NYC & CO. AND WARNER BROTHERS | Oasis Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets | 2009
Music That Starts on the Street, Not the Radio / NYC & Company + Warner Brothers "Oasis Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets"
In September 2008 (month 9), on the New York subway, a street musician was playing a brand-new Oasis song that hadn't even been released yet.
The problem
Normally, a new album gets released, builds buzz in the media, and eventually makes its way onto the street. BBH New York brought in Warner Brothers and NYC & Company to flip that whole order on its head.
The insight
As CCO Kevin Roddy put it: "It's an album release in reverse. The music doesn't accidentally end up on the street—it starts there." This kind of move could only work in a city with New York's street culture.
The idea
Members of Oasis personally taught four new songs, including "The Shock of the Lightning," to more than 30 MTA-approved street musicians. On September 12, 2008 (9/12), they performed at spots like Grand Central and Times Square, with signs beside them reading "You are the first to hear this." Fans tracked the performance locations using Google Maps.
What happened
The whole thing was turned into a documentary directed by The Malloys, which got 520,000 views on MySpace. The album "Dig Out Your Soul" hit number one in the UK and number five in the US—Oasis's first top-ten album in ten years. The campaign won multiple awards at Cannes, including the Titanium Lion.
Afterthought
This was the moment an ad became an actual event. Overnight, street musicians turned into the first messengers of Oasis's new music. Makes me wish I could stumble on a new song out on the street too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2009
