Harry Styles will unleash his sophmore album Fine Line (Dec. 13) in less than three weeks. In the meantime, some Stylers have been getting hit with mysterious targeted ads inviting them to visit the island of Eroda.
The lush, tropical paradise looks amazing, but before you book your flight it’s worth noting that Eroda doesn’t exist and is very likely just part of an elaborate stealth marketing campaign for the album.
The pleas to visit Eroda, whose motto is “No Land Quite Like It,” include prmises promises of luxurious accomodations at the Seaview Cottages and Martin’s Heaven Bed and Breakfast, as well as attractions that include a lightouse, Sea Rock Brewery, Sally’s Tavern, the Flanagan Fish Market and Kiernan art studios. The island is allegedly known for its stunning beauty, quaint villages, lively pubs, fresh fish and “hairstyles [that] have become a rather bold expression of self amongst the island’s youth.”
According to reports, the ads for the fictional island starting popping up in social feeds earlier this month and it didn’t take Stylers long to suspect that the pitches were part of the Fine Line campaign, with an intrepid fan going by @finelineelora gathering some clues:
— The Eroda twitter feed launched in October, around the time Styles released the “Lights Up” single.
— Eroda is “Adore” spelled backwards and one of the songs on Fine Line is titled “Adore You.”
— A recent comment on the Eroda Twitter feed had one commenter saying they couldn’t wait to visit again on Dec. 13, the same day the album is released, while another one lauded the island’s cuisine, noting that the visitor ate lots of “watermelon, strawberries, had cherry too, but I don’t like it.” The album featurees tracks called “Cherry,” “Golden” and current single “Watermelon Sugar.”
— One of Styles’ new band members has a voice similar to that of the woman heard speaking in an Eroda video.
— The Eroda site features the pitch, “Welcome to Eroda! We Adore you.”
— A bench seen in an Eroda Twitter feed is purportedly located in St. Abbes, Scotland, where Harry shot the “Lights Up” video.
A few videos also purport to break down the mystery surrounding the island, along with a Subreddit that runs down clues.
Eroda and Harry… a thread:
Making this as I find stuff so we can all figure this shit out together
— Lora L?VE ON TOUR (@finelinelora) November 24, 2019
No Land Quite Like It #VisitEroda pic.twitter.com/QAbyUlWWbG
— visiteroda (@visiteroda) November 23, 2019
A list of actual clues because a lot of what I’m seeing are reaches:
• Golden Way – Golden
• Cherry Street – Cherry
• Eroda & Adoré – Adore You
• Weird hairstyles – the actual hairstyles in the video / Harry Styles
• Fisherman town
• Yuna Inn = Kindness – TPWK— Pau (@thrumoonlight) November 25, 2019
Find our travel brochure! #VisitEroda pic.twitter.com/RCOsn7TDhV
— visiteroda (@visiteroda) November 26, 2019
I verified a connection between @visiteroda and @Harry_Styles. The Eroda page is using a facebook pixel installed on https://t.co/XK9IFAYNta. You can only track websites you have control of. They are related. https://t.co/ErTBpgURT6 #VisitEroda
— Ryan J (@ryannoyance) November 25, 2019