To create an intimate tour experience for Alicia Keys' fans for her Keys To The Summer Tour in 2023, Roc Nation created a bespoke lens experience with Snapchat for the largest tour partnership to date.
The goal was to create something authentic to Alicia while bringing her fans on this North America journey. A full 360 experience that allowed fans to discover the tour from their home, in major tour cities, at the venue, and post show date all using AR. Alicia's tour design was re-imagined with a 360 stage to give any fan a great seat at her arena show. To coincide, these lenses gave fans that same intimate feeling throughout the whole Summer. In return, this drove ticket sales and spread awareness across North America.
Roc Nation and team built six different AR lenses for fans to interact with Alicia's tour:
This included an enormous animated Alicia avatar popping up in tour cities like LA, NYC, and Chicago. For example, tourists visiting Washington Square Arch in New York City would post an Alicia avatar playing "If I Ain't Got You" using the Arch as a piano.
Another lens added angel wings that matched one of the tour t-shirts. Alicia loved using that one herself.
Out of all the lenses created, it would have to be the "Album Covers" lens. Alicia recorded three secret messages in tandem with three of her albums that fans could discover. If a fan scanned the album art (physical or digital) using the "key" scanner they unlocked the secret message with Alicia's voice and a beautiful written note. To drive more momentum, Alicia asked fans to look for the messages using Snapchat. Once they did, there was a link to purchase tour tickets. We also used the lens to celebrate 20 years of "The Diary of Alicia Keys" the same year. The fact that these will live on platform forever is an added bonus.
The AK Fam (Alicia's fanbase) felt connected every step of the way across The Keys To The Summer Tour. The attention to detail, the authenticity, the awareness built increased the demand for tickets.The lenses were played (used) over two million times that truly allowed fans to become part of the tour, whether they could make it to a show or not. This raised the North America tour to a global level where fans from across the world could participate. South American fans, who didn't have a show in their region, took their Snapchat uploads and posted them to other platforms.
By connecting digital & physical touchpoints across the campaign: scanning billboards to merch to digital flyers and artworks, it was a proven test that marketers & artists can push the envelope further around live music. Whether it was counting down to her show or seeing New York memories fly across the air as she sang "Empire of State of Mind," we brought real joy to fans in a unique way. This was a digitally elevated show that became a 360 experience, not only on stage, but online as well. This was a first for many but a success based on the fan reactions and results.
