Our stellar tribute to The Starman.
Studio Brussels is a popular public radio station in Belgium. When David Bowie died, the station knew millions of fans around the world were feeling aggrieved. A small team at DDB was asked to help create a fitting tribute.
As a team we decided we needed to create a tribute every Bowie fan around the world could get involved in. But we needed to do something truly meaningful to get their attention first.
Studio Brussels / Stardust for Bowie
DDB Brussels, 2016
Honouring The Starman with a new constellation.
We asked scientists of the Belgian Royal Space Observatory for help in creating a unique homage in space. Together we identified 7 stars in the vicinity of Mars, and registered a unique lightning-bolt shaped constellation in Bowie’s name.
We linked the homage in the sky to an online tribute page, Stardust for Bowie, which was developed with Google Sky. The page allows fans to create personal tributes within the constellation’s borders, whether it’s naming a favorite song or leaving a short message to remember Bowie’s legacy. Together, each of those tributes combine to brighten the interior of the constellation, making it easy to pinpoint in the Google Sky galaxy.
The most fitting David Bowie tribute.
The Brief.
We were asked to create a fitting homage for David Bowie.
The Challenge.
To make it easy for every Bowie fan around the world to get involved.
The Strategy.
We planned to create a BIG meaningful & memorable homage for Bowie, that is easy for fans to access.
The Results
We sparked a wave of support on Twitter, and our tribute initiative became front page news around the world.
200K fans left a message for Bowie on the platform.
+1M Bowie fans shared the platform across their social media accounts.
The constellation quickly entered fan culture: Fans wore it on their chests, created T-shirts, and even tattooed it on their arm…
Time Magazine.
“The Man Who Fell to Earth is now
really among the stars.”
ABC News.
“As more and more people have shared their memories and created virtual stars, the constellation in the Google Sky galaxy has grown increasingly brighter.”
Uproxx Magazine.
“It’s borderline impossible to properly pay respects to a musician as massive as David Bowie. But this lightning-bolt-shaped constellation made in Bowie’s honour comes mighty close.””
Awards.
4x Cannes Lions, including 1 Gold.