Or actually, it never did.
Background
Hardcore Never Dies is a crime drama set in the 90s Gabber Scene, a unique Dutch subculture tied to hardcore music. Our social strategy focused on bridging the generational gap by growing the Gen Z community and connecting them with the nostalgic OGs of the 90s.
Concept
We launched a social campaign to wake up the gabber culture, turning phones into virtual dance floors with the #hakkenchallenge on TikTok. We invited all generations to 'hak' to the movie's soundtrack. This fresh perspective went viral, we also featured scene pulls, memes, BTS footage, and bespoke content with the movie’s cast, creators, and real-life Gabbers.
@backflipquinn
@gabberdolls
@charlylanui
Results
The harcore dance challenge exploded on TikTok with 20.6 million views and over 1,750 UGC pieces. The 2-hour live stream drew 44.8K viewers on TikTok and Twitch, with 800-1,400 consecutive viewers on TikTok. The community continues to post hak-videos using our soundtrack. The campaign proved hardcore is alive and kicking, uniting both OG and new Gabber fans. When the movie hit Prime Video, it shot to #1 in the Netherlands.
