Lincoln is a luxury auto brand that typically appeals to senior citizens. When they introduced a new millennial-targeted SUV we saw an opportunity to increase awareness, consideration, and sales amongst millennials, an audience that had eluded the brand for years.
To reach this new audience, needed a unique way in. So, we subverted traditional ad methods and hacked into their playlists. Knowing that the millennial generation demands instant gratification, we decided to withhold the information our audience most desired, instead compelling users to dive down a virtual rabbit hole that led them straight to the all-new Lincoln Nautilus and established a deeper connection with our brand.
The launch spots for the all-new Lincoln Nautilus introduced an oddly compelling music score with no name and no credited artist, rendering it virtually untraceable on streaming services and online. This lack of information made the score even more appealing to millennials who are used to having all the world’s information at their fingertips.
Our untraceable track sent users flocking to Lincoln’s social channels in search of answers. Initially the tenor of the conversation was positive and curious, but soon their requests turned into desperate demands. We let the intrigue build as they dove deeper down a virtual rabbit hole as they traded clues on Reddit, and even made and shared their own extended versions of the song.
Just as the conversation peaked, we surprised fans by dropping the full-length track titled Kaleidoscope Bliss (The NautilusⓇ Song) on streaming platforms and Lincoln.com, along with a vibey lo-fi music video. Once we had our new audience hooked, we kept them engaged with additional music content including, a second video featuring Lincoln ambassador Serena Williams, a 3D showroom song experience designed to show off the Nautilus’ Revel Audio® system, and a series of discovery-themed, digital media collaborations that gave audiences more opportunities to do what they love best: dig deeper.
The release of our earworm of a track racked up over 125,000 streams and tripled Lincoln’s site traffic. Our collaboration with Lincoln Ambassador, Serena Williams also earned us an additional 5 million organic social views.
As interest in the Nautilus surged, the headlines followed. This campaign landed the Lincoln Nautilus on AdAge’s list of 20 Hottest Brands of the year, and Pop Science’s 50 Greatest Innovations of the Year, with additional accolades from MotorTrend, Autoblog, and more. Sales also followed this upward trend, exceeding our aggressive goals by 49% year-over-year. Millennial awareness, consideration and brand favorability also rose, while the average buying age dropped by six years. Most importantly, our ‘subversive score’ successfully changed the conversation around America's oldest-skewing luxury auto brand, forging a new path to a crucial new audience.
