Cannes Lions
WOVEN DIGITAL, Culver City / HONDA / 2016
Overview
Entries
Credits
Description
This is the story of incredible undiscovered musical talent being revealed to mainstream audiences, and launching successful careers in the music industry. UNCHARTED discovered AFRO, a savant-like hip hop MC who might be the world’s best freestyle rapper. We introduced AFRO to hip hop icon, DJ Premier, who offered him a recording deal on the spot. A few months later, AFRO was starring on the VH1 show The Breaks. It’s also the story of Jared James Nichols, a throwback rock guitarist struggling to make a buck. Now, after starring in UNCHARTED, he’s opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd. These are real success.
Execution
We scoured the country for undiscovered talent by any means necessary. Then we reached out to talent and organized video shoots. Our research team identified storylines, and our directors brought the stories to life. Within 6-8 weeks per story, we had completed episodes that celebrated talent, dedication, and musical ability. Then we distributed stories on Facebook and YouTube. The dramatic, hero-centric storylines amplified organically, and our first episode exploded, with over 10MM views. The series netted over 40MM views.
Outcome
UNCHARTED was launched to support the Honda Stage program and Honda’s “Power of Dreams” campaign. Overall, the UNCHARTED series earned over 40MM views, over 500K shares, and massive social commentary. We sparked online debates about the current state of hip hop, and whether EDM is a musical talent or set of software skills. Each episode touched on a cultural hot button, to become content that was shared across social channels. Maybe most importantly, episodes launched the careers of featured talent, everything from TV show appearances to headlining music festivals.
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