The most memorable singers are those people who aren’t afraid to take a bold stance and let their true colours shine.
From David Bowie to Bob Marley, the biggest stars are known not just for their vocal talents but for challenging conventions and occasionally shocking their audiences.
The late, great Freddie Mercury once said: “I was not made for heaven. No, I don’t want to go to heaven. Hell is much better. Think of all the interesting people you’re going to meet down there!”
Spotify believes that the best artists have always scared people. Showing listeners that scary is nothing to be afraid of, the music streaming site created a frightfully good Halloween campaign to shine a spotlight on those scary artists that pushed the boundaries of style and culture.
Capturing the hearts and minds of consumers, the brand created a pop-up shop in New York City stocked with iconic costumes and memorabilia from much-loved stars in the current charts through to legendary singers of the past.
Visitors could get up close and personal with Billie Eilish’s spider crown, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” jacket patch, Madonna’s “BOY TOY” belt from her 1984 MTV VMA performance of “Like a Virgin” and a replica yellow python, as worn by Britney Spears circa 2001.
The immersive campaign surprised and delighted music lovers with a plethora of star studded exhibits featuring Alice Cooper, Blink-182, Jaden Smith, Bad Bunny, Trippie Redd and Willie Nelson. To keep the tunes pumping, TV star Jameela Jamil was also invited to be the special guest DJ.
Scarily good fun DJ’ing preview night for @Spotify’s Halloween costume pop-up, open on Saturday. Being a little scary isn’t a bad thing, come celebrate bold artists and grab a costume accessory while you can. I went as @billieeilish #spotifypartner pic.twitter.com/8Z7ZrcP2jp
— Jameela Jamil ? (@jameelajamil) October 25, 2019
Alongside the experiential element, the brand also created an out-of-home advertising campaign across the city that featured images of the costume pieces and artists. This coincided with a series of three short films released online, highlighting those great artists that have proudly stood up for what they believe in such as Freddie Mercury, Janet Jackson and Johnny Cash.
“While most of us are only brave enough to wear costumes one day a year, the best artists take chances and push boundaries all the time,” said Spotify VP-Global Executive Creative Director Alex Bodman.
The campaign cleverly aligned Spotify with Halloween by focusing on a different version of scary, while some other brands have preferred to simply scare the living daylights out of people instead.
Remember the alarming zombie bus stop stunt from AMC, or Paramount Pictures’ horrifying prank to promote upcoming sequel, Rings?