Matt Maeson’s landmark success with his 2019 album Bank On The Funeral landed him a dedicated fanbase all over the world. However, after an extended touring hiatus during the pandemic it became vital for our team to reactivate his fanbase before gearing up to tour and release new music.

Before our campaign started, Matt had been selective in his approach to posting on social media platforms. His music and lyrics had always offered fans a uniquely transparent connection, but they rarely had a chance to truly see behind the curtain. We knew if we could create a short-form content strategy across TikTok, Reels and Shorts (that was consistent with Matt’s raw and authentic brand) we would be giving fans something new and exciting before any hint of the new music coming.

Three weeks prior to the first single release, we launched Matt’s new TikTok channel with an acoustic performance of his original song ‘Cringe’. Within 24 hours, that first post was viewed over 2m times and had thousands of encouraging comments. Fans quickly caught on to communicating with Matt through TikTok in a way they hadn’t before.

Leading up to the official announcement of the first single, ‘Blood Runs Red’, we gave fans the first teaser by updating the Spotify Canvases and YouTube thumbnails on all Matt’s biggest songs – using a photo of Matt dressed as a monster from the upcoming music video. Clicking on the photos then led to a cryptic website with a countdown clock and a pre-save link, effectively creating a buzz amongst the fan community.

We carried the same themes over to TikTok where we tried to utilise the offputting nature of the character to continue building excitement. This monster motif was also utilised at shows, where we had a Matt lookalike, dressed as the “monster”, walk around and take pictures with fans waiting in line for the show.

Our team continued to focus on capturing content that not only showcased Matt’s raw and powerful vocals, but also his charismatic personality. Posting this content consistently leading up to the autumn album release not only led to streams but nationally sold-out shows.