ABOUT

We rewrote the tired smartphone launch playbook with our launch of the OnePlus Nord 4. Inspired by the phone’s all-metal design, we recruited Finnish metal band Lordi to create Made of Metal, an electrifying track celebrating the phone. The results speak for themselves: a 13% sales uplift, 89% rise in subscriptions, 387% web traffic increase, 100k+ Spotify streams, and media coverage across Europe.

BRIEF

Smartphone launches. Remember when they used to feel exciting? When new launches were so groundbreaking they’d have people queuing around the block? Those days are gone. Monotony has set in: a sea of slick keynotes, pay-to-play influencers, and executives pulling yet another shiny device from their pocket to announce marginally more megapixels.

And then there’s OnePlus. A challenger brand in Europe, known for doing things differently, but with awareness and marketing budgets far below that of its competitors.

The brief was straightforward: launch the latest OnePlus device - the Nord 4 - across Europe. In the process, elevate OnePlus beyond the tech pages, engage their die-hard community online, and drive measurable sales growth.

IDEA

We embraced the Nord 4’s defining feature - an all-metal design - and made it our entire campaign focus.

Working with Finnish monster rockers Lordi, best known worldwide for their iconic Eurovision win with Hard Rock Hallelujah, we created Made of Metal, a track that turned the phone’s metallic design into a literal anthem.

The campaign didn’t stop at the song. A tongue-in-cheek mockumentary followed Lordi as they recorded Made of Metal, with the Nord 4 cleverly woven into the narrative. An unholy union of band and brand social media content amplified the campaign, while a limited run of vinyl records gave European markets a killer tool for engaging their most-wanted media.

RESULTS

Some might say a metal band singing about a smartphone sounds ridiculous. But the numbers tell a different story. A 13% increase in sales. 387% surge in website traffic. 89% growth in OnePlus ecosystem subscriptions. 100,000 Spotify streams week 1. And 130 pieces of media coverage across nine European markets.

Most smartphone launches are forgettable, formulaic, and frankly, boring. This one wasn’t.

Made of Metal turned the Nord 4 into a cultural moment, connecting OnePlus to audiences through a shared love of heavy metal and challenging the conventions of the tech category.