ZACH TOP – LEO33 | LEO33
CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
Submitted By: Leo33
Artist Name: Zach Top
Artist Label: Leo33
Artist Territory: United States
Campaign Submission Date: 04/10/2025
Campaign Budget: High ($50K+)
Agency Involvement: Yes
Agency Name: Venture Music|100 Days|Firebird Music
Primary Goals:
- Awareness
- Fan Growth
- Streaming Lift
- Ticket Sales
- Merch Sales
Target Audience Age:
- 18-24 years
- 25-34 years
- 35-44 years
- 45+
Target Audience Location:
- North America
- Latin America
- Europe
- UK & Ireland
- Australia & New Zealand
Primary Genre: Country
CAMPAIGN CASE STUDY
The campaign for Zach Top’s sophomore album Ain’t In It For My Health began with a simple question: what if a country album rollout could feel like a character-driven, interactive fan experience? Inspired by Zach’s tongue-in-cheek charm, the team developed the ZTMD (Zach Top MD) concept — a playful microsite that diagnosed fans’ “country symptoms” and prescribed tracks from the upcoming record.
This idea became a creative centrepiece of a multi-phase strategy. In pre-release, ZTMD served as a high-converting presave engine and data capture tool, collecting over 39,000 fan contacts and driving over 5,000 presaves, totalling 203,000 presaves across the full album campaign. Upon release, the diagnoses were resolved to full album tracks, transforming the quiz into a discovery portal. Post-release, the site evolved again — with its “Stream” button redirecting to the full album, extending engagement well past launch week.
Alongside ZTMD, the campaign rolled out UGC prompts, TikTok & Snapchat AR filters, and a steady stream of memeable content that sparked over 685 user-generated posts, 18.2M views, and a 7.6% average engagement rate. The lead single, Good Times & Tan Lines, was backed by a paid media strategy delivering 10.8M impressions, 87K+ clicks, and a 29% U.S. CTR. Follow-up single South of Sanity maintained momentum with 7.3M impressions, 109K+ clicks, and strong international conversion (11.4%).
The campaign was further amplified by radio support across The Bobby Bones Show, CMT 615 Sessions, and full album takeovers with Audacy and Cumulus. Out-of-home campaigns targeted top streaming markets — including BNA Airport during CMA Fest — yielding millions of IRL impressions and digital retargeting hits.
DSPs championed the release through Spotify’s Countdown to the Album with Dierks Bentley, YouTube’s Foundry program, Amazon’s Country Heat podcast, and Apple’s Kelleigh Bannen Show. Billboard placements spanned NYC Times Square, LA Sunset Blvd, and more.
Internationally, the album debuted on charts in Canada (#11) and UK (#9.),The radio single climbed up airplay charts in Australia (#13 airplay), Canada (#23 airplay) and UK (#11 airplay) with editorial playlisting from Spotify, Apple, and Amazon in all three regions.
Ultimately, the campaign merged narrative, technology, and humor to deliver Zach’s most successful release to date — with 30.3M first week streams, 28.4K first week album equivalents, and a clear message: doctor’s orders were good for business.
CHANNELS & CREATIVE
Unique Campaign Angle: What set this campaign apart was its ability to blend classic country storytelling with modern, multi-platform innovation — all while staying true to the artist’s voice. Instead of relying on one format or channel, the team crafted a layered rollout that moved seamlessly between humour-driven social content, high-performing UGC, custom AR filters, radio takeovers, editorial support, and IRL billboards — from Times Square to Sunset Boulevard.
Each campaign phase was built around Zach’s personality rather than a singular gimmick. Whether it was a joke embedded in a presave tool, a summer-themed fan prompt, or a heartfelt moment in an interview, every touchpoint gave fans a new way to connect. The creative wasn’t bound to one platform — it evolved across formats and territories, from ad campaigns with 29%+ CTR to UK and AUS chart debuts.
By giving fans multiple entry points — visual, emotional, playful, and musical — the campaign created a rollout that felt both wide-reaching and deeply personal. It wasn’t just different because of the tools used, but because of how flexibly and cohesively they worked together to build real fandom.
Marketing Categories:
- Short-form Content
- Influencer Marketing
- Community & Fan Engagement
- D2C & E-Commerce
- Agency-Led Campaign
- Global Marketing Campaign
- Social Media Strategy
- Brand Collaboration
- User-Generated Content (UGC)
- Grassroots & Independent Artist Campaign
Marketing Avenues & Channels:
- TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook
- Influencer Marketing, PR & Media Coverage
- User-Generated Content (UGC
- Email & CRM
- Digital Advertising
Campaign Images
Campaign Assets
PERFORMANCE & INSIGHTS
The Turning Point: The turning point came when fans began organically sharing their humorous ZTMD “diagnoses” across social media. What started as a presave and CRM tool quickly became a viral engine for user-generated content, with fans screenshotting and reposting their results as if they were real medical prescriptions — complete with Zach’s tongue-in-cheek humour and country-coded ailments that aligned with the album’s song titles, unlocking 15-second teasers of each track.
This shift turned the ZTMD microsite from a one-dimensional promotional tool into a meme-worthy, community-building experience, where fans weren’t just consuming the campaign — they were inserting themselves into it. The microsite became a repeat-visit destination, with many fans returning post-release to explore new track prescriptions and stream the album directly.
The virality also prompted updates: the team modified the “Stream” button to link directly to the full album, ensuring ZTMD evolved from a presave driver into a long-term engagement and discovery hub. That fan behaviour — playful, shareable, and self-reinforcing — validated the creative risk and proved that a narrative-led rollout could deliver both performance metrics and cultural resonance.
Standout Statistics:
- 203,000 total album presaves — a career high and a top-tier result for an emerging country artist. More than 27,000% growth from the first album, Cold Beer & Country Music
- 30.3 million streams in the first week
- 28.4K album equivalents in week one
- #1 debut on Luminate Current Country Albums Chart
- #4 debut on Billboard Top Country Albums Chart
- #11 debut on the Billboard 200
- 39,840+ new fan contacts captured via microsite (email/phone)
- 685 UGC posts, generating 18.2M+ views with a 7.6% avg. engagement rate
- 10.8M ad impressions on “Good Times & Tan Lines” → 29% U.S. CTR
- 7.3M ad impressions on “South of Sanity” → 109K clicks, 19% U.S. conversion
Radio airplay charting:
- US: #15
- Canada: #23
- Australia: #13
- UK: #11
International Album debuts:
- Canada: #11 (Country), #44 (Top 200)
- UK: #9 (Country), #53 (Indie), #174 (Top 200)
Most Effective Marketing Channels: One of the more effective channels was the ZTMD microsite, which converted nearly 10% of visitors into a presave, preorder, or ticket click — while collecting 39,840 new fan contacts. It proved that a narrative-driven, artist-personality-led experience could drive real action.
Short-form content and UGC also played a key role, generating 685+ fan posts, 18.2M views, and a 7.6% engagement rate. Combined with paid ads that delivered up to 29% CTR in the U.S., the campaign created a full-funnel strategy — meeting fans on every channel, from local airwaves to global platforms, and turning passive listeners into active participants.
Radio was another major driver of awareness and legitimacy, with features across The Bobby Bones Show, CMT’s 615 Sessions, and album takeover specials on Audacy and Cumulus. These placements helped reinforce Zach’s brand with both core country listeners and national audiences.
Long-Term Artist Impact: This campaign marked a major turning point in Zach Top’s career, transforming him from a rising traditionalist into a breakout artist with global momentum. The rollout generated 203K presaves, 30.3M first week streams, and 28.4K album equivalents in week one — debuting at #1 on the Luminate Current Country Albums Chart and #11 on the Billboard 200.
It also delivered long-term infrastructure: nearly 40,000 new fan contacts were captured for future touring, merch, and direct-to-fan marketing. Radio support and international chart debuts in Canada, the UK, and Australia laid the groundwork for global touring conversations, while DSP editorial support and YouTube Foundry inclusion positioned him as a priority artist.
By fusing authentic storytelling with platform innovation, the campaign didn’t just sell an album — it elevated Zach’s profile across the music industry and built a foundation for sustainable, independent growth.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS
- Meg Goggins|Senior Director of Marketing
- Dusty Cantrell|Product Manager
- Joseph Manzo|Marketing Coordinator
- John Schmidt|Account Director
- Gabby Smedley|Social Director
- Tyler Burns|Manager
- Kyla Linchenat|Project Manager
- Tracy Gibson|Director of Promotion and Marketing
- Katie Dean|Label Head/President
- Chris Fabiani|VP, Promotion and Marketing
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