MDLBeast | Breaking the Content Mold
MDLBeast faced the challenge of creating extensive, culturally relevant web content for its new music news website in Saudi Arabia. Recognizing the limitations of traditional content creation in a rapidly evolving and rich, yet underground, music scene, we proposed a unique 'social at heart mechanism.' This innovative approach ensured continuous engagement, positioned the brand as a bridge between global and local music narratives, and empowered emerging Saudi artists through visual interpretation of news content.
The Challenge: Navigating Saudi Arabia's Booming Music Scene
Saudi Arabia's music landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, blending traditional sounds with modern influences. This presented MDLBeast with a dual challenge: a high demand for web content and the necessity for that content to deeply resonate with Saudi culture. Traditional content methods were insufficient to capture the depth and dynamism of this scene, necessitating a novel approach to establish MDLBeast as more than just a music platform.
The Solution: A 'Social at Heart' Mechanism
MDLBeast's solution was a 'social at heart mechanism,' a bespoke process designed to engage its target audience and ensure content continuity. The core idea was to transform the MDLBeast website's feed into a platform where global and local music news was visually interpreted by emerging and underground artists. This strategy aimed to elevate MDLBeast as a regional music and art hub with international recognition, spotlighting hot topics and fostering communication between artists.
The 'Cover' Concept
Central to this mechanism was the 'cover' concept, inspired by musical covers. Visual artists were commissioned to 'cover' articles, creating a unique visual narrative. This 'MDLBeast Uncovers the News & Covers the Artist' rationale cleverly linked journalistic discovery with artistic reinterpretation, a concept further localized with a Saudi Arabic twist.
Dual Audience Engagement
The strategy targeted two key audiences:
•B2C (Music Enthusiasts): Engaged through news content 'uncovered' by editors and writers.
•B2B (Local Artists): Supported by providing a platform for their visual 'covers' of news, aligning with Saudi Arabia's vision for artist development.
Visual Identity & Engagement
MDLBeast established a distinct visual identity:
•Color Palette: A gradient from dark to neon colors symbolized 'uncovering news,' inspired by natural light cycles.
•Emblem as Hero: The MDLBeast emblem was a central visual element, dynamically changing its texture, colors, and look for long-form articles, drawing inspiration from iconic brands like Google and MTV.
Social engagement was driven by content pillars like MDLBeast x History, Community, Music, Art, and the innovative MDLBeast x Wellness, addressing a previously taboo topic. Visuals like carousels and article snippets were used to drive traffic from social media to the news feed..
Innovative Recruitment and Team Structure
MDLBeast employed creative social recruitment methods:
•Instagram Question Tool: To discover artists and gather insights.
•Social Filters: Enabling users to identify and share talent or news subjects, fostering viral recruitment.
Recruited artists were featured through styled photoshoots and biographies, showcasing diverse artistic styles including photography, 3D, and illustration.
The project's success was underpinned by a diverse team, including news scouters, editors, writers (with specific regional expertise), freelancers (social media, SEO, translation), and a broad spectrum of creatives (psychologists, painters, 3D artists, videographers, etc.) who contributed to the unique visual and cultural interpretation of content.
Conclusion
MDLBeast's 'social at heart mechanism' exemplifies a pioneering and culturally attuned strategy for web content. By deeply integrating with Saudi cultural nuances, nurturing local talent, and employing an innovative visual approach, MDLBeast not only managed a high content volume but also cemented its role as a vital cultural connector, blending global music trends with authentic local artistic expression and community building. The project made us resonate with the brand and appeal as a creative agency while the ask was mainly for only web content creation and paid brief.
