Gaga for brands

BRIT (Ad)wards 2010

The BRIT Awards, the UK’s answer to The Grammys, is over for another year. Liam Gallagher threw an award, Kasabian fell over, Lady Gaga sang a song no-one knew, and Cheryl Cole’s lips operated from another dimension. However, aside from the myriad of performances, acceptance speeches and dubious choices of presenter something else was notably absent. The ad breaks didn’t appear to feature a single commercial for an album release – despite an audience of millions of devoted music fans. Read more

Get the car started

Pink is V8’s new Grid Girl

Pink has been unveiled as the ambassador for V8 Supercars in Australia, a country where she has recently become something of a national music icon. The deal will see her partnered with the motor sports event for three years and likely to perform at one of the upcoming races.  The singer filmed a commercial to accompany her endorsement – which features her song ‘Get The Party Started’ and various V8 stars Read more

Super Bowl 2010

Ad touchdown gets nostalgic

Rihanna referred to the Super Bowl as a “big, walking music video”, and the sporting and advertising highlight of the year didn’t disappoint on the music front in 2010. The Who’s performance during half time – a lucrative slot for any band – has been both praised and panned by critics – with one citing it as “an act of terrorism on US soil”. However, even if the viewing audience is equally split it will still mean the band have appealed to at least 50M possible music buyers. Read more

The heat of the moment

A first for music

Coca-Cola China has launched a new online campaign fronted by Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit in order to celebrate Chinese New Year.  The promotion – which features the track ‘The First Taste of Happiness’ – invites users to customize their own festive Coke bottles and participate in an online UGC element which will see their video efforts placed into a collective ad alongside the band. The digital side of the ad campaign depicts Coke drinkers passing their bottles along from one video clip to the next Read more

Daft Vader

The empire sneaks back

There is an interesting meld of genres in this recent adidas commercial, which promotes a new line of Star Wars branded footwear in the style of its ‘House Party’ campaign commercial from 2008.  Read more

I’m with stupid

Dumbing down at Diesel

Stupid is as stupid does. Apparently. Clothing brand Diesel is looking to recruit people with a creative cause to appear in an online music video, due to be shot in February. The music video is part of its newly launched  ‘Be Stupid’ campaign which Read more

Sound Investment

Brands see the value of music

This week saw the 50th edition of the Brands Bands Fans newsletter. Since its inception in May 2007 – and the subsequent launch of our blog, Twitter feed, events and panels, we have covered a vast and ever expanding selection of brand and music partnerships and marketing activity. We hope you’ve found it as invaluable as we have and that it has opened your eyes to the full spectrum of opportunity available within music. Read more

In the Beat of the night

Samsung looks to new music TV generation

Bebo and Samsung are teaming up on a new online TV initiative in order to promote Samsungs new Beat DJ Handset. As with previous tried and tested Bebo webisode models – Kate Modern, Sofia’s Diary, and The Secret World of Sam King -  the Beat series will follow a fully interactive pathway. Viewers will be given the chance to interact through blogs, upload track reviews, share music news and also be offered the chance to appear in the show itself. Read more

Music laundering

Folk gets steamy

Here’s the new commercial for Reid’s laundry service – yes, you heard right, a laundry service. Reid’s offers “tender loving care for the things you wear” and they like to sing and dance about it. The commercial features folk chanteuse Erin Ivey coyly inviting you to join her amongst the racks of freshly steamed shirts in plastic bags.

Apparently she’s the “shirt you wear” and ” your brand new slacks”. Although interestingly she Read more

Brits aboard

Scouting for sales

“Do you like my grassy knoll?,’ said Ferne Cotton from an AstroTurfed set as she prepared to thrust another year of BRIT nominations upon us. The Brit Awards 2009 are just around the corner, so Brands Bands Fans ventured over to the Camden Roundhouse to check out this year’s selection of last year’s talent. Ferne gave the usual patter: “I’m up for best fake blonde, ” she said – with one eye on the autocue and the other on the photographers circling a little too closely to her hemline Read more

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