Listen Like Basquiat
Goal: Drive brand love by celebrating an essential icon
Market: New York
Background:
Music is one of the strongest pillars in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life and art. In celebration of the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibit in New York, we partnered with Basquiat’s estate to curate a destination called “Listen Like Basquiat,” a collection on Spotify featuring a series of playlists that explore the music that influenced him, and the artists he continues to inspire through his legacy.
Each of the four playlists represented a different stage in Basquiat’s life including, “Childhood,” “Studio,” “Nightlife,” and “Legacy.” In addition to the on-platform destination experience, guests attending the exhibit in person saw Spotify Codes that were placed throughout, linking attendees to the curated playlists. Featuring over 200 never-before-seen and rarely shown works of art, the exhibit opened in New York City on April 9th, 2022.
To accompany the playlists, we developed a colorful out-of-home marketing campaign throughout New York City highlighting a variety of artists each impacted by Basquiat’s Legacy, such as Robert Glasper, Wyclef Jean, Westside Gunn, Man Parrish, Jamila Woods, Nas, RZA, The Strokes, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Run DMC, Vince Guaraldi Trio, and Sheila E. Select artists from the campaign also shared their personal stories and inspiration surrounding Basquiat via exclusive Spotify Clips that were available on mobile devices in the Listen Like Basquiat: Legacy playlist. Our OOH included a 14th/8th Ave station domination, a SOHO Storefront, wild postings and more; including select photos of Basquiat and participating artists, driving to both the exhibition and the playlists. Fans were able to stream all the playlists within a “Listen Like Basquiat” destination on Spotify.
