Artist post of the month – Tiësto’s Meet & Greet
Even when you sit at the very summit of the electronic dance industry, there’s no time to become complacent, and one of the most prestigious examples of this is Tiësto. The Dutch superstar, who has not only changed his sound over the years to fit with the dynamic of more popular, current, and trending sub-genres, also continues to innovate when it comes to new ways of marketing himself. Earlier in May, with the traditional ‘EDC week’ approaching out in Las Vegas, Tiësto announced that he would be offering special meet and greet opportunities with fans. Though the act looked like a selfless and generous display of compassion to his followers, the move was actually a cleverly crafted marketing campaign that ensured Tiësto enjoyed maximal exposure ahead of one of the biggest weekends in the dance music calendar.
Why was the campaign so clever?
Holding down a residency at Las Vegas mega-venue, the MGM Grand, it’s fair to say that Nevada is a second home for the Dutch producer these days, but ahead of EDC week, more ravers than ever flock to Sin City to attend the week-long schedule of pool parties at the likes of Wet Republic, and Hakkasan – the acclaimed superclub where Tiësto performs on a weekly basis. For Tiësto, such an opportunity to reach thousands of fans from all across the world comes about rarely, so he decided to maximize such an opportunity. Meeting fans was not only a great way to sell more tickets to his Hakkasan and Wet Republic shows, but he also debuted a new range of merchandise at the meet-ups, giving fans more opportunities to line his pockets after purchasing fresh items for the weekend’s Electronic Daisy Carnival at the Motor Speedway Circuit.
Timing is everything
Perhaps the most intelligent part of the campaign was that the meet & greet sessions coincided with the release of the music legend’s latest single, ‘Jackie Chan’, a collaborative effort with Dzeko, Preme, and Post Malone. Garnering a reputation for teaming up with the hottest rising talents in music, Tiësto has previously collaborated with the likes of Martin Garrix, KSHMR, Oliver Heldens, Don Diablo, and The Chainsmokers, utilizing their ever-growing popularity to keep his name in the dance music headlines; genius marketing tactics if ever you saw them. The move has proved inspired, with the afore-mentioned 5 acts all earning a place within the Top 13 of the most recent DJ Mag Top 100 poll. Tiësto’s move to collaborate with Post Malone is another masterstroke, with the rapper recently breaking records held for over 50 years by The Beatles, such is his popularity right now, with the artist amassing over one billion Spotify streams on his 2017 anthem ‘Rockstar.’ By releasing the track on the very same day EDC Vegas was kicking off, Tiësto was boosting potential sales for the song, and gaining free promotion for the single via the board behind him on the photos, which were uploaded to Twitter in their thousands, by starstruck fans who got the chance to say hello to their hero.
What did Tiësto accomplish from this?
If you can imagine how many social media posts came about as a result of the meet & greet photos, across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many more, the campaign essentially served as free promotion for the Dutch DJ, and managed to get his name trending via hashtags worldwide on the very same weekend as one of the biggest festivals of the year. Not only was it genius marketing, but it also helped fans to construct a personal connection with their idol, which means increased sales, and positive word of mouth being spread about how willing he was to meet all his fans. This is as close to free PR as you can get, with Tiësto painting himself in a positive way without spending a single penny on media or press reviews.
What can we learn from this?
Whether you are at the top of the game, or an artist who is just starting out, one of the key secret ingredients in a long and successful career is fan interaction. After all, these are the people who buy your music, purchase tickets to your shows, and spend their hard-earned cash on your merchandise. In return, you need to give them something back. Fans have the power to make or break your career with the words they spread about you on social media, and as well as bankrolling you, they can essentially provide you with free PR. By giving your fans unique opportunities, like meet & greet sessions, or exclusive content that can make them feel special, you are ensuring that your bond with your audience stays stronger than ever, and can help grow your brand via the form of new fans and followers. The reason why this post from the Musical Freedom label owner stands out as our post of the month is for a variety of reasons. Not only did it provide the EDC-headliner with an extended promotion of his single, but it served as the perfect example to all upcoming producers and aspiring DJs on how to stay grounded even when you reach the very top.
Whether Tiësto took time out of his day to attend this event or not, the fact is that he didn’t need to. Tiësto is Tiësto and will stay on the top of festival line-ups all around the world whether he meets fans or not. The fact that he did, just goes to show that small gestures in dance music, go a long way.