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Bring the beat

OVERVIEW

This was a collaboration of Olympic proportions. It brought together two of the Caribbean’s biggest passions: music and sport, and shared them with the world.

To make this epic mash-up, we introduced the two fastest people on the planet, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, to the biggest music producer in the Caribbean, Machel Montano, and created the unofficial anthem of the Rio Olympics.

We created an original music track for Digicel as an anthem for the whole region – a rallying cry for the proud nations of the Caribbean to unite behind.

True to Caribbean culture, the track was designed to be remixed by the people in their own inimitable style. To make it accessible to all, we created the world’s first browser-based remixer with all the beats, loops and vocal stems ready to be remixed.

DETAIL

To overcome the huge variation in device performance in the Caribbean, we created bespoke software that pushed the limits of HTML5 Audio APIs – ensuring all the musical layers stayed perfectly in sync, even on low performance handsets and devices. Users could loop and combine over 100 samples of the different beats and melodies recorded for the song, including bonus lyrics from Usain Bolt, to create, download and share their own remix. 

There were over 433,000 social media engagements and we had a PR reach of 15.5million people. Original remixes made on the hub were played over 610,000 times and the original track by Machel Montano amassed millions of plays and downloads across Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, SoundCloud, Tidal, radio and clubs. The beat flooded the Caribbean airwaves.

97% of people who visited the Digicel Remixer chose to explore the site further, reaching an average session duration of 10 minutes (that’s the same as Usain Bolt running the 100m sprint 60 times!).

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Despite it only being released in 25 Caribbean nations, the track and the remixer went global due to the inescapable influence of our ambassadors. Bring the Beat has been used in dance routines and party playlists from France to Brazil to New York, showcasing the truly infectious power of the Caribbean beat.

ROLE

Creative Technologist

AWARDS

ICAD – 2 x Silver Bells, 3 x Bronze Bells
APMC – 1 x Gold Star
Digital Media Awards – Best Creative

TEAM

Creative Director: Rory Hamilton
Copywriterr: Kris Clarkin
Art Director: Laurence O'Byrne

Created by Boys+Girls, in collaboration with WeMakeAwesomeSh.

PURVEYOR OF DIGITAL FUNK AND DOPE STEEZ SINCE 1874.