Blue Ant Media’s music brand Aux has partnered with Toyota and the agency Beyond Marketing on a custom content video series in a bid to build engagement with socially active millennials.
Featuring up-and-coming Canadian musicians, the content (which launched Sept. 3) is running as part of the Scion Sessions, a branded series (named for the Toyota product) that aims to “pioneer creativity” through vinyl, video and live shows.
Aux and Beyond Marketing worked on the latest content together to find new artists and create 10 music videos with a “short-film quality.” They are appearing on Scion’s YouTube channel, and Aux promotes the content by publishing articles on the featured musicians coinciding with the release of the videos.
The videos will also be broadcast on Aux television, following their online release.
Ryan Fuss, senior vice-president of media solutions at Blue Ant, said the program establishes credibility and social currency for the car brand, which wants to be seen as forward-thinking.
Aux previously helped Scion launch its branded content channel back in 2012.
The “Aux Scion Sessions” series was backed by an extensive cross-platform media campaign that ran across Aux’s network.
Blue Ant has found success building customized media experiences, such as Bacardi’s “Together Tour,” a documentary that showcased five music festivals around the world.
In a release, Mark Dipietro, culture lead at Beyond Marketing Group in Toronto, said by connecting emerging visual artists and filmmakers with emerging bands, the aim is to create an experience that evokes curiosity and inspires conversation.
“For us, success is having the band embrace the branded content and use it to connect with their fans through social,” he said.
