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.

In some ways this may seem odd, however a full 30 years on and the BRIT Awards now operate in a music ecosystem where sales are fleeting and brand alignments offer artists a whole new gamut of opportunity. A quick scan of the acts performing last night highlights their ongoing brand appeal, with the majority of artists present involved in brand alignments running concurrently with the event: Cheryl Cole (L’Oreal), Kasabian (Umbro), JLS (Nokia), Lily Allen (Xbox), Dizzie Rascal (Nike), and Florence and the Machine (a saturation of syncs across UK TV). Pixie Lott – who walked away with nothing from her three nominations – has also racked up a wealth of brand alignments in the last year (Nokia, Casio, Guitar Hero, River Island, EA, Orange, O2, and MySpace – to name just a few). Even Lady Gaga – one of the international acts that acted as a crutch to the show – is open for branded business, having recently signed up to a creative partnership with Polaroid.

As for the ads themselves numerous brands chose a musical route (Barclaycard, Hovis, Visa, etc), with the event’s title sponsor MasterCard rolling out idents featuring the Pet Shop Boys playing in a fan’s house. Some ads were subtler than others, with an ad for Schwarzkoff’s Live Colour XXL hair dye following Florence and the Machine’s flame haired award acceptance. Could Schwarzkoff net some of the traction that saw Florence Welch’s album sales rise by 1000% overnight?

Bearing in mind the high level of traction, and in many ways consumer anticipation, during The Grammys and Super Bowl ad breaks in the US, the BRIT Awards still have some way to go with regards to generating a major advertiser buzz. That said, with the lifting of the product placement ban coming into effect later this year, next year’s BRIT Awards could see brands taking a more central role in the UK music industry stalwart

Visa - Football Evolution ad

Schwarzkoff - Live Colour XXL ad (and Florence Welch’s hair BRITS 2010 & 2009)

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 – during her recent ‘Funhouse’ concert tour in Sydney. The multi-million dollar TV campaign depicts Pink inside a vehicle that transforms into the V8 course with the singer as the race’s flag bearer, under the banner ‘ The Greatest Show on Wheels’. The ad itself is highly reminiscent of the video for Pink’s 2003 song ‘Feel Good Time’, which placed her in  a motocross setting for the film Charlie’s Angels.

“She’s not afraid to be different. She’s bold, she’s outspoken and she’s unapologetic.” said V8 Supercars Australia chairman Tony Cochrane talking about the partnership. “She’s the most popular modern day artist in this country by a very long margin. She’s cool. For all of those reasons V8 Supercars and Pink are the perfect DNA match.”  The singer had been approached by the racing brand before and was asked to play live at the Sydney Telstra 500. However, it clashed with a booked performance in Europe.  Pink’s only stipulation on signing the deal (aside from a sizeable cash injection) was that it not be a ‘half-hearted’ marketing campaign – hence the enlisting of renowned music video director Dave Meyers, who has created videos for music’s biggest acts over the last ten years.

Pink isn’t the only artist hitching her musical wagon to the fast paced sporting sector. Artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and N.E.R.D supported the recent F1 Rocks series of live events around the Formula One season in Singapore. In addition a song by the band Comic Book Heroes has been selected by ESPN to feature alongside the network’s coverage of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series in the US. “NASCAR racing is a sport with sights, sounds, and speed that lends itself to rock and roll music in a very natural blend,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN VP of motorsports.

It’s not hard to see the attraction from an artist’s perspective either. With in excess of 1.7M people attending a V8 Supercar Championship Series event in 2009, and 7M watching at home, the traction for music is clear. The recent Super Bowl saw a long list of music alignments, and with Umbro launching its new England football kit in partnership with the band Kasabian just the other day (side-stepping its normal association with the actual players), it seems sport and music are set to become more integrated than ever before as both parties seek to attract their respective audiences.

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. Good for the group’s sales and hopefully also for Bridgestone tyres who sponsored their appearance. Interestingly the iconic British band weren’t the only nostalgia bid, with numerous other veteran acts also appearing in ads:

Audi (Cheap Trick)

Dr Pepper Cherry (KISS)

Bud 55 (Electric Light Orchestra)

Honda (Kool and the Gang)

Electronic Arts (Bill Withers)

A large part of the blame for the leaning towards nostalgic sound tracks can possibly be leveled at the successful door of US music show Glee – which has brought guilty musical pleasures to the fore.  Contemporary artists even got in on the retro act and played the nostalgia card. Ads featuring more current acts such as  indie band Grizzly Bear, who had a sync in a Volkswagen commercial, were tempered with appearances from older artists like Stevie Wonder. Will.i.am even went as far as reworking The Who’s hit ‘My Generation’ as part of a whopping $10M ad spend by mobile TV company FLO TV.

Volkswagen (Grizzly Bear)

FLO.TV (will.i.am)

Interestingly Pepsi – who made a big splash with the juxtaposition of genres between will.iam and Bob Dylan at the Superbowl last year – steered clear of the event, focusing instead on a concerted social media approach. It appears to have paid off, with the brand gaining 21% of the media coverage and online buzz around Superbowl advertising. Also by comparison its $20M spend on the campaign is a sizeable $10M less than its usual Super Bowl ad spend. However, despite the absence of a direct ad presence the brand didn’t turn its back on music, netting high profile acts – such as Rihanna and Justin Bieber – to perform at the Pepsi Fan Jam Super Bowl concert. With 100M Americans tuning in, the Super Bowl remains a dominate force in advertising. And music, once again – whether during the event or in the run up to it – is very much the favoured mechanic by brands looking to create emotional bookmarks in the minds and hearts of consumers.

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 to form a visual chain effect. The ad – which seems to have a prominent Apple placement at various points – is reminiscent of a recent online video created by the Japanese band, Sour. The campaign has partnered with online portals such as QQ.com, Tudou.com, and Youku.com and Coke’s own website to promote the initiative which follows on from last year’s ‘First Taste of the Year’ positioning.

Fahrenheit – who release their fourth album in August 2010 – have been a massive draw in southeast Asia over the last few years. They are also no strangers to brand endorsements, having being Ambassadors for Canon’s full range of digital cameras in 2008.  However, it doesn’t stop there. They have also appeared in ads for Volvo, Man Simple face wash, 7-Eleven, TaiShan iced drinks, Watson’s Water, the C.C Lemon drink, Chun eyewear, I Do Golden! Jewelry, 3+2 Crackers and – well I could go – but you get the general idea.

Coke is in the midst of a $2B three-year expansion and growth plan in China, which includes the opening of an $88M bottling plant in the city of Wuhan to aid the increased demand for the product in the region.  The soft drink brand is tapping into the traditional Chinese New Year concept with this promotion of passing on lucky red ‘lai see’ packages via its very own ‘red packaged’ bottle of happiness. The innovative use of social media and UGC serve to strengthen this positive connection. The youth segment this campaign is aiming to reach are far less cynical than their Western counterparts, so the inclusion of a boy band (even simply juggling coke bottles) is not viewed with anything but admiration. Bearing in mind the 320M Youth sector in China (16-30) has around $135B in spending power – both Coca-Cola and Fahrenheit have lots to gain from creating high distribution, well- rounded, family appealing commercial partnerships such as these.

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.  The ad features David Beckham and Darth Vader alongside musicians such as Snoop Dogg and Daft Punk. It also utilises a new remix of the Imperial March – Darth Vader’s entrance tune.  The accompanying footwear will feature an Augmented Reality code on the shoe tongue which will unlock both a Star Wars game and a music game when placed in front of a web cam.

www.youtube.com

www.adidas.com

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 will encompasses press, outdoor, digital and viral activity. Performers within the video will be clickable, taking visitors through to the Diesel online store for purchase of items worn in the production. So, actually quite clever then after all.

www.diesel.com

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.

What our ongoing involvement in this space has consistently impressed upon us is the break neck speed of activation; it is relentless, ever-evolving, adapting and diversifying. However, in many ways it is hard to keep track with hundreds of branded music campaigns springing up each month. Many of these can fly under the radar in such a busy marketing environment, and we hope we’ve managed to capture the heart of the brands and music zeitgeist over the last few years. We’ve uncovered some marketing gems along the way, from innovative digital platforms harnessing the power of social media; right through to intimate gigs bringing fans closer to the music they love.

Despite a perceived lull in marketing spend, 2009 has been among the most creative and active years for music marketing, with brands recognising that music touch points offer a longevity of consumer traction that few other routes to market can match. With green shoots of economic revival sprouting as we approach the year’s end we envisage that this level of creativity will continue throughout into 2010. And, as ever, we’ll be there to capture the very best as it happens across the globe.

So What?: For all the campaigns that we cover are any of them cutting through? Do music fans even want brands involved with the music their hold so dear? The answer, it appears, is a resounding “yes”. Exclusive research from FRUKT Music Intelligence’s ‘Brands and Music Manifesto 2010’ (more details on back page) can reveal that consumers are increasingly more accepting of brand involvement in music. A nationally representative survey undertaken in the UK depicts a nation that has moved away from the old concept of seeing bands as “selling out” by aligning with brands. In excess of three quarters of consumers now believe music is an important factor in brand engagement, with 86% open to brands that enrich their experience of a product with music tie-ups such as downloads, festival sponsorships or live music events. The research also highlighted how 31% of 16-18 year-olds, and one in five adults, say music drives their choice of brand if the involvement adds value.

“Brands Bands Fans was created in order to highlight the myriad of music oriented marketing activity, innovations and trends across the globe. Over 100,000 words later, since our very first Pepsi story, we are still delivering a resource unmatched in the industry. A little light analysis shows interestingly, that we’ve covered significantly more activity from the US than anywhere else on the planet, and that MySpace, Sony, Nokia, Samsung and Coca-Cola rank as the most ‘busy’ brands in music according to their respective citations in BBF. It’s so positive that so many brands are now beginning to explore the potential of music – and to understand it’s not just a TV sync or an opportunity for a bit of ‘cool’ by hanging out with new bands… but that music is a vast cultural space.”
Jack Horner, Creative Director, FRUKT

FRUKT Brands and Music Manifesto 2010

97% of consumers like or love music*
…but how can brands harness this passion?

Packed with insight including:
• FRUKT’s vision for 2010
• Building relevant artist endorsements
• Maximizing live music’s potential
• Delivering successful campaigns
• Differentiating music activity
• New research, essays & case studies

* FRUKT Research, as featured in the special report

Download the sampler here

Only £150 or get it for free when you subscribe to FRUKT Music Intelligence (£400pa).

To subscribe, or to order your copy, contact Dudley Ashton:
+44 (0)20 7017 8146 / sales@fruktmusic.com

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. In addition Samsung and Bebo will also be running a nationwide promotion to find a co-presenter for the show. The deal will see Samsung promoting its new live venture, Samsung Bebo Nights, with an inaugural performance by White Lies and The Maccabees on 1st June.

Music TV has been dead in the water for some time now as the digital music realm superseded that of the MTV generation and pushed numerous shows, from Top of the Pops to MTV’s TRL  into the analogue dumper. However, a generation is now growing up who haven’t experienced music TV, they are used to ‘search’ rather than ‘push’ when it comes to selecting music and increasingly self-powered taste making is becoming unsatisfying. The Bebo concept of broadcasting takes the ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ route  (like the popular Fighting Fantasy novels that appeared in the 1980s) and applies it to the formerly passive role of TV, giving it a much needed digital spin.  “Music shows in the most traditional sense do not talk to an online audience. Those on the web now that might once have tuned into a CD:UK or Top of the Pops are not really looked after,” said Peter Cowley, global head of original digital programming at Endemol.

So what?: Samsung have a long history dabbling with music – traditionally working with artists to endorse and support new product launches. In the past year or so they have used Girls Aloud, The Presets, Ozzy and Gabriella Cilmi. Not to mention signing up Lebanese singer Elissa as a brand ambassador and Korean singer Rain as their Olympic ambassador in China.  This new approach to supporting a series of live music initiatives such as Samung Bebo Nights is the first time they’ve branched out into what could be described as a marketing platform.

Coincidently, Sony Ericsson is also launching its music-entertainment show Pocket TV on YouTube and mobile handsets on 4th June. The free shows will consist of five weekly 90-second segments featuring interviews with artists and bands, live sessions and behind the scenes features. “Youth audiences may be watching less television – but they are online and using their mobile handsets, and they are more passionate about music and entertainment than they have ever been,” says Dave Hilton, Sony Ericsson head of marketing.

Coming back to Samsung‘s tie up with Bebo: this is a positive activity, using multiple channels, a strong social networking partner and the creation of some exclusive content at the heart of it. The big challenge will be taking it from a sponsorship into a partnership, resulting in a platform that is credible with their target audience:

“Our belief is that credibility through association is tough to achieve, brands need to do something genuinely useful and interesting for the audience or they risk joining a long list of brands trying to absorb some ‘cool’. This new activity is a great starting point for Samsung, with appropriate partnerships in place, relevant products and creation of content at the heart of it all. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds”
Jack Horner, Creative Director, FRUKT

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 doesn’t appear to be wearing any slacks. Maybe she’s just singing while she waits for them to be washed and pressed.

It may seem like it’s one perky side-step too far into ’selling out’ to some (even Ivey suggests “I sold my soul to the sultans of clean” on her blog), but in reality it’s a smart positioning move for a new artist. One commentator on her blog says: “I don’t see it as selling out, but being smart. If it can help you get your name and talent out there, well good job”.

Another adds: “If there are more opportunities, try to work in trousers, pantaloons or my personal favorite, britches”

Somehow I see ‘britches’ as being endorsed by a rapper though…

If you’d like to know more about Erin, you can hear more here. She’s also on Twitter, as is Brands Bands Fans.

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. The event itself saw performances from Gabriella Cilmi (sporting sparkly pants and a Kings of Leon sample to boot), Scouting for Girls and Critic’s Choice winner, Florence and the Machine – plus a notable apperance of two fifths of Girls Aloud.

Climi has alreadly racked up some notable brand alignments with Dolce & Gabbana, Coca-Cola and Samsung, and will no doubt be in line for many more seeing as she straddles the line so well between the more reflective Duffy and virtually unbrandable Amy Winehouse.

As for the awards themselves? Never let it be said that BRIT nominations aren’t ecelctic (Iron Maiden and Scouting for Girls are battling it out for best British live act). For a full list of the nominations see the offical Brit Awards site here