THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

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APT. by ROSÉ ft Bruno Mars YouTube Shorts Challenge

Entered in Music & Dance

Objective

When global pop icon ROSÉ released her latest single, "APT." featuring Bruno Mars, YouTube set out to do more than just amplify it—we aimed to transform it into a fan-powered movement. Our goal was to drive mass participation by turning YouTube into a stage where audiences could create, collaborate, and connect through their own YouTube Shorts. The mission: to seamlessly blend music, dance, and digital culture, sparking a viral wave of user-generated content (UGC) that would redefine how fans engage with artists.

Strategy

At the heart of our approach was the APT. YouTube Shorts dance challenge, designed to ignite fan creativity and participation. The challenge invited users to showcase their ‘number one’ best friend energy by recreating choreography alongside ROSÉ, fueling an organic surge of UGC across YouTube and beyond.

To drive momentum, we strategically launched a mix of teasers, exclusive song moments, and Shorts creations, while activating top creator partnerships and commissioning digital artists to spark engagement. We tapped into ROSÉ’s dedicated fanbase by amplifying our hero Short through an Instagram collab on ROSÉ’s finsta (1M followers), maximizing reach and visibility across platforms. This multi-channel strategy ensured sustained engagement, helping us overcome the challenge of cutting through the noise in an already crowded digital landscape.

By seamlessly integrating artist, fan, and platform collaboration, we redefined what music promotion looks like in the digital age. The uniqueness of this approach lay in its ability to transform passive listening into active participation, making fans co-creators of the experience rather than just spectators.

Results

The #ROSÉ_BRUNO_APT campaign delivered outstanding results, surpassing expectations and setting new benchmarks for music engagement on social platforms. The campaign generated:

Additionally, our hero Short, amplified via Instagram, became YouTube IG’s 5th most-engaged post ever, contributing 40% of total PEs. By transforming music fans into active collaborators, we successfully proved that the best social content isn’t just watched—it’s created together. This campaign set a new standard for how music, dance, and digital culture intersect, reinforcing YouTube as the ultimate platform for fan-driven innovation.

Media

Video for APT. by ROSÉ ft Bruno Mars YouTube Shorts Challenge

Entrant Company / Organization Name

We Are Social U.S., YouTube

Links

Entry Credits