IMAGINE SERIES LIMITED EDITION GRAND PIANO: "PIANO FOR PEACE [video]" Case study by DDB TRIBAL GROUP Dusseldorf

Type of entry: Technique
Category: Best Use of Digital PR
Advertiser: STEINWAY & SONS
Product/Service: IMAGINE SERIES LIMITED EDITION GRAND PIANO
Agency: DDB TRIBAL GROUP Düsseldorf, GERMANY
Entrant DDB TRIBAL GROUP Düsseldorf, GERMANY
Title: PIANO FOR PEACE
DM/Advertising Agency: DDB TRIBAL GROUP Düsseldorf, GERMANY
Chief Creative Officer: Eric Schoeffler (DDB Tribal Group)
Executive Creative Director: Dennis May (DDB Tribal Group)
Creative Director: Jan Propach (DDB Tribal Group)
Creative Director: Holger Scheuermann (DDB Tribal Group)
Art Director: Christian Bültmann (DDB Tribal Group)
Art Director: Fabian Jung (DDB Tribal Group)
Art Director: Nadim Habib (DDB Tribal Group)
Copywriter: Michael Schilling (DDB Tribal Group)
Copywriter: Tobias Hecking (DDB Tribal Group)
Management Supervisor: Sönke Bruns (DDB Tribal Group)
Account Manager: Nora Hetzelt (DDB Tribal Group)
Producer: Martin Schoen (Markenfilm Crossing)
Director: Martin Schoen (Markenfilm Crossing)
Project Manager Interactive: Christopher Schultz (Markenfilm Crossing)
Webstreaming: (Markenfilm Crossing)
Cutter: Camille Younan (Markenfilm Crossing)
2D Artist: Artur Borush (Markenfilm Crossing)
Flash-Animation: Marcel Ströter ()
Describe the campaign/entry
Honouring John Lennon, Steinway and Sons devoted him the Imagine Series Limited Edition. Like all Steinway grand pianos only attainable for the few who can afford it. But Steinway believes, especially this instrument should be open to be experienced by everybody.
And in this case “everybody” was to be understood as everybody.
Other than usual, we addressed a disperse audience: Critical, politically interested and pop-culture savvy people should try the Imagine Series Limited Edition as one of Steinway’s flagship models.
To give them a reason to experience the Imagine piano and to ultimately play it, we chose a special occasion: The anniversary of Lennon’s famous Bed-In at Hilton, Amsterdam. And we created an experience that commemorated that event.
The same hotel. The same room. Just 43 years later, there was the Imagine piano – equipped with a newly invented animatronic.
It allowed our target group to play the real piano in the room, from wherever they were and take part in the event, using just their computer keyboards! Simply enter pianoforpeace.com, contribute your song and it’ll be played by the animatronic on the live webcast.
A message, we spread on all relevant channels (Please see detailed description for details!) leading to tens of thousands of viewers witnessing more than 400 selected songs, played by people from more than 80 countries in just eight hours.
But most importantly, we strengthened the public’s perception. And also changed it a little bit: Now Steinway also stands for the same ideals, John Lennon had.
Describe the brief from the client
Get other people than the usual, therefore a critical, politically interested and pop-culture savvy audience to experience the Imagine Series Limited Edition as one of Steinway’s flagship models.
Needless to say, Steinway is publicly perceived as a producer of a luxury product, so the objective was clearly to help people experience Steinway as a tangible, communicative, entertaining brand.

Results

In just 8 hours, tens of thousands of viewers witnessed more than 400 songs, played by people from more than 80 countries, which made it into the gallery.
This, by the way, means an increase of 19,900% compared to an average of 2 people, who usually come on a typical day to a Steinway store, to try a grand piano. Simply believe us. (And if you don’t: (400-2)/2*100=19.900.)
But most importantly, we strengthened the public’s perception. And also changed it a little bit: Now Steinway as a brand not only stands for high-quality instruments, but also for the same ideals, John Lennon had.

Creative Execution

A message we deemed worthy of being spread on all relevant channels:
First via the official Steinway channels with a kick-off newsletter to existing customers, and a press release exclusively for cultural and tech bloggers.
To spread the news into more analogue spheres, we also addressed conventional concert goers at classical concert halls, using traditional posters.

Then the buzz started. On Facebook, Twitter and Google+, links started showing up:
- Firstly linking to the microsite pianoforpeace.com, when it was still in a teaser phase.
- Then, due to a sharing-mechanism, when people contributed their song and when international journalists, they were invited to the room and experienced Piano for Peace for themselves.
- And finally, when the songs were broastcast live on the webcast.
Needless to say, this made the event show up in the digital press all over the campaign’s timeframe.


Honouring John Lennon, Steinway and Sons devoted him a The Imagine Series Limited Edition.
Like all Steinway grand pianos, this one is very exclusive, and very expensive. Only few people can afford it.
But Steinway believes that especially this instrument is something that everybody should be able to experience and try for themselves, to strengthen Steinway’s public perception as producer of unconventional, high-quality instruments, and shift it away from the severe perception of it being distanced, elite luxury, available to only the fewest of the few - the label formerly attached to the brand.


To give people a reason to experience the Imagine piano and to ultimately play it, we chose a special occasion: The anniversary of Lennon’s famous Bed-In at Hilton, Amsterdam.
And we created an experience that commemorated that event.
The same hotel. The same room.
Just 43 years later, there was the Imagine piano, equipped with a newly invented animatronic.
It allowed our target group to play the real piano in the room, from wherever they were, using nothing but their computer keyboards.
Simply enter pianoforpeace.com, contribute your song by keyboard and it’ll be played by the animatronic on the live webcast.