The Goal: Develop a custom product and integrated marketing campaign that leveraged Soft Kill’s dedicated fan base and Mr. Black’s reputation within the boutique guitar community to drive awareness, product demand, and long-term brand value through an authentic artist collaboration.
The Execution: Drawing on established relationships with both Soft Kill frontman Tobias Grave and Mr. Black Effects, I developed a custom guitar pedal inspired by Soft Kill’s signature lush reverb, and chorus-driven post-punk sound.
The product strategy was built around a strong audience insight: Soft Kill fans consistently respond to exclusive, limited-edition releases. With that in mind, we produced the pedal as a highly limited offering, creating a sense of urgency that resonated with both fans and collectors with the initial release sold out in less than two hours. Demand remained strong enough that Soft Kill later introduced additional limited-run variants, each of which also sold out, extending the momentum of the collaboration and validating partnership.
To support the launch, we developed an integrated marketing campaign across artist and brand-owned channels. The campaign included a custom video, product photography, social content, editorial storytelling, and a coordinated launch strategy designed to build anticipation and drive engagement. By centering the collaboration on a genuine connection between the artist, product, and audience, the campaign successfully expanded reach, generated revenue, and demonstrated the value of artist-led partnerships built on authenticity rather than traditional sponsorship models.
