Expanding brand reach: New tactics and audience building

2020

Background:

To broaden Why Mona’s visibility and streaming success, we launched a TikTok focused influencer strategy targeting niche creators aligned with the artist’s aesthetic. By carefully selecting creators and compensating them to feature Why Mona’s track in native content, we generated authentic audience exposure across new verticals. This effort triggered a viral trend, led to a spike in user generated content, and resulted in the track reaching a new streaming peak on Spotify marking the artist’s most successful digital campaign to date.

Objective:

To expand Why Mona’s digital presence by exploring multiple promotional channels and uncovering the most effective path for boosting visibility and streaming performance. Initial trials across traditional press outreach, playlist pitching, and organic content efforts yielded modest results, the campaign shifted to an experimental strategy focused on early stage TikTok influencers.

Strategy:

At the time of the campaign, TikTok was still an emerging platform with limited industry precedent for music marketing. With few established benchmarks, we approached the campaign with an experimental mindset, using early trends as inspiration to build a playbook in real time. Our goal was to emulate the viral success seen in other tracks by encouraging creators to use Why Mona’s music while producing content that felt native to the platform. We pivoted to a creator-first strategy, targeting up-and-coming TikTok influencers whose content aligned with the song’s tone and emotional aesthetic. Rather than banking on a single viral video, we seeded the track across a wide network of micro and mid tier creators to generate a consistent wave of visibility. Light creative direction was offered, but creators were given the freedom to craft authentic, story-driven videos that naturally incorporated the track. This resulted in a campaign that felt fan led, rather than forced, increasing engagement and improving traction.

By allowing creators to shape the emotional context and storytelling around the song, we triggered a sustained stream of user generated content. This not only amplified the track’s reach but also sparked direct interest on streaming platforms eventually driving Why Mona’s Spotify plays to a new daily peak and introducing the artist to a broader, more engaged listener base.

Analytics and Results:

The TikTok campaign for Why Mona’s viral single proved highly successful, positioning the song as a breakout moment both on social platforms and major streaming services. Through a decentralized creator first strategy, the track was adopted organically by millions of users, resulting in massive growth in visibility, engagement, and streaming traction.

TikTok Performance

  • 1.5 million TikTok videos were created using the track

  • Multiple videos surpassed 1 million views, driving consistent virality

  • A TikTok dance trend emerged, amplifying visibility and boosting UGC

  • The track reached TikTok’s trending charts and consistently appeared on the For You Page

  • Campaign featured a range of micro, mid, and high tier influencers

  • Strategy focused on authentic, story-driven content over a single viral moment

Streaming Uplift

  • 146 million total Spotify streams following the campaign

  • Campaign led to new daily and weekly streaming peaks

  • Song featured in the TV series "We Were Liars," driving additional discovery

Audience & Follower Growth

  • Significant global reach expansion, with key traction in the U.S. market

  • Audience skewed younger, with a strong presence among 14–24 year olds

  • 725,000 monthly listeners achieved on Spotify