Linn Klimax DSM

Its customers include the uber-wealthy. But even for Linn, the product at the heart of a new campaign was extreme. With the Klimax DSM, Linn set out to make the best sounding digital audio streamer ever, retailing for a cool £30,000.  

With retail spaces closed during the pandemic it meant that the most crucial step of the traditional sales process – an in-person audio demo – would be closed off. Instead, the launch would be entirely dependent on digital channels.  

 Our task was to devise and launch the campaign for the new Klimax DSM, Digital PR and in conjunction, craft a brand-new global website.  

The project could be distilled down to 3 core objectives:  

• Develop a new global website for Linn to coincide with the Klimax DSM launch.   

• Achieve a substantial target of unit sales within a year despite the high price and pandemic restrictions.  

• Generate significant digital communication reach and impact with a limited paid media budget. 

 While exciting this was undoubtedly daunting. Where do we begin? At the root of it all lay our creative strategy where we leveraged Daniel Kahneman’s Dual Process Theory to target two core consumer audiences including Lifestyle Consumers: Super wealthy, emotionally driven, focusing on style and simplicity and Audiophiles: Technically inclined, rationally driven, focusing on innovation and performance.  

Keeping these user groups at the forefront throughout the project allowed us to design a website and launch strategy to reach and meet their needs. It also reflected Linn’s ethos of refinement, simplicity, and sophistication.   

Drawing inspiration from Nordic design principles, the site balanced functionality with a stylish, minimalist aesthetic that talked to the lifestyle consumer.  

The site also required intricately crafted content. High-quality films, photography, and detailed product information were all created to reflect the meticulous craftsmanship of Linn's products. All crafted to appeal to both the emotionally driven lifestyle consumers and the technically inclined audiophiles looking for every last drop of detail of the products. 

A component-based architecture was employed, allowing easy updates and content management, ensuring that Linn could dynamically adjust content to suit different markets and meet the ever-changing demands and expectations of their customers going forward. 

These user groups were also at the forefront of the campaign for the Klimax DSM. We created high end creative across photography and videography including 2 new films all created in house by us and aimed at the target users. The ‘Making of’ film cinematography was designed around evocative product shots, using darkness and light to pick up alluring product detail.  

We created the piece from the get-go to be chopped into a full series of social shorts, that would be tested and iterated while the campaign was live. The films formed the basis of four ambitious ‘as live’ Livestream events via YouTube and Facebook for Linn's lifestyle, audiophile, trade and press audiences.  

The second film catered to the audiophiles who crave technical detail, we created photo-realistic renders of the beating heart of Klimax DSM and its most revolutionary and critical component: the first ever all-Linn digital-to-analogue converter (DAC). We created photo-realistic renders to enable a stunning ‘fly through’ of the DAC board.  

We even scored a bespoke soundtrack to ensure sound and vision were in perfect unison. And again, ensuring that a single production was cost-effective it was designed to generate a full suite of optimised social assets. The film was widely acclaimed as setting a new standard within the ultra-premium HiFi sector.  

The successful launch of Linn’s Klimax DSM during the pandemic exemplifies the power of strategic digital marketing and innovative web design. The campaign exceeded sales targets – making it the most successful product launch in Linn’s history!  

• More than double the original sales target of Klimax DSM units were ordered within the first three months.

• The campaign achieved an impressive sales to marketing investment ratio of 50:1, and a sales to agency fees + paid media spend ratio of 250:1. 

• The digital presence was significantly boosted with over 7,000 views of the launch films, 44,000+ email opens, and 8,500 click-throughs. The campaign received widespread positive coverage in 35 articles across 17 countries and 5 product-of-the-year awards. 

The launch campaign also won a silver for Digital Communication and a bronze for Digital Strategy at the Marketing Star Awards in 2022 further cementing the success of our collaboration with Linn. 

Music is the soundtrack to your life and Linn make it better – check out our beautifully crafted website for the world’s finest makers of music machines!