Last night during the Grammys, Target aired a 4 minute commercial but it did things a bit differently. First, the ad was live. Second, the ad wasn’t for Target products, rather, it was a live concert performance by Imagine Dragons, which was estimated to cost $8 million according to Billboard.
The live commercial, shot on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, serves to promote a special edition of the new Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors album — with four bonus tracks — available only at Target beginning February 17.
The live performance, attended by 300 invited fans and directed by Jonas Akerland, will be cut down to a 30-second commercial which will begin to air February 15.
Now that the Grammys have aired, Target is following up the effort by trying to keep the buzz going — encouraging followers to tweet to “unlock” more content and running paid search ads to capitalize on the interest it’s generated so far.
Loved the @ImagineDragons live show? Tweet #MoreMusic to see how it came to life and hear a not-yet-released track. http://t.co/rj1D3KLPsK — Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Here’s a time-lapse of the concert set up:
And here’s an interview with Imagine Dragons leading up to the concert:
Leading up to the live concert, the brand unleashed all manner of digital promotion under the hashtag #MoreMusic. First, the band teased the concert on Snapchat with a video of the set up and sound check:
The brand made mention of the concert on Twitter and Facebook with images of a Target-branded guitar pick:
T-minus a few hours until we're flipping this pick and revealing what we've been up to! #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/V4i76r5776 — Target (@Target) February 7, 2015
Secret's out! We're turning a #GRAMMYs commercial break into a LIVE @ImagineDragons show. Now that's #MoreMusic. pic.twitter.com/ai7S6L7DlC — Target (@Target) February 8, 2015
And touted the concert and the hashtag from its Twitter account:
.@ImagineDragons is taking this stage during a special #GRAMMYs commercial break, tonight. Tune in for #MoreMusic. pic.twitter.com/moVgFTWuKj — Target (@Target) February 8, 2015
During the concert, the brand actively tweeted the performance:
Safe to say this live @ImagineDragons show is the most fun commercial break ever! #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/H652NLn56N — Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Now @KatyPerry. Next: @ImagineDragons LIVE from Las Vegas. #MoreMusic #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/15W3tdDVga — Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Popular internet personality Justine Ezarik (1.75M followers on Twitter) and her sister Jenna along with Vine celebrity, Lele Pons, were in attendance and tweeting:
See if you can find us during @Imaginedragons #GRAMMYs performance! @lelepons + @jennaezarik
Ezarik and Pons were also involved in the promotion of the concert:
So excited to go to @Imaginedragons performance tomorrow with @Target during the #GRAMMYs! You guys can watch it live too :) ! #moremusic — Justine Ezarik (@ijustine) February 8, 2015
Opening act for @Imaginedragons #MoreMusic @Target performance! @lelepons @Cody @LoganPaul @BrentRivera
So hyped for @Imaginedragons performance tonight during the #Grammys! Thank you @Target for the invite #MoreMusic
Pons (127k followers on Twitter), Ezarik and sister, Jenna (87k followers on Twitter), even tweeted their experience and front row antics during the concert:
Awesome show!! ❤️ @Imaginedragons #MoreMusic @Target #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/HUi9jxQDpv — Justine Ezarik (@ijustine) February 9, 2015
Tweet us if you see us on TV @ijustine pic.twitter.com/4i0AkfnmyA — Lele Pons (@lelepons) February 9, 2015
HOLY MOLY I AM CLOSE. #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/pabCbiKigc — Jenna Ezarik (@jennaezarik) February 9, 2015
Following the concert, Target thanked the band, the fans and began promoting the special edition Imagine Dragons album:
What happens in Vegas rocks the #GRAMMYs! Thanks to @ImagineDragons for an awesome performance!! #MoreMusic pic.twitter.com/co7JYsWoTC — Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
Love what you heard from @ImagineDragons? Preorder now & get #MoreMusic when it drops Feb 17. http://t.co/0VWleyAe1e pic.twitter.com/2qFxVh1oBR — Target (@Target) February 9, 2015
UPDATE: A previous version of this story included a tweet by a person identified as a Target employee. That identification was incorrect. The story has been edited to remove it.
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