Extra Gum transforms YouTube pre-roll ads into digital stage for emerging Aussie musical talent in new campaign via Clemenger BBDO, Sydney

Extra Gum has today launched Extra Support Acts, a program created to support Australia’s up and coming musicians by transforming pre-roll ads on YouTube in to a digital support stage.

The campaign was created in partnership with Clemenger BBDO Sydney as creative lead, Universal Music Australia and BRING for talent, music strategy and content, MediaCom, and YouTube.

The Support Acts program has paired 16 of Australia’s up and coming musicians with Aussie music royalty, 5 Seconds of Summer, Alison Wonderland, The Rubens and 360, who’ll play an active role in promoting and raising the profile for the grassroots talent involved in the program.

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Through an innovative use of YouTube’s pre-roll ads, the headline artists are transforming the ads that run before their videos in to digital Support Act slots, exposing these up and coming acts to audiences of hundreds of thousands. Extra Support Acts is a platform that essentially let’s emerging artists go view-for-view with Australian music royalty.

Says Alison Levins, marketing director, Extra Gum: “At Extra Gum, we’re focused on helping give Australians the confidence they need to be at their best. We wanted to extend that support to Australia’s grassroots music scene, and what better way to do it than by transforming YouTube’s pre-roll ads in to digital support act stages. We can’t wait to introduce the country to the next big acts in the Australian music scene.”

The campaign launches today via the Extra Support Acts YouTube hub, featuring 60+ pieces of content from the headline artists and their support acts, as well as a suite of OOH and social content in support.

Says Ben Coulson, chief creative officer, Clemenger BBDO Sydney: “Turning ads in to a stage for emerging artists seemed like an interesting idea, and fit nicely with Extra’s brand position.”

Says Dan Connor, head of strategy and planning, MediaCom: “This is a brilliant example of how you can innovate and change the way you partner with platforms like YouTube – building reach and using real music discovery data to bring the idea to life.”

Says Roddy Campbell, managing director, new business, Universal Music Australia: “We’ve seen all manner of branded music platforms and really feel this will be one of the best – an authentic role for the brand that creates value for consumers and artists alike. Our acts have been so passionate about supporting the next generation of talent and I think that shines through in the engaging content we’ve created with them. We can’t wait to see how the journey unfolds!”

In what is an Australian-first for YouTube, the platform is excited about the potential future use of pre-roll ads in creating innovative solutions for bands across the country.

Says YouTube: “YouTube is excited to be working with Extra Gum and Universal Music Australia on this concept, showcasing how the platform can bring together artists, music fans, and brands to support the next generation of Australian musical talent.”

An algorithm will aggregate the number of views, likes and shares of their videos to determine which Support Act had the most engagement from Australian music fans. The Support Acts with the most engagement in their group will be crowned the winners and enshrined as Australia’s next big artists.

Australians can head to www.youtube.com/ExtraSupportActs to find their new favourite musician, and make their vote count by watching, liking and sharing.

Client: Extra Gum

Head of Craft: Daniel Mortensen

Head of Creative Technology: Bob Forster

Lead Digital Producer: Claire Bisset

Planning Director: Kit Landsdell

Head of Account Management: Madeleine Marsh

Talent, music strategy and content: Universal Music Australia and BRING Platform partner: YouTube