The Objective

The Windows marketing team wanted to build their fan base across social networks and to generate positive sentiment about Windows 7 among “transitioners” – students entering or graduating college who are likely to be in the market for a new computer.

Our Solution

Our Community Analysis revealed that transitioners over-indexed for downloading music and listening to independent artists, so we collaborated with ReverbNation to develop a groundbreaking music-giveaway program sponsored by Windows, offering free song downloads from 1,000 up-and-coming artists. Each week we featured music samples from 50 artists and invited Windows fans to vote for their favorites; the seven most popular tracks were made available the following week as free downloads to the public.

Results

• More than 1,000 artists drove their networks of fans to the program, accounting for the majority of traffic and outperforming a mandatory network ad buy

• 84% of those who participated in the program were new fan connections for Windows

• Our client received 42 million positive impressions covering this campaign