Drake and the art of storytelling
For anyone who’s been living under a rock (or iceberg - sorry, we couldn’t resist), Drake dropped his ninth studio album, ICEMAN, in May this year.
So far, so nothing to write a blog about. But what could have been just another album release - which in itself would probably have been a success - became ten months of storytelling, worldbuilding and audience participation. The main phase of the Drake ICEMAN campaign ran from July 2025 to May 2026 and included multiple livestreams, real-world events and experiences and not one, but three album releases.
What makes the campaign interesting isn’t simply its scale. Drake took something that happens every day - releasing an album - and turned it into a substantial piece of entertainment. He created a whole world around the album, using ice, blue imagery, mystery and anticipation to give the campaign its own identity. Wherever people came across it, it felt like part of the same story.
Of course, not everyone has millions of dollars and a creative team behind them, but there are some simple lessons for us mere mortals about what makes a successful and memorable marketing campaign.
So, what can brands actually learn from the ICEMAN campaign?
Get to know your audience
If Drake’s campaign proves anything, it’s that the blanket assertion that people have short attention spans and need instant gratification isn’t necessarily true. (Personally, we never fully bought into this, but we’re very glad to see evidence of it on such a gigantic scale.)
When Drake released his first livestream - Episode 1 - in July 2025, the format may have been simple: Drake travels through Toronto in an ICEMAN-branded truck and warehouse world, previewing new music - but it was anything but instantly gratifying. The episode was long-form and cinematic, unfolding at a decidedly leisurely pace. Episodes 2 and 3 followed, set in Manchester and Milan, and alongside the new music, introduced themes, characters and clues that hinted at something bigger without revealing too much. He drip-fed information and mystery, leaving plenty for audiences to speculate about as the campaign unfolded.
The campaign gave audiences more than just new music to consume. They weren’t just waiting for an album to drop - they had something to follow along with, speculate about and come back to.
Obviously, Drake had an existing fanbase, so he wasn’t starting from scratch. But he clearly understood his audience and what would interest them. He knew they were likely to engage with a campaign that gave them more than a release date and a new tracklist.
Whether you’re starting out or have been going for years, you still need to know who you’re trying to reach and why they might care about what you have to offer. What are they interested in? What are they already watching, reading or listening to? Where do they spend their time? What do they respond to?
And while you’re learning, don’t be afraid to try things out. You probably won’t be able to afford Drake-level risks, but taking smaller, carefully managed ones can be a useful way of finding out what your audience responds to. Try a different format, a different tone or a different way of telling the same story. See what gets a reaction, what people engage with and, maybe more importantly, what doesn’t. Sometimes you learn more by trying something and seeing what happens.
Find one strong idea and lots of ways to tell it
The ICEMAN campaign moved between music, livestreaming, film, social media and physical installations in the real world. The format kept changing, but the idea stayed recognisably the same.
And that’s important. Repetition is key to building recognition, but that doesn’t mean doing exactly the same thing over and over again. The trick is having a strong enough idea that people recognise it wherever they come across it.
It also helps to meet your audience where they already are. Different channels have different purposes and people use them in different ways. If you understand what your audience is using each channel for, you can think about how the same idea might work differently in each place, rather than simply putting the same message everywhere.
And IRL is definitely not dead.
Drake could have announced the album release date online and waited for the likes, shares and comments. Instead, he hid it inside a giant block of ice in Toronto that fans could physically interact with. They visited it, filmed it, shared it and even tried to get inside it themselves.
The campaign also turned Toronto into part of the story, with fireworks lighting up the harbourfront and the CN Tower turning blue as part of the final livestream. These were real-world moments,
but they quickly became digital ones too. People filmed them, shared them and turned them into content of their own.
The line between online and offline is becoming increasingly blurred. Something that happens
in the real world can become a digital moment almost instantly.
The campaign unfolded over time, with new things appearing along the way and bigger moments building towards the album release. Rather than arriving as one announcement and disappearing again, each touchpoint fed into the next.
Most brands obviously can’t operate at this scale. But the basic idea is simple: think beyond one individual piece of content.
A social post could lead to a physical experience, which could become something people photograph and share, which could then lead somewhere else. The format can change, but the idea should still be clear throughout.
Relationships are everything
Drake didn’t do it all himself. Other people, places and organisations became part of the campaign and helped take it beyond his own channels.
From filmmakers and creators to local businesses and the city of Toronto itself, they gave people more ways to come across the campaign and more to discover.
Building good relationships can be just as important as having a good idea. The right people can make an idea bigger, more interesting or more credible, and help you do things you couldn’t do on your own. Drake invited 20 emerging filmmakers to create their own versions of a music video. Toronto streamer Kishka was invited to retrieve the official album release date from the ice installation.
Toronto also became a big part of the campaign. There were shoutouts to Mayor Olivia Chow,
references to Canadian brands and a private local party held in partnership with a Toronto restaurant.
In Manchester, Drake brought in local artist Central Cee, premiering their new track during the livestream. So, again, the city wasn’t just a backdrop, it became part of the story too.
As a start, think about who is already around your audience and who else could become part of what you’re doing. It might be another brand, a local business, an influencer or a creator.
Don’t underestimate how attached people can feel to where they live either. Your town, city or local community could be part of your brand story too.
Crucially, make sure relationships work for both sides if you want them to last. It might be access, exposure, a good story, a chance to create something interesting, or simply the opportunity to feel part of something.
When people genuinely want to be involved, they’re much more likely to share something, talk about it and bring it to their own audiences. That gives the original idea a chance to travel much further than your own channels.
It starts and ends with good storytelling
The ICEMAN campaign worked because there was a story people could follow. It unfolded through different people, places and experiences, with Drake at the centre and plenty left unexplained. There was uncertainty about what would happen next, and enough unanswered questions to keep people guessing.
Each new piece added something without necessarily explaining everything. You could watch an episode, see an installation or come across a new image and enjoy it on its own, while still having questions about what it meant - and what might happen next.
That’s one of the things good storytelling can do. It can make marketing feel less like advertising and more like something people actually want to be part of. While clarity is important, you don’t need to explain everything. Sometimes leaving people with a few questions is what makes them want to find out what happens next.
In Episode 2 of the livestreams, for example, Drake is physically chased through the streets
of Manchester by someone dressed as Pinocchio.
Naturally, people online started trying to work out what it meant. Some interpreted Pinocchio - whose nose famously grows when he lies - as a reference to Drake being chased by lies. Others pointed to similarities between Pinocchio’s outfit and a photo of Kendrick Lamar in similar colours, and wondered whether the scene was a message aimed at him.
Drake never explained any of this himself, so none of those interpretations can really be taken as fact.
But that’s almost beside the point.
He created the scene and left enough unanswered for people to come up with their own theories. And maybe there was no deeper meaning at all. Maybe he just likes the story of Pinocchio. Who knows?
Perhaps that’s one of the biggest lessons here. The impact of a really simple idea that leaves room for interpretation. When audiences aren’t being spoon fed a story, but are given interesting clues and a reason to be curious about what happens next, you’re onto something.
Drake’s campaign wasn’t perfect - but it didn’t have to be. What mattered was that it had a clear idea and was intentional about how that idea was delivered. He understood his audience, found people who could add something to the idea, created multiple ways for people to come across it and, most importantly, had a good story.
Most brands don’t have Drake’s budget or fanbase and probably aren’t going to be able to drop a giant block of ice into a city - but the principle is still useful. Start with a good idea, understand who you’re talking to, find the right people to bring into it and give people something they actually want to follow. You can build from there.
The Mango approach
That’s something we think about a lot at Mango Studios LDN. Before we make a film, podcast or campaign, there needs to be a reason for someone to want to watch it, listen to it or spend time with it. There’s more content than ever competing for people’s attention, so the answer isn’t simply to make more of it - it’s to have something worth saying and to find a way of saying it that people will remember.
That’s where we come in. We work with brands, organisations and people to develop ideas,
shape stories and then turn them into content - whether that’s a film, podcast, campaign, social content or something a bit different. Sometimes the starting point is a fully formed idea. Sometimes it’s a much rougher thought that needs developing. Either way, the story comes first, and then we work out the best way to tell it.
Start with something people might actually care about. Understand who you’re talking to. Find the right people to bring into it. Then think about all the different ways you could tell the story.
Because making content is the easy bit. The harder part is making something people actually want to watch, listen to or spend time with - and giving them a reason to care.
If you have a story to tell, or want to get in touch for an initial chat, contact us at space@mangostudiosldn.com. We’d love to hear from you.
CONTENT WITH PURPOSE. MADE WITH MANGO.
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