It’s a dogs’ life: Absolute Radio crowd-sources song lyrics
By Donna White on Tuesday, August 13, 2013
I love a good crowd-sourcing project but I didn’t expect to read that Absolute Radio listeners were asked to share their dead dog memories to create a new song.
Radio station host Geoff Lloyd launched the ‘Dead Dog Memorial Song‘ after he asked people to share their favourite dog moments – such as eating raw turkey at Christmas and licking ashtrays – as part of a forthcoming feature which’ll form part of his shows.
On paper it’s a top-dog (see what I did there) engaging initiative which has seen people proactively get in touch with Absolute Radio to share their tributes. The good news is the content has been reworked by The Boys Least Likely To, the music team behind iconic adverts including Apple and Coca-Cola. Judge it for yourself:
In 48 hours the video has generated more than 6,000 views on YouTube so it’s not viral just yet. It’ll be interesting to see how far Absolute Radio can push this and whether it’ll have longevity, if supported properly by the National Dogs’ Trust – which’ll receive all profits from the song which is available on iTunes.
The campaign would’ve made more sense to me if it was launched alongside an event such as National Dog Day (26 August if you’re interested). And it would’ve had more credibility if the station announced that extra verses would added to the song as the project gathers more tributes. As it stands, the campaign’s already maximised its reach.
What do you think? Is the campaign barking? (That’s the end now, I promise!)
