Leading music subscription service Deezer today unveiled the creative output of a new global brand collaboration with London-based illustrator mcbess. Deezer has been working with the artist on an exercise to explore its brand identity as a worldwide service that breaks down the barriers to music discovery and delight.*
With his distinctive, powerful hand mcbess brings to life Deezer’s belief that music is a universal language that cannot be restrained or repressed. The illustrations are inspired by everyday life, by music and musical instruments that are re-modeled and contorted to create a distinctive Deezer microcosm. A 30 second animation, produced by CRCR, is available to view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkvEZhSr0RU&feature=youtu.be
In mainly black graphics mcbess unfolds an energetic and surreal narrative in which music is uncorked, bottled and finally released for mass enjoyment and celebration. The film has a revolutionary, almost riotous atmosphere that shows the vigor and force of music physically smashing boundaries in mcbess’s signature kinetic style. Featuring musicians with feral grins and flexuous instruments the film is set to a thunderous new remix of Pop Levi’s genre-defiant track ‘Wannamama’.
Axel Dauchez, Deezer’s CEO said: “Deezer is a pure music player. We live music, we breathe music, we are music. Our passion for music makes us unique. We’re all about new discoveries and possibilities, which is why through Deezer you can access music across all devices and through all browsers worldwide, offline and multi-local; from hi-fi to smartphones, from home to the car or the great outdoors, from your own music to your friends’ music.”
“This bold new collaboration with mcbess represents the first step of a plan to interrogate our global brand proposition through creative partnerships and executions. As a musician and a visual artist, mcbess was the standout candidate for our first collaboration. The film perfectly captures the restless, explosive spirit of our brand and exposes Deezer’s core belief of music without boundaries.”
Commenting on the creative, mcbess said: “When you draw you draw what you know. I have been using Deezer for many years, and music is very important to me, so I was eager to be involved in this project.
“This is one of the best pieces of my work out there. It is a genuine collaboration and it’s the first time I have been able to see my drawings animate in a way that is true to my style: black and white, fluid and full of energy. Imperfections are all part of the charm, and the overall effect is dark, dynamic and a little risqué – like an old fashioned Betty Boop cartoon with a rock and roll vibe – which suits the Deezer brand perfectly.”
Deezer is making its first foray into TV advertising with a seven week campaign featuring the film planned for commercial spots on France’s Metropole network. The film debuted on M6 at 9:40pm on Sunday 20 January. A further outdoor campaign rotating six visuals on the Paris Metro will begin on 29 January.
The collaboration comes one month after Deezer launched the first truly global free (ad-supported) music streaming service to a potential audience of at least 600 million people across more than 150 countries. Deezer currently has more than three million paying subscribers that listen to an average of 60 hours of music per month.
watch?v=dkvEZhSr0RU&feature=youtu.be
