How The Rose drove pre-saves and fan activity with Sonikit

When The Rose prepared to launch their newest album—a concept record exploring themes of duality, light and dark, joy and sorrow—they didn't just release music. They built an interactive experience where fans could feel the emotional tension in real-time.

In partnership with ADA Music and Wayward Creative, The Rose launched a dynamic digital world where fan activity shifted the balance between two forces: Team Dawn and Team Dusk.

At the center of this fan-powered experience was a custom Sonikit pre-save integration, designed to drive pre-saves, stream engagement, and SMS acquisition—all while keeping the experience fully on-brand.

⚖️ Campaign Concept: Choose Your Side, Change the World

The campaign revolved around a live visual tug-of-war:

• 🌓 Upon entering the site, fans were asked to join either Team Dawn or Team Dusk, a symbolic choice aligned with the emotional arc of the album.

• 🎧 After choosing a side, fans connected their Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL accounts to stream the new music.

• 🌐 As more fans interacted, the site’s visuals dynamically shifted to reflect which team was "winning" based on live engagement.

• 📸 Fans could then share personalized listening cards, complete with webcam selfies and thematic overlays, to show allegiance and spread the word.

This interactive design created a deeply personal and shareable launch moment—amplifying reach without relying on traditional ads alone.

🔗 Sonikit’s Role: Integrated Pre-Saves Without Compromise

The campaign’s success hinged on the seamless, custom Sonikit pre-save embed, which allowed The Rose’s team to:

✨ 1. Keep Fans in the Experience

Sonikit’s fully embeddable widget meant that fans could pre-save the album directly on the site, without being redirected or bounced to a third-party page.

• Total design freedom to match the dawn/dusk aesthetic

• Support for Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL

• Frictionless user flow = higher pre-save conversion rates

This kept fan attention on the brand—not on external platforms.

📲 2. Collect Phone Numbers for SMS Follow-Ups

The custom embed also gave fans the option to share their phone number as part of the pre-save flow—an increasingly valuable channel for music marketers.

• Build a first-party SMS list for exclusive drops and updates

• Keep fans engaged by sending text messages with release day reminders, merch offers, or tour presales

• Drive repeat engagement even after album release

All phone number collection was opt-in, privacy-compliant, and fully integrated into the pre-save flow.

📈 3. Power Advanced Analytics and Retargeting

By hosting the entire campaign experience—including the pre-save—on the same domain:

• Advertising pixels (Meta, TikTok, Google) captured the full funnel

• The Rose’s team could retarget fans based on actions like team choice, stream activity, and pre-save conversion

• Sonikit’s built-in analytics dashboard gave detailed insights on fan demographics, streaming behavior, and pre-save sources

This allowed the team to optimize campaign spend in real time and understand what resonated most with fans.

🔥 Results at a Glance

✅ Boosted Pre-Save Conversions
Removing redirects and simplifying the flow resulted in a higher pre-save conversion rate compared to past campaigns.

✅ Real-Time Fan Engagement
Fans spent more time on-site, streaming songs and sharing personalized visuals that reflected their identity and side.

✅ High-Value First-Party Data
Thousands of phone numbers and fan interactions collected without relying on third-party tools.

✅ Custom Creative, Full Control
Wayward Creative and The Rose’s team were able to fully control the look and feel of every moment—from loading screen to listening card.

💡 What Artists and Labels Can Learn

The Rose’s campaign proves that immersive digital experiences don’t need to compromise on performance marketing. With Sonikit, you can have the best of both worlds:

• 🎨 Custom creative that drives emotional connection

• 🎯 Conversion-focused tools like pre-save, SMS, and analytics

• 📊 Actionable fan insights that power your next release

Whether you’re an indie artist planning your first campaign or a label managing multiple releases, Sonikit makes it easy to create interactive experiences that convert.

🚀 Power Your Next Release with Sonikit

Sonikit is the all-in-one fan activation platform built for modern music marketing—trusted by artists, labels, and creative teams who want more control and more results. Sign up for a free Sonikit account to start building your next release!