From Germany to Canada: Localizing an international brand launch

 

You won’t find a music streaming platform that’s more dedicated to the discovery and growth of independent creators and artists. Learn how Yulu secured 35 quality media placements within the first week of SoundCloud Go’s Canadian launch.

 

The Challenge

SoundCloud called on Yulu to support the Canadian launch of its new music streaming service, SoundCloud Go. With a limited media presence in the Canadian market, and many well-known competitors already fighting for the music streaming limelight, Yulu was tasked with communicating SoundCloud’s differentiators, the significance of this news to Canadians, and adapting one simple news tip across consumer news, business, tech, music, marketing and advertising beats. Yulu played a key role in helping SoundCloud Go to “Canadianize” its strategy and messages.

The Strategy

With the launch of SoundCloud Go, grassroots and underground music creators, no matter their size, record label, or industry connections, could now not only publish their music on a major streaming platform, but they would also now be eligible to profit, any time a subscribing listener plays their songs. Understanding Canada’s pride for home-grown music, talant, and creators, Yulu saw this detail as our leading angle for the Canadian launch. Yulu lead with the angle of ‘SoundCloud Go creates new pathway to put money back in the pockets of creators in Canada,’ and closely following with the angle of ‘now in Canada, enjoy more features and conveniences with SoundCloud Go’s new subscription streaming service.’ Leading up to launch day, Yulu prepared SoundCloud’s Berlin-based co-founders to speak confidently on the nuances, trends and milestones in the independent Canadian music industry. With day-of-launch media exposure as the measure of success, Yulu offered embargoed interviews to top-tier English and French media outlets across the country during the week of, and preceding the launch.

Yulu Pr Stastistics

The lasting change we’ve made with Soundcloud.

35

media hits

358

brand impressions

50

million reached

The Results

Leading with a story, not the product, we were able to share the stories of creatives across the country, and galvanized support from new subscribers and media who wanted to support Canada’s own. Yulu secured 35 top-tier media placements within the first week of SoundCloud Go’s Canadian launch, including features with Reuters, Financial Post, La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, and Postmedia newspapers across the country.