Microsoft Canada has selected Toronto-born DJ Deadmau5 to perform at the Toronto launch for its Surface 2 tablet Wednesday night. The company hopes to lure in hundreds of young, influential consumers to create social buzz for the product.
With almost 2.5 million Twitter followers and 7.9 Facebook fans, Deadmau5 is one of the most popular DJs on the social web. Booking the act for the launch showed early results, with the event’s hashtag #surfacehaslanded trending in Toronto within hours of the “surprise” announcement Wednesday morning.
No traditional media is planned to promote the event in Canada and the brand’s social media initiatives, including contests on Twitter to win tickets, will be driven organically rather than through paid social media. A rep for Microsoft, however, said the brand plans to use paid media later in the promotion cycle.
Deadmau5’s appearance will also come, no doubt, with a hefty price tag. In 2012 Forbes listed the Deadmau5 as number five on its World’s Highest Paid DJs list, estimating he made $11.5 million that year at a rate of nearly $100,000 for some shows.
Chitra Anand, head of public relations for Microsoft Canada, said the brand chose Deadmau5 because of his young demographic and the fact he uses technology to make his music, noting the company “put price aside” for the event.
Anand said Deadmau5’s demographic is 18- to 25-year-olds, trendsetting and technologically savvy, a group Microsoft wants to appeal to as it launches the new device in Canada. Over the past year the company been trying to change its image in Canada to be more lifestyle oriented, rather than the business-focused brand it has been in the past.
“We really wanted to tap into a new market,” Anand said of appealing to Deadmau5’s fans. “They’re passionate about music, art and culture. It’s a new segment and new market we want to attract.
Throughout launch day, Microsoft also has street teams at three high-traffic areas in Toronto, giving away tickets and showing off the device’s features.
Veritas handled the PR and influencer relations for the event while Mosaic handled experiential and event logistics.
