As you know by now, I’m a big fan of “weeks.” From Social Media Week to Brandweek and every week in between, these extended marketing and info-sharing gatherings are a great way to concentrate efforts around central themes. But this week is the best week of all.I’m not talking about the combination of turkey, family, Friendsgiving, and cyber sale price slashing, although they all bring me joy. I’m talking about The Week of Greatness.For the past eight years, Foot Locker has dubbed the week leading up to Thanksgiving “The Week of Greatness.” This year’s campaign delivers apocalypse-themed content highlighting the sneaker community’s commitment to do whatever it takes to get their hands on footwear fire.This was Nue’s first time working WOG. It’s exciting to be involved in a campaign as star-studded as this. A commercial spotlights the lineup of top-tier talent across sports, entertainment, music, and fashion. Foot Locker features Anuel AA, DaBaby, Anthony Davis, Ryan Destiny, Karol G, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Morgan, Megan Thee Stallion, and Juice WRLD, while Kids Foot Locker highlights Young Dylan, Sophia Pippen, and Zaza.The world’s greatest athletes, artists, and breakout stars understand what it means to get their hands on the latest drops. And sneakerheads are almost as rabid as musicians’ fanbases, so collaborations like this make a lot of sense.The commercial was shot in Downtown L.A. on Halloween. The featured talent enacts over-the-top scenarios that sneaker enthusiasts face -- such as unlikely alien encounters, zombie epidemics, and meteor storms -- en route to a fresh pair. “No Matter What” illustrates the universal truths and mutual passions shared within the sneaker community.This was an all-hands-on-deck project with worldwide agency BBDO at the helm. An all-star consortium of Foot Locker executives and talent teams brought together magic moments at the speed of culture. Soccer star Alex Morgan and hip-hop sensation DaBaby made such a fun teaser. Some of the stars even kept their face paint and make-up to scare passersby well into the night.Watching the comments and the consumer excitement is what it’s all about. In this day and age, the more the community and fans do the championing, the better. Fan marketing in 2019 makes the power of traditional “word of mouth” seem insignificant.This Week of Greatness, Foot Locker is rolling out a curated collection of sneaker and apparel launches from Nike, Jordan, Adidas, PUMA, Converse, Super Heroic, Champion, and more. The product assortment is available starting Thursday, Nov. 21 at Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker, both in-store and online. Visit Foot Locker's Release Calendar and Launch Locator to find more information on drop dates and release procedures.Foot Locker also prepped select participants with “Sneaker Survival Kits” to help sneaker lovers and their shoes make it through the apocalypse. Watching artists like DaBaby get gifted these items live is nothing short of hilarious. Foot Locker will also host a variety of “No Matter What” activations in its Community Power Stores, including a large buildout in Eastpointe, Michigan featuring a UFO-themed photobooth.Stay tuned for more amazing Foot Locker content to round out December. The Foot Locker team really ‘gets’ culture and how to leverage their dominance in the space. Dare I say… sneaker commercial of the year?!?!
BEATS
Anuel AA & Karol G Fight Off Zombies & Aliens for New Foot Locker Ad CampaignAnuel AA and Karol G are among the new faces of Foot Locker's "Week of Greatness" digital ad campaign, which premiered on Friday. In the new campaign -- which also features DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Juice WRLD and more -- all the celebrities are in the middle of chaos. (Billboard)
Acts Like Coldplay, Billie Eilish, And The 1975 Are Leading The Sustainable Touring MovementColdplay has a new album coming out on Friday, Everyday Life, but fans won’t be able to catch them in concert for a few years. "We're not touring this album. We're taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable [but] how can it be actively beneficial," frontman Chris Martin told the BBC. (Mic)
Is Virtual Reality The Future Of DJing?With every technological advancement there is both anticipation and fear as to how change will impact one’s life and work. This has always been especially prevalent with the DJ community. (DJ Tech Tools)
Taylor Swift's Messy Legal Situation, ExplainedIn essence, Taylor is alleging that BMLG is enforcing the terms of their contract in a manner that limits her ability to perform and use the recordings of her music. BMLG is refuting her allegation, claiming that they have accommodated Taylor’s requests to use her music. (Vice)
Is the Music Industry ‘Comeback’ Overrated? A Hard Look at the Latest StatsFor an industry that nearly collapsed overnight, the past few years have been a godsend. But is all the talk of a ‘music industry comeback’ misleading — and potentially damaging for future growth? (Digital Music News)
Building David Byrne’s ‘Utopia,’ One Gray Suit at a TimeYou may find yourself on 44th Street, having just come out of the theatrical dance piece/rock show/neuroscience lecture “American Utopia.” And you may find yourself — like the quizzical protagonist of one of David Byrne’s best-loved songs — with a bunch of questions about what you’ve just seen. (NY Times)
Metastage Launches AR App With First-Ever Holographic Performances By Laura RizzottoVolumetric capture studio launches augmented reality app with two holographic performances from Eurovision artist Laura Rizzotto, including a historic debut. (Forbes)
Reducing Music’s Climate Impact Through InnovationColdplay announced this week that they are not going to tour until they can figure out a climate neutral or climate positive way to do so. Touring has a massive CO2 output. U2‘s 2009 tour is said to have produced the CO2 equivalent of flying to Mars and back. (Music Tech Future)
A Rash of Booing Incidents at Concerts Reveals That Fan Culture Is Getting More ToxicDrake's rejection at Camp Flog Gnaw earlier this month shows that fans increasingly believe they have control of the aux cord, even when it harms artists.(Vice)
How Taylor Swift Dragged Private Equity Into Her Fight Over Music RightsA little over a week ago, a troubling alert appeared on the smartphone of an executive at the private equity giant the Carlyle Group: The firm had been invoked by Taylor Swift. (NY Times)
Robert F.X. Sillerman, Concert Industry Consolidator, Dies at 71Sillerman made his name in the music business by buying up a series of regional promoters, including Ron Delsener’s New York operation, San Francisco-based Bill Graham Presents and Florida’s Cellar Door Concerts, consolidating the entities under his SFX Entertainment banner and later selling the company to Clear Channel Communications in 2000 for a reported $4.4 billion. That created what became known as Live Nation. (Variety)
BYTES
What India's music industry can teach us about paid YouTube views, musical regionalism and the productive uselessness of charts.
The ‘Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige takes a seat in conversation with Elliott Wilson, TIDAL’s Chief Content Officer. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of her highly acclaimed album My Life, Mary J. Blige will discuss the makings of the project as well as more details behind her work. The Grammy Award-winning artist has had quite the year. Mary J. Blige and Queens rapper Nas recently wrapped up a joint-tour including new music featuring them both. (Def Pen)
Metastage brings authentic human performances into digital worlds. They are the first US partner for the Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture system and paired it with an expert team housed in a state-of-the-art facility in Southern California.
The singer spit knives over 17 wrenching tracks and interludes. By the record's closer, "Happy," she seemed exhausted, posing the rather enlightened question: "How can I love somebody else, if I can't love myself enough to know when it's time to let go?" THIS. On a massive, radio-ready single. (MTV)
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Rachel Meisner If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!