Fender + Flywheel

For Fender, the challenge was not simply selling instruments online—it was reaching aspiring musicians at the pivotal moment when curiosity becomes a lifelong passion.
Produced by Phoenix Media Group for Amazon Ads Unboxed 2025 in Nashville, the Fender + Flywheel case study tells the story of how consumer intelligence, strategic collaboration, and targeted advertising helped Fender unlock a new market opportunity.
Recognizing that aspiring players were finding guitars at lower price points on Amazon than in traditional retail, Fender partnered with Flywheel and Amazon Ads to rethink its approach. Using Amazon’s proprietary machine-learning capabilities, the teams analyzed 17 million insights across 456 variables to better understand consumer behavior and identify an opportunity to serve new musicians. The result was the Fender Debut series, launched exclusively on Amazon and supported by an integrated strategy spanning programmatic display, on-site video, and paid search.
Phoenix Media Group transformed this complex business strategy into an engaging, human-centered narrative, connecting the power of data and advertising technology to something deeply personal: the first guitar that inspires someone to play. The story balances strategic insight with tangible business results, illustrating how the right combination of audience intelligence, product innovation, and marketing execution can create meaningful growth.
In just six months, the Fender Debut series accounted for 15% of Fender’s Amazon sales, contributing to 44% year-over-year growth. Yet the story’s ultimate measure of success reaches beyond immediate sales: introducing a new generation of players to music and helping set them on a path toward becoming lifelong musicians.
Created for a high-profile industry audience, the film demonstrates Phoenix Media Group’s ability to translate complex marketing success into clear, compelling storytelling—making the business impact memorable while keeping the human story at its heart.