By Mike Fiebach, Cat White, Justin Borowski, Mainfactor, TMWRK, Spellbound, and Mass Appeal.

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Introduction

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In collaboration with DJShadow.com, e-commerce and merchandise company Mainfactor, digital and social marketing company Spellbound, record label Mass Appeal, and management firm TMWRK, the campaign for DJ Shadow's album Action Adventure was a masterclass in strategic marketing, data-driven engagement, and effective merchandise promotion. Spanning over a year, this campaign utilized a multi-faceted approach to ensure success, leveraging platforms like Shopify, Laylo, and various social media channels to build momentum and engage fans across the globe.

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Data Acquisition

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To build a robust and engaged audience leading up to the album's release and ahead of the tour marketing, the early campaign focused heavily on data acquisition for SMS and email opt-ins. Utilizing Laylo, a fan engagement platform, and Shopify Email, the team created targeted posts linked to landing pages that encouraged fans to sign up for updates on DJ Shadow.. These tools allowed the team to capture crucial fan data, segmenting audiences for more personalized communication. This strategy resulted in a significant increase in email and SMS opt-in’s, ensuring that fans were informed and excited about the upcoming release, tour, and other updates.

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Pre-order Campaign

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A cornerstone of the album campaign was the preorder strategy on DJShadow.com. The goal was to maximize album and merchandise sales through an exclusive D2C approach. Fans were offered a limited-edition vinyl variant of Action Adventure, only available through the official store, alongside exclusive merchandise that could not be found elsewhere. This approach created a sense of urgency and exclusivity. The utilization of Shopify and Mainfactor’s Omnichannel integrations, allowed for seamless transactions across DJShadow.com, Social Media Commerce Channels, Spotify, and Google Shopping. Inventory management was handled through Shopify’s direct integration with Mainfactor’s warehouse management system, ensuring a smooth experience for both the team and the fans.

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The team didn’t stop with just one wave of products, Shadow continued to release new and exclusive items across his site and 4 tours across North America, and the UK/EU.

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And even included a limited edition action figure!

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Social Media Engagement and Marketing

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Social media was a critical component of the Action Adventure campaign, with TMWRK and Spellbound leading the charge on digital and social marketing. The strategy included a diverse mix of content, from nostalgic posts highlighting DJ Shadow's career milestones, to fresh updates directly from the artist himself.

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Content was strategically distributed across various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube Community, and Twitter, with a particular focus on maximizing the potential of different post types. Instagram Stories were used for real-time updates, while feed posts featured major announcements, such as tour and album-related news, and more in-depth content, such as behind-the-scenes footage and words and images from Shadow himself. Targeted ads played a crucial role in reaching new audiences, with the campaign honing in on specific demographics that aligned with DJ Shadow’s fan base.

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The team ran several additional campaigns to boost engagement, including multiple successful giveaways. One highlight was a unique campaign, where limited-edition cassettes were distributed to record stores across the US, allowing the first few people to arrive at each store to claim it for free.  The map of where cassettes were available was unveiled on a custom landing page accessible at DJShadow.com.

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On social media, we leveraged interactive features like the “Add Yours” sticker to encourage participation from fans who had attended events, promoted a summer tour blog written by Shadow to keep fans connected through the newsletter and socials, and collaborated with other artist accounts to create engaging posts, including posts with Holly, Chrome Sparks, Lunice, and Run the Jewels.
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This comprehensive social media strategy not only maintained engagement throughout the campaign but also expanded DJ Shadow’s reach, attracting new fans and driving traffic to the official site, store, and to tour dates.

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Marketing and Merchandise for Tours

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The campaign extended beyond the digital realm, with significant marketing and merchandise support for DJ Shadow's tours. The North American tour and two UK/EU tours were strategically promoted, with many dates selling out quickly. Exclusive tour merchandise, designed in collaboration with Mainfactor, was available at venues, driving additional revenue and deepening the connection between DJ Shadow and his fans.

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AtVenu and Shopify were leveraged for tour merchandise management and point of sale transactions, ensuring seamless reporting, data collection, sales tax collection and remittance and inventory management.

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Social media played a vital role in tour promotion, with posts highlighting sold-out shows and special tour-only merchandise. This not only generated buzz and raised awareness to fans who hadn’t yet secured their tickets.

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Upcoming North American Tour

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As the final cap-off to this comprehensive campaign, DJ Shadow’s upcoming North American tour is already showing strong signs of success, with many dates close to selling out months in advance. This final leg of the campaign underscores the effectiveness of the year-long strategy, which meticulously built anticipation and maintained fan engagement through every phase of the album's lifecycle.

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Conclusion

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The Action Adventure campaign for DJ Shadow, executed by DJShadow.com, Mainfactor, Spellbound, and TMWRK, is a prime example of how a well-rounded, omnichannel marketing and merchandising strategy can drive significant results. By focusing on data acquisition, exclusive merchandise, and a multi-channel social media approach, the team was able to maximize sales, support successful tours, and maintain a high level of fan engagement. This campaign not only achieved its objectives but also set a new standard for album promotion and super fan monetization in the digital age.

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