Branded Entertainment has extensive potential across platforms in the United States where this music campaign appeared. No government restrictions applied to the making or distribution of this campaign. Our agency builds strong partnerships and convergent partner sponsorships to execute multi-platform integrated marketing campaigns.

The Chevrolet Sonic's marketing task was to connect the Sonic to a college-aged, millennial audience through music. Chevrolet also wanted to incorporate the ‘find new roads’ brand promise in a way that transcended just adding the tagline to creative. We embraced this challenge and worked with millennial experts, MTV / mtvU to engage the college music scene around the Chevy brand in an innovative way.

mtvU has an unmatched reach producing 24-hour music programming for more than 750 colleges and universities across the United States. Each year, mtvU powers the Woodie Awards, an awards festival anchored at SXSW in Austin, TX. Together, mtvU and the Woodies were uniquely positioned to deliver an unparalleled, music-based integration for the Chevy Sonic.

To maximize Chevrolet’s brand awareness among millennials, mtvU created a new voting category at “The Woodies” where fans choose the best emerging college musicians. For the first time ever, MTV incorporated a client brand into an award category for the inaugural “Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie.” By dedicating an award category to Chevrolet, the brand received extensive co-branding opportunities through integrations on-campus, on-stage, on-air and on-line.

MTV / mtvU created a custom online hub (www.Chevy.MTV.com) for the “Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie” award category and contest. mtvU hosted a casting call for college bands and artists from across the country. mtvU emailed campus partners at 750 college campuses (representing 9m students nationwide). mtvU also rallied students using social media and produced on-air co-branded spots to drive viewers to the site to vote. Information about the Woodies was also featured on the college site, RateMyProfessor.com. Submissions hurried in and judges nominated four acts to compete to win.

To further amplify the ‘find new roads’ theme – mtvU produced co-branded, exclusive on-air content and online profiles for each of the four nominees. Online voting surged as the nominated acts independently used their social platforms including Facebook and Twitter to mobilize their fan base to vote. Bands created their own content like memes, cover art, and videos driving voters to the Chevy/ MTV site. In a three week voting period more than 1.5m votes were cast.

The Lonely Biscuits won and set out on a trip to Austin, TX to open the Woodies Festival with a live performance. The Chevrolet Sonic was fully integrated into all the on-air /online content that documented the Lonely Biscuits journey to and in Austin. The band was also offered a deal with Hype Music, a music licensing partnership between MTV and Extreme Music.

To maximize Chevrolet’s brand awareness among millennials, mtvU created a new voting category at “The Woodies” where fans choose the best emerging college musicians. For the first time ever, MTV incorporated a client brand into an award category for the inaugural “Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie.” By dedicating an award category to Chevrolet, the brand received extensive co-branding opportunities through integrations on-campus, on-stage, on-air and on-line.

This music category significantly increased brand awareness among millenials because it ensured that the Chevy Sonic was referenced anywhere the category was mentioned (on-air, online, in social media and in the press). The category’s announcement, the marketing partnership and The Lonely Biscuits generated extensive press coverage in Billboard, the Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, Mashable, Yahoo, the Huffington Post and Direct Marketing News.

The Lonely Biscuits accepted the first “Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie” from host Machine Gun Kelly at the Woodie Awards which aired on MTV and mtvU on March 17th. The 2013 Woodie Awards attracted 532,000 viewers (a 38% increase from 2012) and the special ranked #2 in its time slot for original cable premiere telecasts among teens. The Woodie Awards site had 144,000 visitors (a 66% increase from the year before) and the show generated 17,000 social comments with mobile serving as a key driver of social participation overall.

The Lonely Biscuits Facebook following increased by 19% over the course of the campaign. With more than 1.5 m votes cast for “Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie”- The Lonely Biscuits scored a now coveted recognition. Chevrolet and mtvU created an original music platform that reached millions of millennials.