London Calling: Usher Takes Over UK Capital With Multi-Brand Activation

When Usher arrived in London at the end of March for 10 sold-out dates at The O2, he and his team wanted to make a splash.

It was his first time returning to the UK in over a decade, and they wanted his arrival to appear James Bond-esque. They partnered with Uber, Spotify, Bentley and Selfridges & Co. to bring the idea to life, with Tom Dodd, Adam Bullied, Gus Jones-Donelly, Lola Oyewole helming the activations on WME’s end.

“How do you show up in London, do you show up on the Thames in front of the London Eye? In front of Big Ben? Do you drive a Bentley or an Aston Martin?” Dodd asked. “We really liked the idea of the Thames.

“We wanted to do an afterparty at the Box, which is the most iconic London club. He already had these ideas, we just needed to bring those to life with the right brands.”

Usher and the WME team managed to shut down the entire city for his arrival, bringing in guest appearances from London-based artists including Little Simz and RAYE.

“The easiest thing with someone like Usher is he’s 20 years deep of a brand,” Bullied says. “People know what he stands for. The hardest part really was coming up with something that just felt exciting to him. He was so hard working; I’ve never known someone who gives so much to make sure every single person got way more than they bargained for.”

The campaign became such a hit that the WME team was bombarded with messages from artists wanting to get in on the events, to the point that “we’re telling superstar names, ‘I’m sorry. We can’t really fit you in.’”

Bullied adds, “He’s got that way of making you feel super special. I think that’s just a real part of his being. That’s what makes him so unique as an artist and so unique as a potential partner. It was interesting the variety of clients and celebrity talent that were there. It was a real eclectic mix of talent and of so many different ages. I think that was a testament to the legacy Usher has.”