As the suffering magazine industry looks for ways to get more out of relationships with advertisers, Spin and Canon capped off a long-gestating project on Thursday. About 250 readers got free tickets to a performance by the sample-dependent DJ who goes by Girl Talk (a.k.a. Gregg Gillis) at Hiro Ballroom, where 50 even received free Canon cameras to chronicle the dance party.
When the show concluded just before midnight, the camera-wielding guests lined up at two notebook computers to share their images with the magazine. "The entrants who submitted the best Girl Talk and live music images were chosen by the editors at Spin," said the magazine's event director, Barbara Lang, who'd been involved with the advertising program since its inception in early 2009. "Now they get to see their work on Spin.com."
That program included the contest, the concert, and a several-page advertorial in the July issue that includes a Canon photo shoot of Girl Talk's recent trip to Coachella. Lang didn't have any news on whether the partnership will extend to any other experiential campaigns in the future, but seemed pleased with the culmination of the two brands' work.
To furnish the Japanese-inspired venue with Canon and Spin branding and the upload stations necessary to grab all the photos of the party, Lang brought on Los Angeles-based Stoelt Productions. The Stoelt team also had a few more peculiar specifics to deal with aside from just decor and facilitating the photo retrieval. Gillis requested they bring in 200 pounds of sandbags to weigh down and stabilize the table he used for his performance, which saw him jumping up above the laptop and sound equipment at several points to address the crowd.
Several dozen attendees tested the structure as well when they stormed the stage shortly after the performance began. But one group clearly not prepared for the rowdy event was the small delegation of sandal-clad women spotted leaving the dance floor with cut up feet. The combination of rowdy dancing and discarded glasses from the Absolut open bar proved a bit hazardous for those without exposed toes.
