Headlining Sphere is a big moment for any band, and Zac Brown Band wanted to make sure they did it right. Leading up to the drop, Zac Brown Band used a mix of strategies to drive new fan list signups and get loud online and IRL. Dive in below.
To grow their list, ZBB offered fans 15% off merch via a Laylo signup page. From there, they lined up merch drops like online exclusive 2025 tour merch and a limited edition tie-dye tee in honor of 4/20.
A single text and email from ZBB in April drove more than $20,000 in T-shirt sales.
Follow-up merch drops, including signed vinyl and limited shirts brought in thousands more.
Today, 50%+(!!) of Zac Brown Band’s total fan list is identified as likely merch buyers through Laylo’s enriched segments. Using Laylo’s Shopify integration, the band can also track fan purchases and revenue over time.
Giveaways are a cornerstone of ZBB’s strategy. Each one brings in thousands of new fans while keeping their existing audience engaged.
From signed merch to ticket giveaways, the band uses Laylo to manage entries, deliver rewards, and grow their database with every activation.
After they bolstered their list from merch drops, teasers, giveaways, website signups, and more, ZBB got creative and hosted a hyper-local activation and surprise performance at Fenway Park for Boston-based fans.
The band sent a geo-targeted email and text blast to 5K+ fans within 120 miles of Boston using Laylo’s segmentation features, inviting them to “ZBB Day.” The exclusive event included a ballpark tour, limited merch, and a chance to win tickets to the limited engagement.
The twist? Zac showed up in grounds crew gear, surprising fans with an acoustic set and photos.
Before the announcement, ZBB posted a teaser drop driving fans to sign up to hear the big news. They encouraged fans to leave Instagram comment's and DMs, and then routed them through Laylo drops to capture contact data and deliver access. Fans who signed up were first in line.
After capturing thousands of fan phone numbers, Zac Brown Band texted fans about their limited engagement at Sphere with a link to special travel VIP packages that got fans first in line ahead of the high-demand pre-sale.
This meant the fans who moved first got rewarded first, too.
Zac Brown Band focused on driving fan list growth ahead of their big moment. Through merch drops and giveaways, and engaging with fans IRL, they built a highly engaged fan list before presale.
The result? Shows sold out night after night, and more dates were added as demand surged.
ZBB now uses Laylo for even more, including the pre-save campaign for their newest single featuring Dolly Parton, Butterfly. They've also used Laylo to announce new Sphere dates to meet fan demand.
Now that the band has built a direct line to their top fans, the first-party data is theirs to keep. Laylo also enriches this data: of the 500K+ fans on their list, ZBB knows that more than 50% of these fans are likely merch buyers, 15% are likely ticket buyers, and they can also see where fans are located... so messaging a ticket buyer in Nevada about last minute tickets released is not only possible, it’s easy and cost-effective.
When artists truly know which fans are on their list, fans feel seen. That personalized connection creates belonging, and belonging fills stadiums and spheres.
500K+ fans on ZBB’s list
50%+ of fans in merch buyers segment
$20K in merch from a SMS/email blast
