Having sold over 35 million singles in the US and 20 million albums worldwide, Imagine Dragons has an impressive and substantial following. After a brief break from releasing new music, the group dropped two new singles this past March, “Cutthroat” and “Follow You.” Seeking to ride the momentum generated from this new music, the Imagine Dragons team partnered with Gigg to launch a song cover competition. The team saw this competition format as a fun and creative way to give their followers a chance to be the creators while simultaneously generating tons of visibility, engagement, and leads.
Capitalizing on Competitive Contestants
Cover competitions require contestants to perform an original cover of one of the selected songs. Once approved, the video entry must make it through multiple stages of public voting, all run through the automated Gigg platform. This competition capitalized on the competitive nature of musicians, as well as their continual drive to increase visibility. Contestants knew that even if they did not win, their work would still be seen by thousands of voters. While this competition required high involvement from competitors, Imagine Dragons’ role was appreciably simple. They created an initial video to introduce the competition and participated in judging the final round; all other logistics were handled through the Gigg platform.
Crushing Marketing Goals: Lead Captures and Web Clicks
Making the Most of Multiple Contact Types
This competition format enabled various forms of content engagement. The contestants themselves learned the songs well enough to perform and record; voters listened to multiple song covers to determine their favorites. Already, these two songs are getting major visibility and engagement — add on top of that almost 4k social media shares from the competition. Competitors and voters were sharing the content with their unique personal networks. These shares are a key way to introduce the new singles to people who may not currently be Imagine Dragons fans, or just haven’t heard their most recent material. Through entries, voting, and social media impressions, the contest made the most of each level of exposure to the music.
Let Someone Else Do the Hard Part
The brilliance of this competition lies in the fact that the contestants and the Gigg platform did all of the heavy lifting. The automated nature of the platform kept the Imagine Dragons team’s level of involvement to a minimum. Designed to generate and showcase user-generated content, Gigg’s user-friendly competition platform provides a simple and efficient way to capture leads and drive traffic.