How Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike navigated their way to #1 in the DJ Mag poll

DJ Mag’s Top 100 poll has been an integral aspect of the electronic music industry ever since it was founded in 1991. Although controversial, the poll has provided many artists with a huge amount of exposure worldwide, offering great marketing opportunities and legitimacy. Since its formation the poll has adapted gradually over time, with the recipients of the top spot gradually shifting with each passing year. In its earliest years the prestigious number one spot was usually won by artists who had been in the scene for many years and were well established as musicians across the industry. Fast forward to present day and the poll is now more open than ever before, with an artist’s career length no longer dictating their ability to win the title. A duo who have remained in the top three for the last four years in a row and regularly put together widespread campaigns, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are a prime example of the power of a strategic campaign.

The top spot in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll is currently held by young Dutch star Martin Garrix, who climbed to the top in 2016 when he overtook Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, who took the title in 2015. The poll has not been without its controversy, with many artists using methods that fans do not agree with. Every artist that campaigns to gain more votes in the poll uses different methods, with some only posting the voting link to their social media. There has been plenty of discussion over the years around which methods are acceptable and which are not. Ultimately, every fan or artist has a different perspective on the poll and exactly how far artists should be able to go in trying to gain votes. Although some methods have proven unpopular, there is still plenty to be learned from the strategy used. In the current climate, having a strategy in place is vital in order to make it into the top 100.

In the early days, the top spot in the poll was achieved by artists such as Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Tiësto, and Paul van Dyk. In 2013, Hardwell was the first artist to top the poll who had not had a long-running career beforehand. He landed the number one spot seemingly out of nowhere, having never previously reached the top three, an unprecedented leap for such an upcoming artist. Hardwell’s two years as the DJ Mag number one proved that the competition was well and truly open and that artists did not have to have been around for decades in order to stand a chance of taking the crown. The results over the years illustrate the shift in the electronic music industry, what was once a competition for veteran DJs is now very much an open battle between artists, even those who have not been in the industry for a long period of time.

Although some may be skeptical about the need to be featured in the poll, it offers great opportunity for brand exposure. With so many fans paying close attention to the poll, even ranking at number 100 is beneficial, as it exposes your brand to a whole selection of fans who may not have previously heard of you. There are many people who will see an artist ranked in the poll that they have not heard of and will make a point of checking that artist’s Spotify page. The poll also offers the opportunity for artists to gain even more legitimacy, which is particularly valuable at clubs and festivals in Asia. Often, these clubs will hire artists specifically based on their position in the poll, which is one of the many reasons that so many artists do everything in their power to reach the top. These methods vary, from online adverts to social media posts, from posters to email campaigns. In this article, we’re going to focus on Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s DJ Mag campaigns that have enabled them to remain in the top three for so many consecutive years.

Initially, the duo faced a huge backlash for their campaign methods when they used iPads to encourage more fans to vote for them. Each year at Tomorrowland the duo would enlist a team to approach festival goers to vote for them, this proved to be a highly effective method, launching them into the top five. However, this method did have its drawbacks, as it damaged the duo’s branding, particularly when other artists criticised the method publicly. Ultimately however, the use of iPads did prove instrumental in helping the pair launch to the top spot in 2015.

Although the use of iPads was instrumental to their campaign, this was by no means the only method Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike used in order to climb to the top spot. The duo are closely connected with Tomorrowland, which plays a huge part in their marketing. Tomorrowland regularly uses its social media dominance to gain more votes for the duo. Regularly Tomorrowland posts on social media asking fans to cast their votes for Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. With such a massive worldwide audience, even a simple tweet is hugely valuable in gaining more votes for the duo. Tomorrowland has cultivated a highly dedicated loyal following and as one of the world’s most sought-after events, having any kind of connection with the festival is invaluable. Many Tomorrowland fans and attendees will undoubtedly cast their vote based solely on the artists the festival is pushing the most.

Tomorrowland’s campaigning on behalf of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike is not limited to social media. The festival has also launched email campaigns directing fans to vote, connecting directly with those who are most likely to comply. By connecting with fans directly through emails, the festival ensured that their message would be seen by as many people as possible. The festival also campaigned for the duo during it’s party flights this year. As part of its ticket sale process, Tomorrowland offers travel packages from a huge volume of locations around the world, known as Global Journey packages. Many of these packages involve party flights, which on occasion include a live DJ set from inside the plane. This year, one of the announcements during the flight encouraged passengers to vote for Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike in the top 100 poll.

Although many of the aspects of the campaign involve fleeting messages, when built up over time, each of these aspects add up to create a huge wave of support for the duo. By reaching out to fans across promotional channels, the message is consistently reinforced for maximum impact. Often, a drawn out consistent campaign can prove more efficient than one huge campaign that creates a short-term frenzy but loses impact over time. Consistency plays a huge part in the power of a campaign, as every message must be repeatedly reinforced in order to really make a solid impact.

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike also use their own social media as part of their campaign. They regularly send private messages to everyone who follows their Twitter accounts asking them to vote. This is another effective method for encouraging fans to vote as it makes a connection with each person individually. Receiving a personal message from a world famous artist is an exciting prospect for fans, making them much more likely to agree to the request and cast their vote.

Throughout all of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s campaigns the DJ Mag message is consistently reinforced. By making sure that fans are constantly reminded of the message, the duo ensure that every single one of their fans knows about the urgency of voting for them. As with all competitions, every last vote counts, so reaching out to every single fan is extremely important when running your campaign.

Not every fan uses every social media channel, which makes using all social media platforms to campaign more valuable than ever. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike always share all of their promotions across channels, meaning that even if fans only check up on their Instagram page, they will still see all of the promotional posts around the top 100 poll. Campaigning across channels is the best way to ensure that your entire audience sees your posts.

Although Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have faced criticism for their methods in the past, there is certainly a lot to be learned from their campaigns. Their promotion across their social media channels has been instrumental in keeping them right at the top of the top 100 poll. Although many artists use campaigns during the voting period, many struggle to reach the same level as Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike by not campaigning nearly as effectively. Ultimately, the key to success in the poll is reach. In order to really gain a huge volume of votes, you must reach out to as many fans as possible and encourage them to vote. While reaching the top of the poll may seem impossible, it has been proven time and time again that anyone can launch to the top simply within a couple of years.