Cannes Lions

LSD: The Game

COLUMBIA RECORDS, New York / COLUMBIA RECORDS / 2019

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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Background

To solve the problem of artist availability, we created animated versions of each member of LSD. These cartoon figures would be featured or star in each official video.

After doing a deep dive into each artist's Instagram audiences, our research team found brand similarities with Diplo's audience and gaming audiences. By pairing these insights with the artistic world of LSD created by designers, we came up with a completely immersive experience that would keep fans in the bright colorful world of LSD: LSD The Game.

Since one similarity between the audience was a slightly older skewing demographic, we decided to play into Gen X nostalgia and build in classic 8-bit audio into the game.

Idea

In 2018, we signed LSD, a supergroup made up of three independent super stars Labrinth, Sia and Diplo. Labrinth is adored in the UK, but relatively unknown in the US. Sia is a global pop super star who rarely shows her face. Diplo is an EDM sensation who is a part of multiple other music groups including Silk City, Jack U and Major Lazer. We needed to unite three very different audiences, three very busy artists and break through the noise of all their individual projects. In order to create a fan base for LSD, the label wanted to target fans who have engaged with the artists individually, whether listening to their music or watching videos. Ultimately, we wanted to create a campaign that would unite their different audiences into one familiar world.

Strategy

Sony Music Brazil designed every element of the game working closely with the US team for artist approvals, translations and optimizations. The Sony Music teams worked across continents, on weekly conference calls and emails. When the game was finally debuted, Labrinth tuned in live from London with Diplo in LA. The launch was a truly global collaboration.

In addition to artist promotion, we asked YouTubers to show the game to their audiences focusing on lifestyle influencers who would like the music.

Execution

After 8 months of development, LSD's custom video game launched at LSDthegame.com on 4/3 as part of a nostalgic gaming experience. It allows fans to immerse themselves in each character’s animated world while enjoying original 8-bit versions of LSD’s biggest hits and getting the chance to unlock never before heard music level by level. Each artist had 3 levels to defeat with more and more enemies and obstacles along the way. With a total of 12 levels, fans had to be very dedicated to beat the game! It was experienced by 150,000 people in 172 countries.

Outcome

LSD: The Game resulted in the following:

150,000 players in 172 countries

10,000 pre-order clicks

Approximately 250,000 unique viewers

25,000 people following Labrinth, Sia, Diplo and LSD on Spotify

We noticed fans who had played the game were more likely to respond to album ads than any of the individual artist retargeting, showing us how impactful the game was!

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