American Express is hoping that being aligned with the Apollo Theater, Spike Lee and “Happy” singer Pharrell Williams is as good as being aligned with happiness itself.
But it’s not taking any chances.
Amex is doing everything it can (digitally) to gain viewership for the livestream of its 14th “UNSTAGED” concert: “Pharrell Williams directed by Spike Lee,” live at the Apollo Theater – and online – June 3.
First, Amex is utilizing all its social channels to promote the concert, including branding its YouTube channel with the event (via images and video teasers) and posting actively on Twitter and Facebook.
Second, and most importantly, the promotional posts are built around creative – and engaging – concepts; Amex isn’t relying strictly on posts “about” the event’s logistics.
For example, Amex developed the “Together As One” project, a microsite to collect user-generated content (UGC): fan photos that have the opportunity to be displayed onscreen during the concert. The site says, “Pharrell is celebrating people everywhere by bringing us all together as one. Submit a photo of yourself before June 2 and you might see yourself on stage while Pharrell performs Know Who You Are during his American Express UNSTAGED live concert.”
At the center of the microsite is a picture frame, already actively merging into one face the segments of submitted photos, and the site offers instant ability to post about the project via Facebook and Twitter, add the event to a personal calendar, subscribe to the Amex YouTube channel (where the livestream will occur), preview the song “Know Who You Are” and download it from iTunes.
Adweek’s story on the effort leads with the boost UGC may give the livestream. And while it’s clear that giving fans a reason to log on for the livestream is a primary focus, American Express is also getting creative in asking fans to help get the word out. For example, American Express is offering a digital, signed photo of Pharrell to everyone who retweets a specific Amex message the day of the concert.
Beyond building the audience for the American Express YouTube channel and creatively leveraging digital assets and social promotions, the event plays to at least two of the bank’s proven strengths: its NYC connections (Amex is based in New York) and its ability to grab the attention of specific audience segments with exactly the right media and messaging. (Consider, for example, its Everyday card marketing that relies on Tina Fey to target the “household female CFO” demographic.)
In this case, Brooklyn-based Spike Lee’s direction and the concert venue itself (the Apollo) give the project a decidedly New York flavor. In addition, the overall marketing campaign shows that Amex knows how to engage with minorities and millennials – two consumer segments other financial services companies struggle to reach in a meaningful way, as evidenced in part by the recent J.D. Power Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, which shows declining ratings from both demographics.