Direct to Fan: Switchfoot
Client: Switchfoot
Partners: ByDesign, Red Light Management, BMG
Album: Forever Now
A music video built from fan memories drew roughly 8x the channel's normal week-one views, and core fans drove the surge.
Summary:
Alchemy used direct-to-fan platform FanVids to power a fan-facing "Some Moments Live Forever" UGC campaign alongside the album announcement. Fans uploaded their own core memory content, and Switchfoot filmed their genuine first reaction to watching it all back. That footage became the "Beautiful Life" music video, which drew 250K views in its first week, roughly 8x the channel's normal pace.
The campaign inverted the usual release-video model: instead of pushing content at fans, Switchfoot built the video with them, inviting the audience into the Forever Now narrative. The band's unscripted reaction created a raw, emotional moment that compelled viewers to watch and share the final video.
Campaign Highlights:
2K+ new fan club members and pieces of fan content
8x the channel's normal views in the first week
47% increase in subscriber click-through rate - core fans drove views
Friends of the Foot
Fans submitted their own core memories through FanVids, from album announcement through release.
Fans Take Center Stage
Months of submissions fueled the “Beautiful Life” video, the band's socials, and a growing Friends of the Foot fan club.
One Take, No Script
The band watched it all back for the first time on camera. That unscripted moment became the official video.
“We received thousands of videos worldwide, and director and longtime band collaborator Erick Frost cut them together with band and original footage into the official video. He deliberately kept the band from seeing the clips in advance: the back half plays like a “life flashing before their eyes” moment, built from fans’ memories alongside their own. It was an overwhelming experience for the band, and it’s now the emotional core of the finished video.”