Booze Armada

Music and brands embark on a deeper relationship

What?: As one-hit-wonder music campaigns start to offer little in the way of real benefits for brands, deeper campaigns take root:

Groove Armada have become the latest band to actively sidestep the label system, embarking instead on a groundbreaking relationship with a major alcohol brand. The act, who recently ended their long- term deal with Sony BMG imprint Jive Records, will record and release new music through a partnership with alcohol brand Bacardi. As part of the one-year deal with Bacardi B-Live, Groove Armada will also perform live at various Bacardi-branded events taking place across 25-dates and five continents throughout the year.

“Groove Armada and Bacardi will creatively work together in all areas, from the planning right through to the delivery phases,” says Andy Cato of the band. “Working alongside Bacardi we have the chance to take the GA traveling show to new people and places, and find innovative ways of getting our music out there”. ‘Bacardi have always had a strong connection with music and this exciting partnership takes it to a new level,” said Jeff Macdonald, Global Brand Director of Bacardi, talking of an evolution of the standard artist endorsement model.

So what?: Brands are increasingly moving away from simple badging and endorsement deals to immersive long-term music alignments. Brands are in a position of power now as the drivers of new music, as both consumers and artists become disillusioned with the old guard of the recording industry. Brands that have previously dipped their toes tentatively in musical waters (an endorsement here, a commercial soundtrack there) are plunging in at the deep end, opting for big waves as opposed to the increasingly faint ripple effect of lesser campaigns.

There is a mutual benefit for brands and bands to coexist in a new digital age. With EMI setting out its vision to earmark brands for its rooster of artists, and with an increasing amount of bands flying solo, can we expect further deep music integration from brands in 2008?

“We expect there to be a flurry of non-traditional artist deals like this. The challenge with these new types of brand/artist deals is that they need to be both cool AND inclusive – so edginess is pretty much off the menu. B-Live is a cool and exciting platform, and
Groove Armada, though getting on a bit, have a solid heritage and still put on a great live show.”
Theo Gupta, Head of FRUKT artists

www.bacardi.com
www.groovearmada.com