Grey Hong Kong's "'Respect Music" interactive campaign shoots musicians dead

One of the things that we know is competing in Cannes this year is this interactive campaign ‘Let the Music Live On’ from Grey Hong Kong. The campaign had banners showing the likes of Amy Winehouse, White stripes and "what the hell do you think you're doing"-Madonna tempting people to "download now". If one clicked the banner, the musician would be shot and died. The website freemusichk and the facebook group here continued the idea, with the core being that every time you download and album for free, you starve your favorite artist.

Tim Mellors, Vice Chairman and Worldwide Creative Director of Grey Group, is well known for hosting his ‘In Conversation’ events with living legends from the music industry, at the Cannes Lions Festival. The annual interviews include Tony Bennett, John Legend, and this year – Yoko Uno. (You know, the woman who "killed" the Beatles)

"The ‘Let the Music Live on’ integrated campaign, by Grey Hong Kong, asks people to reconsider downloading music illegally. The digital element harnesses social media, including Facebook and YouTube, and features a ‘download’ application. People see a well-known album cover featuring a famous artist, such as Amy Winehouse, Moby, Madonna or The White Stripes. The banner appears to be an opportunity to download the music for free. But click on the download button, and the cursor transforms into a weapon - the musician is brutally killed. A warning message appears: “You are downloading music illegally. You are killing the artist’s life and at the same time the music industry”."

“Music is close to the heart of Grey Group. Advertising and music go hand-in-hand – often the latter can be the defining feature of a successful campaign. A lot of people in the ad industry are music aficionados. The Respect Music campaign is about harnessing this passion to protect musicians and the music industry.” - Tim Mellors

“Cannes Lions is a dynamic and creative event. It’s a great opportunity for the ad industry to rethink the issues of illegal downloading and help the music industry that it relies upon for so many campaigns.”

"In just a few months, the application became an internet sensation and the YouTube click rate soared. The campaign has attracted significant media attention throughout Asia. Facebook saw nearly 40,000 people join a specially created group and pledge to no longer download music illegally. "

Executive Creative Director:: Keith Ho
Creative Director: Keith Ho / Sonic Choy
Copywriter: Halo Cheng / Tony Chan
Art Director: Kit Chow
Multimedia Designer:: Kenny Wong
Technical Team Head: Simon Liu
Flash Programmer: Choi Wai Kai
Agency Producer: John Lo / Wong Ying Ying
Director: William So
Client: Gary Chan