Twenty One Pilots releasing their new album Trench and asked fans to design tour posters.
Twenty One Pilots, the Grammy Award-winning American alt-rock group, wrapped up its largest tour ever with their fans taking center stage. In addition to jaw-dropping live performances punctuated by stunts, illusions, and pure showmanship, the duo asked their fans to design tour posters inspired by Twenty One Pilot’s latest album, Trench. The contest drew thousands of entries from their dedicated followers, known as the “Skeleton Clique,” using Creative Allies’ design platform.
“I love the fact that the band is always looking for innovative and creative ways to engage with their fans,” said Amie Thompson, President, and CEO of Creative Allies, a Raleigh-based digital marketing agency that specializes in crowdsourced campaigns. “We knew this would be much bigger than our last campaign with Twenty One Pilots in 2016 but none of us were prepared for this reaction. Nearly 30,000 fans participated in the four-month engagement. I experienced their amazing show in Raleigh and it solidified why their fans are so loyal and obsessive!”
Bandmates Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph hand-picked each design winner during the second North American leg of the international Bandito Tour, which encompassed 32 cities. Winning artists banked $250 cash, two tickets to the Bandito Tour, an autographed merchandise pack and recognition on social media. One grand prize winner just scored an all-expenses-paid trip to the band’s hometown Columbus, Ohio show, complete with a meet and greet. “I'm at a point in life where I have gained some confidence with my art, but there were a LOT of submissions and many amazing ones,” says Sebastian Kowoll, the Grand Prize Winner. “So being chosen as the winner is a super humbling, validating and truly rewarding experience.”
Despite their massive success, Twenty One Pilots still prioritizes finding ways to connect with their fans in meaningful ways. This most recent engagement is the third time the duo has partnered with Creative Allies, this time using fan-made poster art to sustain awareness and hype for the band’s largest tour yet. The group has dominated the alternative music scene since releasing Vessel in 2013, recently becoming the first band to ever have every song on two different albums certified as gold or platinum. They’ve surpassed 14.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and garner multiple accolades including Grammys, American Music Awards, MTV Awards, Billboard Music and Touring Awards and more.