The 60 second ‘Bring the Beat’ web film starring Usain Bolt, launched Digicel’s Rio Olympics campaign in 33 markets across the Caribbean. The hurdle for telecoms company, Digicel, was that their main rival had the rights to the 2016 Games. This campaign aimed to disrupt that sponsorship by fusing the power of two fundamental elements of Caribbean life – sport and music. The web film celebrates the unique rhythm of the Caribbean and calls on everyone from the region to unite behind their athletes. The ‘ Caribbean Beat’ is in everything and everyone, from the sound of Usain’s feet hitting the tarmac to the crackle of a lobster in a pan to a domino being slammed on a crate.
All the sounds in the web film were recorded on-location and were painstakingly edited together to help create the ‘Bring the Beat’ single, which we wrote and released with Soca music legend, Machel Montano (featured in the club scene at 30 seconds). This web film used the notoriety of the Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, and Trinidadian musician, Machel Montano, to show how the famous Caribbean passion for music and sport can connect people, no matter where they come from. The web film was promoted across all markets in the lead up to the Olympics and throughout the games in an effort to make the Digicel brand top of mind during the Olympics, even though it wasn’t a sponsor. The call-to-action brought people to the ‘Bring the Beat’ campaign hub where fans could remix and share their own version of the track, which even included an option for bonus lyrics from Usain Bolt.
