Straight Outta Somewhere
Beats by Dre
How do you reach trillions of users with a buzz-worthy meme?
A marketing campaign that became a viral sensation.
BACKGROUND
A walk down memory lane
N.W.A. was the hip hop group emerging from the streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s. Their music revolutionized hip hop culture with their political messages including criticism of racism and staying proud of your roots. N.W.A. are considered one of 100 greatest artists of all time, according to Rolling Stone Magazine. Fast forward until 2015, where the feature film “Straight Outta Compton” was set to be released, depicting N.W.A. rise to fame. North Kingdom were approached by Beats By Dre to support the release of the film, with a clear challenge - how were we going to use the elements from the movie to create an innovative and buzz-worthy experience?
The official campaign featured a wide range of both established as well as up-and-coming artists.
Our simple yet powerful UX solution allowed users to create their own meme and easily share it through their own social media channels, no matter what type of device they were on.
CHALLENGE
We soon realized that the very core of the film lies in N.W.A.’s pride and connection to their origin, which we wanted the rest of the world to be able to do. No matter where you are from, it represents who you are. May it be local pride, belonging or nostalgia; the ultimate goal was to evoke those emotions and make people connect with their roots in a playful and meaningful way.
To make the message as simple yet powerful as possible, we created a meme where you could write in your own origin, whether it be your hometown or favorite music genre – showing the world that everybody comes straight outta somewhere.
Omar Johnson, CMO at Beats by Dre & VP at Apple"It wasn't about Compton as a place anymore, it became about being proud of where you're from."
RESULTS
Straight Outta Somewhere showed that if you understand your target audience, they will engage.
Beside the creative use of the meme from audiences across the world and many high caliber celebrities, both the White House and UNHCR used it to comment on current events. In the first week of its launch, the site had 7 million visitors and nearly 6 million downloads of the meme. In addition to the viral exposure, North Kingdom also received three Gold Cannes Lions for the project, in categories Mobile, Direct and Promo & Activation.
#1
Trending as number one, two days in a row across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
400k
Number of Tweets on Twitter.
‘Gold in Mobile, Direct and Promo & Activation’
Cannes Lions
7m
Numbers of visitors in the first week of its launch.
We certainly think that the campaign helped in hyping the film before it’s release. Why? The meme created an emotional connection between the people and the plot. It’s a unified experience!
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