case study: late to the party album rollout

A self-produced, year-long brand campaign executed across social content, narrative storytelling, and live events in New York City.

CAMPAIGN SNAPSHOT

200K+ Instagram impressions

+700% TikTok followers

+170% Instagram followers

3 Sold out NYC shows with no prior NYC event experience

200+ engaged fans in artist Discord server

Through this album rollout, I developed a hands-on fluency in brand strategy. I built the brand direction from scratch, aligned every content piece to a cohesive narrative, and produced high-quality creative across channels, adjusting based on what the audience responded to. The campaign drove real-world results: sold-out live events and experiences in NYC fueled by genuine community excitement. What I walked away with most is a conviction that authentic storytelling is the strategic core of any brand that actually connects in this day and age of oversaturation.

AUDIENCE COHORTS

Queer and alternative young women in non-urban areas using pop rock energy as a portal out

Primary signal: highest engagement demographic across TikTok and Instagram

Who they are:

  • Ages 20-25, women, alt/queer

  • Chronically online, high Discord activity

  • Grew up on Pierce the Veil, Paramore, Big Time Rush

  • Located in small towns and cities with less physical access

  • Live primarily on Tik Tok

  • Huge on fandoms: Chase Atlantic, Dutch Melrose, WesGhost

What they care about:

  • Affirming/inclusive spaces and free gender expression

  • Artists who are honest about identity and invite fans into their fold

  • High energy, emotionally driven music and content

  • “This song got me through __” is the highest praise

Young NYC artists and creatives looking for a DIY music community worth showing up for

Primary signal: dominant demographic of live event attendees, with high repeat attendance

Who they are:

  • College aged creatives & recent grads looking for community, skews male

  • Scrappy NYC based artists, musicians, designers

  • Live on Instagram and develop trust through word of mouth

  • Overlap with indie, alt pop, DIY scene audiences

  • Art school kids (Roc Nation School of Music, Parsons)

What they care about:

  • Authentic experiences in the real world

  • Artist to fan intimacy, community relationship

  • Access to creative networks

  • Brand visuals, aesthetics, and perceived motion

  • Being a part of something organic and being early to it

Pop fans looking for the nostalgic pull of early 2000s pop rock in something that feels current

Primary signal: unprompted TikTok comments drawing comparisons to formative pop rock acts

Who they are:

  • Ages 22-30, skews female

  • Live on TikTok and deep in online music communities

  • Cultural nostalgia consumers, 2000s emo & y2k

  • Grew up on Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All American Rejects

  • Current fans of KennyHoopla, Willow, Olivia Rodrigo

What they care about:

  • Big guitars, raw emotion, emo aesthetics

  • Close knit fandom communities

  • Music as therapy, late night drive energy

  • Unfiltered artist energy, not polished PR

  • Familiarity without being too derivative

Establish the world and the character: NYC server stuck in routine, reaching for something beyond

PHASE 1: FATE

Primary Content Piece: FATE narration Writer, Director, Producer: Aidan Fox DP, Editor: Owen Hammel

ANALYTICS

+33% retention rate +150% impressions +392% comments + shares

Analysis: relatable narrative driven content drives engagement

Action: film higher budget acoustic series and release acoustic versions of singles

SOCIAL LISTENING

Supporting brand content

Brand motifs: light colors, sky, moon, dreamy, everyman working class aesthetic

ANALYTICS

+15% retention rate +60% impressions +130% comments + shares

Analysis: stats signal demand for acoustic performances

Action: incorporate more narrative style videos into rollout

SOCIAL LISTENING

High demand for acoustic version of “FATE” led to

  • Increase in acoustic content on TikTok

  • Creation of higher quality live acoustic performance series

  • Creation of acoustic version of forthcoming single and acoustic deluxe album

PHASE 2: LATE TO THE PARTY

Introduce the dream: a rockstar and community builder

Primary Content Piece: LATE TO THE PARTY Music Video Teaser Director, Editor: Love, Kelly Writer, Producer: Aidan Fox

ANALYTICS

Analysis: cross promotion with local influencer and rallying audience to “unlock” something with comments drives engagement

+27% retention rate +1,180% impressions +3,500% comments + shares

Action: more collab posts with Love, Kelly, co-brand release party, speak directly to audience in future posts

Supporting brand content

Brand motifs: boy band aesthetic, rooftop, DIY, VHS camera, bold vivid colors, community

Top performing posts

ANALYTICS

+74% impressions +50% comments + shares

Analysis: content reflecting real moments and captions that invite viewers onto the journey drive engagement

+67% impressions +28% comments + shares

Action: more celebratory long form captions in future posts inviting viewers to join

social listening

Viral TikToks for LATE TO THE PARTY revealed a demand for a community page which led to:

  • Creation of Discord server with 200+ engaged fans

  • Secondary instagram account for photos of the people making up my events @late2thepxrty

  • Weekly Discord programming (live song breakdowns, game nights, music listening streams)

  • Formation of moderator council and weekly check-in calls to discuss strategy for keeping members engaged

Introduce irony: how the world sees the character: delusional, arrogant, unproven.

PHASE 3: BANK ACCOUNT

Primary Content Piece: BANK ACCOUNT Single Teaser DP, Director, Editor: Simon Reed Writer, Producer: Aidan Fox Actors: Katherine Libenson, Aidan Fox

ANALYTICS

Analysis: showing new sides of character (humor) drives engagement, long form weakens virality odds

+22% retention rate +125% impressions +358% comments + shares

Supporting brand content

Action: cut shorter clips for Reels & Tik Tok, lean into humor and relatabity in future content

Brand motifs: double life, red/gold/b&w, rockstar aesthetic, working class reality, bold typography

Top performing post

Analysis: Realism of double life branding drives engagement

+47% impressions +48% comments + shares

ANALYTICS

Action: build out double life content with workplace photoshoot and Tik Toks

social listening

Signals of engagement led to:

  • Increase in content shot at restaurant on Tik Tok and Instagram

  • Social media strategy brief for double life concept on Tik Tok

  • Proof that fans crave raw and authentic stories

  • Proof that target demographic wants to feel close to me as a person and to relate on a human level

  • 3 of my fans who became friends in my Discord server road tripping to NYC to see me at my restaurant!

Articulate the philosophy behind the project and converge every thread into a single statement and visual aesthetic

PHASE 4: album release

Primary Content Piece: Album Trailer Director, Editor: Simon Reed Writer, Producer: Aidan Fox

ANALYTICS

Analysis: overused narrative content slowed brand momentum previously built on high energy content, leading to decrease in overall engagement

-14% retention rate -10% impressions +30% comments + shares

Action: return to live event & party branded content

Supporting brand content

Brand motifs: emo aesthetic, shaggy hair moon pendant, red/gold/b&w, bold typography, electric guitar

Top performing post

ANALYTICS

Analysis: encouraging and creating shares boosts algorithm, bold branding stands out and generates engagement

+150% impressions +188% comments + shares

Action: rally audience for shares + comments on future posts, stick to bold brand design

social listening

Comparisons to Emo Pop artists led to:

  • Leaning more into darker emo visual aesthetic

  • Conducting research into the brands of the artists my fans listen to

  • Tweaking language in Tik Tok captions to be more culturally relevant and reflective of fans’ taste

REFLECTION

Strategic Takeaways

  • Highest performing content documents real life moments; shared community experience and fomo drives engagement 

  • Longer form narrative content performs well with pre existing audience but doesn’t trigger broader algorithm, use short form content to supplement it

  • Email lists, personal messages, replying to comments builds stronger bonds with fans

  • Framing content as a journey for fans to join and contribute to drives engagement and support

  • Authentic storytelling versus posturing always wins out, especially for a newer or smaller brand