The Verdict is an occasional series on Media in Canada examining successful campaigns and their results.

Universal Music Canada (UMC), Havas Media, and Grassroots Marketing have lifted the curtain on an innovative experiential activation called the “Dial Drunk Hotline” developed to support musical artist Noah Kahan’s most recent live performance in Toronto

According to a spokesperson from Universal Music Canada, the activation was designed “to engage fans and [give them a way] to celebrate their love for Noah, while supporting mental health, something that is an ongoing priority for the artist through his mental health initiative, The Busyhead Project.”

The campaign plays off of Kahan’s hit single “Dial Drunk,” with Havas Media and Grassroots building an old payphone – “a working, AV recording and audio playback enabled phonebooth that we were able to brand in line with the artist’s visuals,” the UMC spokesperson tells MiC – on site at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, which fans used to leave a voicemail for Kahan.

Fans picked up the phone, heard a custom recorded message from the artist, and were invited to leave a voicemail for him before the show.

“We received over 200 fan messages at the show (limited only due to timing with the show starting on stage),” the UMC spokesperson says. “The booth was never empty from the venue opening doors to the show starting, and we generated hundreds of dollars in donations for Unison. Noah also shared a piece of UMC-created content, recapping the activation to his fans via his social accounts, which to date, has generated over 2 million impressions and growing.”

In terms of building awareness around the activation, UMC had street teams handing out cards highlighting the opportunity to leave Kahan a voicemail and pointing to the Unison donation portal online. “We also secured a booth at Budweiser Stage (in partnership with Live Nation) and interest grew as fans lined up to wait their turn to connect with Noah.”

UMC also notified select media and radio partners as well as some influencers who were invited to try the Dial Drunk Hotline themselves, while amplifying the activation on social media.

In Toronto, UMC also partnered with The Unison Fund, a non-profit providing counseling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community.

Kahan played Toronto in September and recently announced he will be returning to the city, this time at Scotiabank arena, in April 2024.