Jim Beam and Spotify look to make (music) history

Jim Beam has teamed up with Spotify in a campaign that asks Canadians to choose their favourite emerging band or artist.

The effort targets millennials and asks them to #MakeHistory by choosing a winner from 13 emerging Canadian artists.

Using Spotify, users can listen to the artists’ music, read biographies and interviews and share activity on Facebook and Twitter with the #MakeHistory hashtag. Each artist or band has a a standalone branded page and each interaction counts towards the artist’s overall score.

This marks the first competition in Canada for Spotify Emerge, a fan-based talent search that has made winners of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sam Hunt, alt-J and Lorde.

“Partnering with Spotify Emerge aligned well with our key call to action on Jim Beam, ‘Make History,’” says Lance So, associate brand manager at Beam Suntory, manufacturer of the bourbon whiskey brand.

“The ethos behind ‘Make History’ is turning everyday moments into memorable stories, being spontaneous and trusting your gut. Looking at consumers’ relationships to music, we knew this was a great manifestation of the idea.”

So says Jim Beam sales “are more skewed toward millennials than most whiskey brands in Canada, and it has been steadily growing the past few years. We are at an all-time high for sales among this demographic.”

Jim Beam and Spotify collaborated to select the 13 bands and artists, So says. “We carefully went through a list of artists/bands who we thought had potential to make history and get people talking about them.”

The co-branded campaign is being promoted through 30-second audio spots, homepage takeover, leaderboard, billboard and a custom microsite. Facebook and Twitter posts on Spotify- and Jim Beam- owned channels are also promoting the campaign.

Praxis is handling media relations for the campaign. For Jim Beam, Starcom Mediavest Group handled sponsorship and media buy, Sebastian Consultancy developed the creative, Matchstick is handling social media.