Videos for rent

Taking a trip with Dido

Sony BMG’s marketing campaign for Dido’s latest album ‘Safe Trip Home’ features 11 short commissioned films, each set to the soundtrack of a song from the new album. The short films were created by directors across the globe based around the concept of ‘home’ and feature locations such as a dump site in Rio, a Mumbai taxi-cab, the rugged coast of New Zealand’s South Island, a Thai boxing ring and a picturesque Portuguese fishing village. The films were launched via a series of film-style teaser TV ads.

“I wanted every song to have its own video or film to represent the album as a whole,” said Dido. Visitors to a dedicated site can map their global journey as they watch the films and share them with others.

Sony BMG is also placing the campaign on the UK debut of Facebook Connect.

So what?: Dido is opting for the ‘Grey’s Anatomy affect’ here, by utilising her music as the backing track to emotional dramas. Compelling scenes in TV dramas have been proven to rack up sales of singles. A single by The Fray saw a 232% boost after sound tracking a particularly emotional moment in medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. This campaign promotes Dido as a global artist whilst also highlighting the emotive impact of her music. It also brings the notion of the music video up to date, in an age of a la carte purchasing habits. The only issue here is that due to the low-key presence of marketing within the films there is a danger that the music could literally fall into the background.

“This is very much like the 365 day global landscape book project set to music. Dido makes perfect coffee table pop, so it’s only fitting that it should be accompanied by a set of coffee-table-book-styled videos.”
Giles Fitzgerald, Editor, Five Eight

www.safetriphome.com