Marketing mastermind: How Alok conquered the Brazilian market
As Brazil’s most prominent electronic music producer, Alok Achkar Peres Petrillo, known by his stage name Alok, continues to exceed expectations and expand his influence globally. Having released an abundance of hit singles and received many accolades throughout his career, the young artist is a source of inspiration for many budding producers around the world looking to reach the top of the music industry. At the age of 27, Alok has already performed at the Tomorrowland mainstage, founded his own record label and had a top 10 hit in Norway. He has also been nominated for no less than four awards in the space of two years and looks set to receive further accolades in the future. But how did the young maestro achieve such widespread success in such a short period of time? Let’s investigate his marketing strategy.
Alok’s career began at the young age of 12, joining forces with his brother Bhaskar Petrillo on a joint venture. At the age of 19, he decided to go solo and his career quickly gained traction, particularly in Brazil. He was named ‘Best DJ in Brazil’ by House Mag two years in a row and was the first Brazilian DJ to reach the top 25 of the DJ Mag top 100 poll in 2016. Having gained such notable accolades it comes as no surprise that many are inspired by Alok’s high-speed success. His quick launch to fame has left many asking exactly how he managed to rise so quickly through the ranks and whether it is possible for other artists to replicate his success using similar methods.
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One of the most important aspects of being a successful artist is integrity. Throughout his rise to success, Alok never neglected his Brazilian roots. He understood the value of his core audience in Brazil, continuing to cater his posts towards his fanbase in the country. Although his career has spiralled upwards, he has never forgotten his main audience, making sure to keep his original fanbase intact. To this day, he continues to write his social media posts in Portuguese, despite now having garnered a huge fanbase spanning the entire globe. By respecting his roots and not losing sight of where his success originated, Alok has held onto the respect of his main fanbase. His choice to continue gearing his content towards his Brazilian audience has ensured that he continues to build on his original fanbase and does not lose integrity through expansion. While many artists expand and lose the connection with their original audience, Alok has made sure not to make this mistake.
Looking further into his social media posts, he is one of the industry’s most consistent online presences across all platforms. It’s Instagram where Alok truly shines, having garnered almost 8 million followers, a staggering achievement. When compared with fellow producers, Alok has managed to build an Instagram following that far exceeds industry heavyweights like Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso. This is a staggering achievement for such a young artist, signifying his global influence. Through understanding the kind of content his audience finds the most enjoyable Alok has managed to increase interest exponentially on his Instagram page.
The primary focus on Alok’s Instagram page is his lifestyle, something that appears to garner the highest level of interest from his global fanbase. He regularly posts photos of himself visiting various countries around the world, inspiring his audience with vibrancy and culture with every image. He also shares an abundance of videos showcasing some of the most exciting moments from his live performances, regularly provoking a positive reaction from his online audience. Of all his content, it is the images that feature him that garner the most interest and by continuing to post selfie-style images in various countries, Alok continues to expand his influence.
As an artist, it is vital to understand exactly what kind of content your audience most enjoys, whether it be selfies, nature, cars, fashion or live performance photos. In order to do this, it is imperative to always look back over your analytics and discover which posts performed better than others. Even posts that do not generate much interest are not a waste, as they provide vital insight into what kind of content your audience will not respond well to and will help you avoid posting this kind of content in the future. Once you have discovered which of your posts performed the best, it is then important to replicate this content, while still differentiating your posts enough so that your audience does not lose interest. For example, if your audience enjoys videos from your live sets, make sure to publish more of these in the future, while maintaining variety as much as possible. If you find that your promotional posts around your releases aren’t gaining enough traction, comparing these posts for their engagement rates can provide insight into where you are succeeding and where you are struggling, contributing to future improvement in your online strategy.
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Musically, Alok also has an incredible track record, having released hit after hit. On Spotify he has almost 9 million monthly listeners and over 4 million followers, making him the 272nd most streamed artist in the world. His top hits have all achieved millions of streams, with ‘Hear Me Now’ having hit a staggering 345 million streams. With such impressive statistics, Alok’s level of influence is undeniable both in Brazil and around the world. Having already released a number of tracks this year, Alok is undoubtedly one of the most high-paced artists in the industry, with a limitless creativity that is clear in each of his releases.
Alok’s discography is incredibly consistent, with each release displaying similar trademarks. By discovering a formula that his audience enjoys, he has been able to replicate this sound and develop it into brand new releases consistently over the years. His consistency has enabled him to hold onto his core fanbase while drawing extra interest around the globe. By infusing electronic with pop, Alok effortlessly appeals to both the dance music industry audience and the mainstream market, giving his tracks the maximum opportunity for global success. Each of his tracks contains addictive vocals, making his releases always radio-friendly and appealing to a large portion of people.
For all artists, experimentation is important in production, but too much change can leave your audience bewildered about who you are as an artist. Those who really excel maintain a signature sound while experimenting with different genres and push the boundaries of production. In order to build a loyal following, it is important to remain somewhat loyal to your core sound. At a certain point in your career, you will establish a signature sound that your audience enjoys and will develop certain production characteristics that will make your music recognizable as your own. Artists like Kygo and KSHMR are great examples, as both have built a solid fanbase due to their easily recognizable trademark techniques. Even after becoming successful in the mainstream chart, neither artist lost their core sound. When you do establish this sound, it is important to not stray too far from it and simply adapt it to suit trends and experimentation. For example, Alok strays into different genres but retains his melodic quality and always focuses his releases around vocals. This has enabled him to build and retain a huge fanbase while experimenting with his sound.
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Due to his faultless track record, Alok has also managed to collaborate with many of the electronic music industry’s leading artists including Armin van Buuren, HI-LO, and Vini Vici. As an artist, collaborating with other artists who differ from your signature sound provides the perfect opportunity for expanding your fanbase and reaching those who may not yet have come into contact with your music. By collaborating with artists of such a high stature, Alok has been able to increase his following even more by branching out into new audiences. Collaborating with other artists in the industry is always a positive for your level of support and can provide a much-needed boost in interest around your brand.
Since the start of his career, Alok has been dominating the scene in Brazil. His efficiency in becoming the country’s number one artist has enabled him to become a global phenomenon within the dance music industry. Through staying loyal to his core following, his expansion has been even more exponential, allowing him to quickly build his audience worldwide. As an artist, expansion relies on holding onto your original fanbase, without your original following, you will struggle to really expand effectively. Alok is a great example for illustrating why you should never underestimate the power of widespread support in your home country. He has proven the benefits of remaining loyal to your home fanbase and never forgetting your roots. This has given him an authenticity that has undoubtedly aided his rise to success. By winning over those closest to you, you guarantee yourself the best chance of success overseas. While there are many aspects that have impacted Alok’s success, it is undoubtedly his loyalty to Brazil that has propelled him into long-term stardom.