The Man In The High Castle: Resistance Radio
From the world of the Amazon Original Series The Man in The High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick’s award-winning book, comes an inventive new music and audio storytelling experience .
The year is 1962. America stands divided and controlled by the Greater Nazi Reich in the East and the Japanese Pacific States in the West. Seventeen years after the Allied Powers lost World War II, people in this America are living in fear and oppression. But between these opposing political powers lies a lawless “neutral zone,” where a fledgling “Resistance” movement struggles to fight back.
Hijacking airwaves, a secret network of DJs broadcast messages of hope to keep the memory of a former America alive. Decentralized and operating undercover — broadcasting from basements, boats and pickup trucks — they transmit their signals across the country by way of shortwave radio. Using music to hearten the spirits of the hopeless, they broadcast bootleg songs that are performed in makeshift studios with obsolete equipment, proof that the spirit of rock and roll is not dead. Being on-air is dangerous, yet the desire to reach the resigned is something these DJ’s can't resist.
This is Resistance Radio.
OVERVIEW
Our mission in 2016 was to turn The Man in the High Castle (MITHC) into a global franchise with year-round, always-on promotion. We set out to develop a sustain marketing effort that would help “fan the flames” and keep the series top-of-mind.
Resistance Radio allowed us to engage new customers with an alternate history narrative in an easy-to-consume format we are all familiar with: a rock and roll radio station.
In this cross-platform exploration, we initiated new customers into the world of MITHC through transformed pop-culture. The extended narrative focused on pirate radio DJs broadcasting from within the Neutral Zone. Our DJs shared a single philosophy of psychological rebellion, broadcasting their underground message to keep the memory of a former America alive.
PROGRAMMING
The DJs
Miss Evangeline
Originally from Louisiana and an ex-jazz singer, her broadcast is inspiring talk about freedom; a voice of hope in the dark night. She mixes her personal experiences with inspirational stories of resistance.
Bob Montez
Ex-US Army, Bob is a raving conspiracy theorist who dives deep into the hidden shadows he sees in this world. Don’t put too much faith in most of what he believes—but on the other hand, he may hold the keys to the truth.
Jake Rumiel
A famous comedy radio broadcaster known for his satire and aserbic comedic tone, Jake fled New York from the Reich. Now, he’s back to try it again, but this time, alone in dingy basements.
THE MUSIC
Along with the extended narrative storytelling, Resistance Radio featured classic 1960s songs reimagined for the world of The Man in the High Castle by noted producers SAM COHEN and DANGER MOUSE, along with some of today’s most popular indie and alternative artists. Songs were selected by The Man in the High Castle Music Supervisor, Gary Calamar. A full album – titled The Man in the High Castle: Resistance Radio Album – was produced by 30th Century Records (Sony) and ] released on April 7th, featuring all of the music from the Resistance Radio program.
ACCESSIBILITY
In an effort to drive the spirit of this initiative, we released Resitance Radio as a live stream radio broadcast first, where customers can dip in at any time and catch snippets of content vs. a podcast format where content is downloadable & consumed start to finish. The narrative experience lived at ResistanceRadio.com (now deprecated) and was available in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
The site featured an HTML audio player that allows the content to be embedded across the web and through social channels spreading awareness for MITHC.
In addition, Resistance Radio could be streamed through Amazon Echo devices via iHeart Radio by saying “Alexa, Play Resistance Radio on iHeart Radio.”
LAUNCH
Resistance Radio had a coordinated release of content beginning March 6th running through the full album release on April 7th. This window was selected deliberately so we could activate at South by Southwest (SXSW) and align with the digital, entertainment and music experience the festival offers.
In addition to executing a first to market concept extension for The Man in the High Castle, we included an embeddable radio player on Rolling Stone and utilized the new Facebook Audio Live tool that was in beta testing.
INFLUENCER OUTREACH
To jumpstart word of mouth conversation timed with the PR/Paid Media activities, influencer kits were sent to a carefully curated list of 300 writers/bloggers.
The influencer kit is designed to convey the premise of our new narrative experience, while still engaging the recipient in an act of discovery, to intrigue and delight them.
SOCIAL
We focused on bringing the audio experience to life visually within our social platforms.
Teaser Content
Leading up to the first Facebook Audio post, we teased the broadcast using clips from the show teasing out what was to come.
Facebook LIVE Audio
Facebook had just introduced Facebook LIVE Audio, their newest live streaming component. We partnered with them to release sampling of the broadcast through this new offering on the MITHC and Amazon Facebook channels.
SXSW
Amplifying our efforts and presence at SXSW we worked with 30th Century Records to have their artists takeover different Amazon social channels (Amazon.com, Amazon Student, Amazon Music) the day of the showcase.
Facebook Messenger Bot
Engaging one-on-one with consumers, we created a custom Facebook Messenger bot that allows users to become potential recruits for the resistance and challenge their skills and loyalty with in-world scenarios that tie-in closely with Resistance Radio.
MITHC Talent Toolkits
Day of launch, MITHC talent will receive a toolkit with assets to help us push out content from the radio program.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
With the focus of Resistance Radio being an audio experience living off platform, Amazon Video merchandising channels will focused on ensuring high visibility for The Man in the High Castle on platform, particularly among new customers.
The Music Video was posted as bonus content on the detail page timed with its release on 3/10. Creative for MITHC was refreshed on platform during the Resistance Radio window. Messaging directed new customers to Stream seasons 1 and 2 now on Prime Video. Push notifications were sent through the APV app directing customers to the music video and a dedicated email was sent out to current streamers of the series and potential new streamers announcing Resistance Radio.
SXSW RR HEADQUARTERS
The Market & Tap Room – which is located on Colorado Street, close to the historic 6th Street within the city's urban core in downtown Austin – was selected as the location for Resistance Radio Headquarters.
The Sunrise Diner
From 10am-4pm every day, guests were transported into the Sunrise Diner in Canon City where we served food and drinks. Bar staff and brand ambassadors were dressed in costume to fit the diner look and feel. Each morning, the diner would offer a special breakfast “happy hour” for the first two hours. During this time, guests would be able to order small pastry items and beverages.
Resistance Radio HQ
The rooftop was converted to resemble an underground rebel radio station that included a broadcast booth and an area for live performances.
During the day, the station served as photo moment for guests. At night, the booth turned into the audio control center for the performers. To further set the atmosphere, the RR programming was broadcast on the roof for guests to enjoy.
A secret room could be unlocked for those guests that proved they were loyal to the resistance which gave attendees access to customizable swag. We also had a silent streaming room for attendees to sample the series.
SXSW SHOWCASE
Amazon sponsored one of the festival’s official music showcases. Titled The Man in the High Castle & 30th Century Records Present: Resistance Radio.
The showcase featured 6 hours of music by artists from the Resistance Radio Broadcast. While each artist will be performed their own sets, they came together to play an hour and a half music set from Resistance Radio featuring Sam Cohen’s band (whom we have dubbed Sam Cohen and the Resistance Band.)
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Maybird
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm - Big Search
9:40 pm – 10:20 pm – Sam Cohen
10:20 pm – 11:00 pm - Sam Cohen & the Resistance Band
(featuring guest vocalists):
Kelis
Jason Lytle (Grandaddy)
Maybird
Big Search
Kevin Morby
Benjamin Booker
11:20 pm – 12:00am- Kevin Morby
12:20 am – 1:00am - Benjamin Booker
CREDITS
Agency: Campfire at SapientRazorfish
Record Label: 30th Century Records
Film Studio: Scott Free Production
Album Producer: Danger Mouse
Album Producer: Sam Cohen
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO MARKETING TEAM
Head of Consumer Brand: Brianna Lopez
Brand Manager: Andrew Meengern
Creative Director: Sarah Hamilton
Art Director: Patrick Raske
Sr. Creative Producer: Joe Nichols
Project Manager: Brian Wee
Social Lead: Catherine Creeden
Media Lead: Rebecca Mack
Head of Promotions: Jennifer Verdick
Promotions Lead: Elisabeth Daniels
AMAZON ORIGINALS MUSIC TEAM
Head of Music: Bob Bowen
TV Music Executive: Melyssa Hardwick
TV Music Coordinator: Christina Toth
AMAZON STUDIOS DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Drama Development Executive: Marc Resteghini
Drama Coordinator: Henry Luehrman
ADDITIONAL AGENCIES
Experiential Agency: NVE Experience Agency
Interactive Agency: Dinahmoe Interactive Production
Music/Sound Company: Nylon Studios