generation of fans.Our audience was music lovers under the age of 44 — who perhaps knew of Bob Dylan, but were unfamiliar with the younger Dylan and his recordings.
Synopsis:
In 2015, Sony Legacy Recordings wanted to promote BOB DYLAN 1965-1966 THE CUTTING EDGE — his most important release ever. The brief required us to find a way to break through the clutter of music streaming services like Spotify, reach a new generation of fans and grow Dylan's fan base beyond the 50+ year-old demographic. We had to do all of this with a very limited budget.
Execution:
To make the experience relevant to a global audience, we created a responsive website that could be enjoyed cross platform- most importanly mobile.To do this, we identified three levels of engagement, depending on how fans wanted to engage with the music. To touch the music and be touched by it.A Listening Session — studio fragments and stories spanning the historic sessionsA Jam Session — previously unreleased track “stems” for creative remixing.A Signing Session — an opportunity to sing Dylan’s most famous songs all via a touchable interface.