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.

Franz in high places

French fashion house Dior have recruited UK indie band Franz Ferdinand to record the track ‘Eyes of Mars’ for the latest Dior Lady Rouge bag campaign. The song features vocals from French actress Marion Cotillard – winner of an oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in the film ‘La Vie En Rose’ – who portrays Lady Rouge, a character who moves from working woman to nightclub singer in New York.

The campaign, with its distinctive red palette, is the second part in an ongoing series by Dior – the first being Lady Noire, which consisted of a Film Noire styled movie. Lady Blue, set in Shanghai, is coming soon. An instrumental version of the Franz Ferdinand track is also available, plus a ‘Making Of’ video offering a behind the scenes look at the Annie Leibovitz photo shoot that comprises the print promotion. The content can also be shared via Twitter, Facebook and a Lady Rouge widget via the Lady Dior website.

The endorsement by Franz Ferdinand is interesting, particularly given the bands recent Twitter outburst against endorsements. Lead singer Alex Kapranos offered up some choice words aimed squarely at his US record label after they decided to use one of his tracks as musical accompaniment on a McDonald’s website. The song was subsequently removed and appeared to be an error on the labels’ part (not McDonald’s, who had used it in good faith). Interestingly, Franz Ferdinand drummer Paul Thomson kept a diary of tastiest burgers he ate while on tour in America last year on the band’s official website – so this is a partnership that could have worked, had the band been open to the idea.

The Dior campaign itself is much more a cinematic fit, with the band composing more of a movie sound track than a mere jingle for the luxury brand. It’s a striking example of the quality of music that can be utilised by aligning directly with a particular act – and in this case one that was not an obvious choice. In many ways the inclusion of Franz Ferdinand and Marion Cotillard can be seen as a bid to appeal to aspirational luxury shoppers who, amid a new found frugality, have all but disappeared during the recession. Luxury is aspirational and brands such as Dior are aiming to stimulate a renewed interest for high end goods. Music – which can be fine-tuned to appeal to both McDonald’s $1 menu buyers and Dior’s most devoted fans  – has the ability to be molded to fit the full spectrum of brand needs.

Luxury jewellery brand Cartier promoted its Love – By Cartier collection in 2008 with a major music focus on a global scale. Prada too embarked on a similar campaign to Dior’s when it teamed with Antony and the Johnsons on a specially composed track to tie in with the launch of its Fall/Winter ‘08 women’s wear collection.

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.

A sounding branding exercise

UK singer Alesha Dixon has inked a four-year profit-sharing deal with the LA Fitness gym chain. The partnership is part of a massive £30M marketing drive in 2010 by the gym’s owners The Kirk Sandall company. The revenue share deal – based on the company’s success over the four year period – will see the singer acting as the face of the company. In addition she will work alongside the LA Fitness board devising new dance and exercise routines and advising on health and fitness issues. Each month the singer will offer personal advice and health tips via a column on the company’s website.“I chose to work with LA fitness because they have a great product that’s accessible to everyone. I’m really looking forward to helping them develop the business” said Dixon.

The gym chain is rolling out a £1M integrated campaign as part of its partnership with the singer/presenter. The six-week campaign will include outdoor, digital, press ads and direct marketing. In addition Capital Radio is offering listeners the chance to take part in a workout with Alesha at an LA Fitness club in London. LA Fitness hopes the strategic partnership will increase membership sign ups threefold in January 2010 compared to January 2009.

So what?: The once buoyant gym marketplace – which saw gains of 23% between 2004 and 2008 – has been hit hard in the economic slump. With membership numbers dwindling the various fitness chains are pursuing ever more aggressive marketing tactics in order to secure new converts. Alesha Dixon herself has been racking up a number of brand alignments post her appearance (and subsequent return as a judge) on UK dance talent show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Ad and campaign deals with Ford, Veet, Nectar, Robinsons, and the clothing label Dune have followed, to name but a few. What is interesting about this particular deal is that is more than just a straightforward endorsement partnership. This time it’s performance related, as opposed to walking away with a cheque after a photo shoot. Dixon’s remuneration is going to be based on the success of the chain over the course of the deal, with estimates suggesting her top end earnings could ultimately be three times bigger than the lowest she could net. What this means from the brand’s perspective is that Alesha – much like the attendees at the gym – is going to have to work this deal as hard as she can in order to get the best results.

“Celebrity endorsements are becoming ever more complex. This kind of revenue share deal is enticing to both parties as not only does it prompt greater commitment from the celeb (Alesha Dixon) but also a deeper level of brand affiliation for LA Fitness”
Alistair Thompson, Events & Partnership Manager, MTV

www.lafitness.co.uk/alesha

Gillette fixes up, looks sharp

Will.i.am, Tim McGraw, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and the All-American Rejects are all set to appear in a forthcoming Gillette campaign. The Gillette Uncut series will feature a series of digital documentary shorts – created by renowned music filmmaker/photographer Danny Clinch – showcasing the artists backstage and some of their pre-show rituals.

“Gillette Uncut shows a side of artists that’s rarely, if ever, seen – going backstage to show how they prepare, including styling and grooming, and the moments of doubt they experience before taking the stage,” said Steve Fund, Gillette global marketing director.

In addition to the documentary Gillette will host ‘Shave Like a Rock Star’ a selection of tongue-in-check shaving tutorials featuring each artist. Both elements will run consecutively on a dedicated website.  The campaign will have online media partnerships with SPIN, Pandora, Last.FM and YouTube in addition to print and TV ads.

So what?: A global survey by Music Matters and Synovate recently stated that one in five people would do “absolutely anything” to meet their music idols. This campaign, with its headline ‘a lot goes down before the lights go up’ goes some way to making that a reality, giving fans an intimate glimpse at the acts they love. The alcohol brand Absolut also embarked on a similar documentary following Australian band Wolfmother in 2009 as part of its ‘You’re With The Band’ campaign. Gillette has historically gone for clean-cut sportsmen, and the shift to music – albeit only in the US – should position them better with a younger audience.

“These backstage ‘rockumentaries’ add a striking new dimension to an increasingly familiar brand story. I love the elasticity of the overall campaign approach too, one minute playing the credible, stylized ‘gateway’ to artist proximity, the next riffing around tongue-in-cheek tutorials inviting you to “Shave Like A Rockstar”
Jack Fryer, Strategist, FRUKT

www.gillette.com/shavelikearockstar

It’s an expensive cover up

Katy Perry has signed a $4M deal to be the face of Proactiv acne cream. She joins Avril Lavigne who has also signed a lucrative contract to become the newest spokesmodel for the Proactiv Solution brand worldwide.The two singers will appear in commercials aired in 58 countries. The brand is gearing up for a major marketing campaign as it looks to compete directly with Johnson’s Clean and Clear range in the youth sector.

“We are paying people consistent with what we have done in the past – millions of dollars”, said Ben Van de Bunt, a spokesman for the brand, in defense of the endorsement figure.

Previous ad campaigns have featured numerous musicians including Alicia Keys, Jessica Simpson, P Diddy and Mandy Moore. TV commercials and print ads featuring the two new female ambassadors will be released at the end of the month.

So What?: Katy Perry is an on-brand girl. Literally. Avril Lavigne has also racked up a number of brand alignments over the years (Canon and Kohl’s, etc). Overall endorsements can be an expensive business for a brand, but beauty products usually have much to gain from these payouts if handled correctly.  Aligning with artists works for the Proactiv brand as it generally positions them with context, often in their own mini infomercials. As Kelly Clarkson said: “my skin is my job and I obviously don’t want to look like a pizza”.  It’s this grounding in the everyday that sets them apart from the ‘hold it and smile’ endorsements usually prevalent in the beauty sector.

“Neither artist has released a great deal of new music lately, so this keeps their visibility high around the world between albums and tours. The PSA-style adverts also aim to make the singers feel closer to the teens buying Proactiv by implying they are just “girls-next-door-who-struggle-with-their-skin” as well as performers.”
Ruth Mortimer, Associate Editor, Marketing Week

www.proactiv.co.uk

Developing a brand partnership

Lady Gaga is shaking it like a Polaroid picture in 2010. The quirky singer has inked a multi-year strategic partnership with PLR IP Holdings, LLC, owners of the Polaroid brand. Under the deal the singer will take up the role of creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products. (As Gwen Stefani did for HP and Avril Lavigne did with Canon). “Lady Gaga’s broad creative talents and the way she connects with her fans in her own, unique manner made her a natural choice for Polaroid,” said Stephen Miller, co-CEO of PLR IP Holdings.

www.virtualpressoffice.com

Wear my watch

The final edit of the soon to be released new song (’Wear My Kiss’) from the restructured Sugababes line-up is currently circulating on the Net. The video depicts Heidi, Amelle and Jade in what appears to be either a dystopian futuristic factory setting or Simon Cowell’s garage, complete with a scaled down version of Paris’ La Défense and infinite Sugababes clones.  Having said that it’s fairly standardised Sugababes fair – see: Sugababes in a lift, by a caravan, on a big rug – but there is one thing that stands out as a possible missed opportunity.  As the video plays out a series of objects appear behind the girls underneath the giant white structure, first a tie, then a watch, a diamond and a pair of shoes. Each object links directly to a line in the song. At first we thought the watch was possibly part of a branded partnership with say Omega, but it appears it isn’t, at least not to our knowledge.  The question is should it have been?

With music videos generally awash with product placement, from mobiles (Samsung for instance in a Girls Aloud video ) to sunglasses (Such as the Carrera range in the recent Alicia Keys video) it’s rare an opportunity exists to showcase products on such a prominent scale. The shoes for example are utterly generic and could have so easily been brand specific, as could the watch. However,  why stop there. Bearing in mind the objects are rendered and placed in during post production this video could have supported multiple versions, with the additional option of a ‘click through to purchase’ embedded into the items in the video on YouTube/VEVO. We’re not suggesting it becomes a conveyor belt of brands akin to the Generation Game. However, in a culture where multiple brands can coexist in the same video – see: Trojan/Tuborg – this video could have made good use of its large-scale vending machine in the background.

The shoes in the video appear to change from green to silver anyway depending on which one you watch, and aside from the diamond this could easily be a selection of items from the Next catalogue. Which is not an unthinkable suggestion bearing in mind EMI partnered up with the high-street fashion retailer to promote new artist Ava Leigh in a series of adverts in 2008.

Candie’s Girl

Britney Spears has signed up to be the face of Kohl’s Candie’s clothing range for a second consecutive year. New ad campaigns are currently being shot, with the first among them to roll out in the Spring. “I had a great experience working with Candie’s last year and I am thrilled to be asked to sign on again for a second year,” said Spears.

Britney Spears became the face of Kohl’s Department Stores exclusive Candie’s female youth clothing brand in the spring of 2009, a tie-in set around her Circus Tour.  She followed in the footsteps of a number of other artists who have aligned with the overtly pink fashion label, such as Hayden Panettiere, and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas.

The campaign launched with the introduction of 4M exclusive, limited edition, pull-out posters in US Weekly Magazine featuring Britney in full Candie’s apparel. “Britney is not your average girl, so we didn’t want to do an average media buy. We wanted to create an event with the debut of the campaign,” said Dari Marder, chief marketing officer, Iconix Brand Group.

For its fall campaign Candie’s outfitted Spears for her new music video, “Radar” and used footage from the music video for an accompanying television commercial. The music video features Candie’s apparel, footwear, jewelry and accessories. “The new Candie’s advertising campaign featuring Britney Spears is authentic, relevant and designed to resonate with our junior shopper,” said Julie Gardner, Kohl’s EVP and chief marketing officer.

So what?: Candies is Kohl’s junior brand range, and melding the campaign directly with a music video is a clever way to engage with an audience that is looking for vibrant fashion conscious role models. “Candie’s fits into my life in such a huge way. My sister loves Candie’s, my Mom loves Candie’s,” said Spears. This echoes her new everywoman positioning. As opposed to previous endorsees Britney is now an aspirational figure to tweens, teens and young American moms. This range pitched a collection geared towards all three demographics, the wannabe tween, the fashion savvy teen and the value-hunting mom.  Candie’s has drafted in numerous musicians over the years, including Kelly Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson, Hillary Duff and Fergie but Britney is the ultimate cherry on their endorsement cake. The exclusive partnership with US Weekly leveraged a level of momentum similar to a catwalk premiere, and the ‘fashion shoot as music video’ for the fall campaign built on this feeling of a breaking exclusive.

“In a market where some celebrity endorsements have been hit hard in 2009 – golfing club hard – it suddenly pays to stay with your safe bet from the previous year, as opposed to latching on to an unproven entity. Surprisingly Britney, who had a very public meltdown in 2007, has emerged as a bankable asset for Candie’s. With her seventh studio album looming in the Fall, Britney should be on track to keep Kohl’s in the Pink for another year”
Giles Fitzgerald, Editor, FRUKT Music Intelligence

Fast food takes to the road

McDonald’s kick started the New Year with a series of hip hop inspired commercials as part of a musical campaign in support of its Breakfast Dollar Menu. In its latest bid to woo the urban consumer the fast food chain has partnered with ‘Dollar Van Demos‘ to showcase talented musicians, rappers and comedians performing inside a dollar van (a shared taxi).The promotion enabled New York rappers to record specially composed promotional McDonald’s raps inside the vehicle – complete with an audience of real passengers. Joya Bravo, a songwriter, singer and violinist, supports the campaign as does New York rapper Wordspit. “Instead of getting the average ride, they’ll get someone performing, and it’s like a little live concert on the bus,” said Bravo,  “so a lot of times people don’t know what to make of it, but they always love it because it’s something different, it’s unexpected”.

The series of ads have been in rotation across prime time slots in the US (during Sunday NFL games for example).This in itself is not new ground for the brand which has been attempting to connect with an urban audience for some time. Take for example its 2008 free 10-city tour in the US, which served up exclusive performances from Ne-Yo, Kenna and Kat DeLuna in actual McDonald’s parking lots.  The campaign also invited fans to crowd-source lyrics for Ne-Yo’s latest track.

The ‘Dollar Van Demos’ is strikingly similar to the UK’s ‘Black Cab Sessions‘, where musicians – or indeed whole bands – perform in the back of a moving black cab. Artists such as Little Boots, Speech Debelle, VV Brown and Grizzly Bear have all taken part.

There are some risqué lyrics for McDonald’s family audience in Joya Bravo’s other Dollar Van songs, which are spread across YouTube. However, this has not put the brand off utilising the singer in a more controlled environment.  Despite the fact this campaign was something of a given bearing in mind the link between ‘Dollar Van’ and ‘Dollar Menu’ McDonald’s deserves kudos for enabling the two artists to have a certain level of creative freedom. “They actually allowed me to pick my beat,” said Wordspit – even if it was only out of five predetermined beats. Either way this campaign highlights just how much music marketing has changed and how far the brand’s commercials have come since this classic McDonalds rap video.

The one small downside – but presumably one that few will notice – is that Joya Bravo can be seen here buying food (an Angry Whopper no less) at Burger King in a YouTube video from August 2009. Presumably she only goes there for lunch though.