Hard sell Candy

Madonna gets mobilised

What?: Madonna’s 11th studio album (and her last for Warner Music), due for release on 28th April, has allegedly netted the Queen Of Pop millions before actually going on sale. A number of lucrative tie-in deals with the likes of Vodafone, Fuji and Unilever are also guarantying free promotion for the forthcoming release.

Current single ‘4 Minutes’ (featuring Justin Timberlake) appears in a Sunsilk advert, and also forms the backbone of a Vodafone campaign. A Timbaland remix of the single is available exclusively to Vodafone customers (for £0.49), with seven album tracks available each day for download to mobile devices in the run-up to release. It marks the first time an album by a mega-act has been launched via a mobile phone.

The track ‘Miles Away’ is to be used to promote a new drama on Fuji TV.

So what?: Madonna has a close relationship with mobile. According to reports she is even sleeping with one (she keeps a BlackBerry under her pillow for emergencies). Madonna is still hot property and she is making the most of her brand pulling power. In an age where she has said she won’t perform ‘Like A Virgin’ or ‘Holiday’ for less than $30M, netting pre-release tracks for a few pence via Vodafone seems a good deal. Plus, having an initial release via mobile means she beats the Internet pirates. A mere taster of what’s to come from her new Live Nation 360º deal?

“You can’t go wrong tying up with the world’s biggest mobile operator when distribution is the name of the game. Marketing budgets don’t come much bigger.”
Chris Heath, Strategist, FRUKT

www.vodafonemusic.co.uk