Indian audio brand Boat celebrates music with adblocking campaign
Boat, India’s audio and wearables brand, has launched an anti-advertising campaign by blocking ads on the music streaming platform Gaana.
![The Unheard Break campaign The Unheard Break campaign](https://thedrum-media.imgix.net/thedrum-prod/s3/news/tmp/75806/wmd_masthead.jpg?w=608&ar=default&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format)
Audio wearables brand Boat created The Unheard Break to give audiences uninterrupted music
Created by Digitas India, it coincided with World Music Day and aimed to help celebrate music by giving Gaana’s 15 million listeners an uninterrupted music experience.
’The Unheard Break’ saw Boat block all peak time ad space on Gaana so that no brands, including Boat, could run any advertising. It was the first time a brand had used a roadblock media buy to nor run any ads, including their own.
Digitas said the campaign engaged over 2 million listeners with over 22 million songs streamed without interruptions.
Sushant Sharma, brand manager at Boat, said the campaign reflected the brand’s purpose and values. “We wanted to do something more meaningful this year on World Music Day. At Boat, we design every experience around our audience. And nothing excites us more than ideas that help us connect with them outside the confines of a conventional marketing communication approach.
“’The Unheard Break’ not only solved a genuine pain point for so many music lovers by offering an ad-free listening experience, but also expanded the brand’s fan base across India.”
Abraham Varughese, chief creative officer at Digitas India, said “’The Unheard Break’ is a rare manifestation of purpose guiding the collective thinking. An idea that was designed to deliver a memorable user experience and endeared the brand to millions of music fans across India.”
The campaign activity included a teaser and launch campaign across social and digital platforms including Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Gaana, Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon and Snapchat.