Abba Voyage, the forthcoming concert by the reunited Swedish band featuring digital avatars of the performers, has hired London integrated creative agency TMW Unlimited to work on its marketing communications.

TMW, which was appointed two months ago following a competitive pitch, is charged with delivering all marketing, including CRM, design and data operations, for the concert, which takes place from May 2022. It will see band members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad performing digitally with a live 10-piece band, in a 3,000-person capacity arena in London's Olympic Park. 

The digitally rejuvenated versions of Abba, or “Abba-tars” as they are being dubbed, were created via motion-capture and performance techniques with the four band members and a VFX team from Industrial Light & Magic, the George Lucas-founded company responsible for "Star Wars" effects, in its first foray into music.

Pre-registration for tickets opens today on abbavoyage.com with tickets on general sale from Sept. 7. To promote the upcoming show, the band yesterday released “I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down," the first two singles from a new 10-song studio album that will go on sale on Nov. 5. It's the band's first studio album since 1981.

Chris Mellish, CEO at TMW Unlimited, which is owned by the independent Unlimited Group, described Abba Voyage as "so much more than just an original entertainment experience."

"The team of producers, creatives, artists, musicians and tech experts are extremely collaborative, and, from the get-go, they were looking for a partner that both matched their ambitions and had the capabilities to deliver their vision," Mellish told Ad Age. "We are working with some of the best, most talented people in the world and the project is a testament to their hard work."

TMW’s other recent work has included creating immersive experiences for Lexus and handling a renewed tourism push for London in the wake of the pandemic. Other clients have included Diet Coke and Absolut Vodka.

Michael Bolingbroke, executive producer of Abba Voyage, was responsible for appointing the agency, working alongside producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson (son of Benny Andersson). “When it came to our marketing needs, it was clear TMW Unlimited had not only the vision and ambition that matched ours, but they also had the breadth and depth of capabilities to deliver it,” he said in a statement.

Abba Voyage is not the group's first foray into experiential branded entertainment; it has had success with immersive experience "Mamma Mia: the Party" in Sweden and the U.K. Back in 2015, it worked with Matias Palm-Jensen, the former chief innovation officer at McCann Worldgroup, on that project.