Cheeky EMI Music UK viral campaign draws on fun and irreverence of Eurovision Song Contest

EMI Music UK label, Liberty, launches a tongue-in-cheek viral campaign to promote the UK release of the first album from Ruslana, the Ukrainian winner of last year’s Eurovision Song Contest. EMI created a microsite, www.wild-dances.com, supported by viral emails, that teaches users 27 amusing phrases and words in Ukrainian.

Andy Way, Digital Media Manager at EMI Liberty, comments, “The Eurovision Song Contest is renowned for being fun and slightly tongue-in-cheek and we wanted the online promotion for Ruslana’s new album to reflect the humour of this contest. Ruslana recorded the 27 Ukrainian phrases herself, allowing users to mimic what they hear and interact with this new artist in an irreverent way.”

EMI created the microsite’s execution as a slideshow, showing three photos of the Ukraine by day and night. The final slide shows Ruslana with her pet wolf, and invites users to ‘learn Ukrainian with Ruslana’. A PC keyboard on this final slide allows users to click on different keyboard keys to select one of the 27 phrases. When users press the corresponding key on their actual PC keyboards, the pre-recorded Ukrainian phrase plays as audio while the English translation flashes up on the screen. Phrases include, ‘There is no vaccine against stupidity!’ and ‘Stupid monkey!’
Users will also be able to access the video for Ruslana’s first single, ‘Dance With The Wolves’ which is hidden somewhere on the keyboard.

The viral will be seeded on EMI Liberty’s own database and on various sites. Ruslana’s first UK album, Wild Dances, was released on 21st February.

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Editor’s notes
About EMI Catalogue Marketing

EMI Catalogue Marketing is an umbrella that covers a broad range of EMI labels and issues in excess of 400 albums every year.

The Liberty label releases new studio albums from an eclectic range of international development artists, from Minnie Driver, Old Crow Medicine Show, HEM and US star, Keith Urban, to new recordings from established domestic artists such as Prefab Sprout, Swing Out Sister and Al Stewart.


About EMI Music UK – Digital Media Division

EMI Music was the first major record company to establish a dedicated Digital Media division in 1998. The division, headed up by Danny Van Emden, the Digital Media Director, is responsible for the digital activity of EMI Music UK and Ireland and its individual music labels. In addition, each of EMI Music’s record labels - EMI Records, Innocent, Parlophone, Virgin and the catalogue division - has a Digital Media Manager responsible for developing artist specific new media opportunities, promotions and web presence.

The Digital Media division develops many of the company’s digital cross-marketing and artist promotions; providing exclusive content; managing data capture and eCRM systems; and monetising EMI Music’s assets across the digital media. The division is also responsible for the EMI Music aggregate site, www.the-raft.com, which has been running for 11 years and won multiple awards.

With in house skills in journalism, programming, photography, SEO and design, the team are able to generate the right mix of copywriting and creativity to exploit a range of commercial opportunities. Working with EMI’s Commercial Digital team, Digital Media has worked with retail, brand, online and mobile organisations. This year alone, the division has agreed a number of crucial deals with high profile partners including OD2, i-Tunes, mycokemusic, Napster, Orange and Vodafone Live.

Websites developed for well-known artists include Kylie.com, Kelis.co.uk, thethrills.com, nerduk.com, thedivinecomedy.com, doves.net and jamelia.com. The team is also responsible for creating artists’ web shops, selling physical products and exclusive merchandise, as well as developing mobile shops and download platforms.

EMI Music UK is part of The EMI Group, one of the largest music companies in the world and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

www.emimusic.co.uk

Contact:
Anna Vickerstaff
immediate future Ltd.
0845 408 2031
pressoffice@immediatefuture.co.uk