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.

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.

Mama do endorsements

Pixie Lott is busy racking up some major endorsement alignments as she proves to be a hot commodity among a number of varied brands.  One of Pixie Lott’s most recent endorsements  saw her become the face of Nokia’s new Illuvial Pink collection, designed exclusively for The Carphone Warehouse.  ”I spend loads of time on my mobile, so it’s important to me that it looks good. The phones in the range all look fab – they’re stylish and yet still girlie,” said the singer, highlighting the obvious draw to brands wishing to align with the credible, young and down to earth artist.

As part of the campaign a special meet and greet competition with the singer was held in-store at the Carphone Warehouse on Oxford St. Footage of her exclusive stripped down acoustic set – where she performed her singles ‘Mamma Do’ , ‘ Boys and Girls’ and ‘Cry Me Out’ -  can be seen below, as well as some fan reactions and comments.

The young singer recently fronted the Casio Baby-G campaign – which saw her acquiring her own branded private jet, as she flew competition winners out to a private concert.  Plus while she was away, in order to make more of those endorsements, she effectively cloned herself, appearing in hologram form to promote Orange’s pay-as-you-go Monkey music service across UK shopping malls. In another mobile led move she was one of a handful of faces endorsing the priority ticketing service offered for 02 customers at The 02.

In addition the 18-year-old is also making a move into the fashion world collaborating on a  limited edition t-shirt for Moschino, especially customised by the artist.  Plus Pixie also teamed up with high street retailer River Island on their ‘T’s For The Trust campaign‘ which saw her helping to create a t-shirt which will be sold in aid of youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

The singer has also pushed endorsements for the gaming community, having recently fronted a Guinness World record attempt as part of the UK push for Guitar Hero 5, as well as promoting the EA game Sims 3 by recording her song ‘Mama Do’ in Simlish (something Lily Allen had undertaken previously).

On top of that she’s one of a number of artists earmarked in the high profile promotional push for MySpace Music’s launch in the UK.

I’m tempted to say she has a ‘lott’ on her plate.

But I won’t.

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

Time flies when you’re marketing watches

Rising UK singing sensation Pixie Lott became the new face of Casio’s Baby G range of watches earlier this year.  Casio felt the 18-year-old songstress was a natural fit as a brand ambassador for Baby G – their  “toughest and prettiest” range of watches available. “With her contagious exuberance and her hip performance, she’s a perfect match for the music and fashion lovers of the Baby-G target group,” said Harald Schröder, General Division Manager Marketing of Casio Europe GmbH.

In order to celebrate the recent release of her debut album ‘Turn It Up’ Casio flew Pixie out to Berlin, on her own private Baby-G jet, for an exclusive gig, prior to returning to London for a second exclusive performance at the HMV Forum. The plane – emblazoned with Pixie Lott and Baby G branding – flew both the singer and a number of competition winners to both private gig locations. Winners were also given a limited edition Pixie Lott Baby G Casio watch.

The whole European album launch event was also streamed live online via the Baby-G website so other fans could experience the gigs as they happened.

“I had the pink Baby G when I was in primary school, so I’ve been wearing them for years. They’re really funky. I think they’re special because they’re so girly and fun,” said Pixie as she signed up as the brand’s new ambassador.

So What?:

Pixie Lott may be a relatively new face on the endorsement scene, but that will soon change. She has the soulfulness of both Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone – yet without any of the diva tantrums associated with those stars.  As a strong female role model, this was a natural pairing for Casio who are looking to align fashion conscious teens with the empowered attitude of her songs. The use of streaming technology meant that the exclusive nature of her gigs was actually viewed on a much broader scale, which widened the remit of the campaign (which could have easily focused solely on the competition winners and excluded other fans).  This particular Casio deal also managed to secure Pixie a brief moment of rock n roll excess – and PR grabbing headlines – by presenting her with her own private personalised jet. Using such a prominent symbol could potentially have overshadowed the Casio ‘watch’ association. However, due to prominent branding and the focus being more on Pixie herself, the plane fades into the background against the overall message of Baby-G being a fun and energetic lifestyle brand. This is a well-executed campaign with digital, live, and a competition mechanic nicely fused together.

“Sounds like a good first step for Casio, linking up with the hot young Pixie.  Nice integration touches with the money-can’t- buy private gigs, and the live streaming.  But the real test will be whether Casio  stick with it and sustain the relationship, and keep it fresh over time.”
Bruce Tweedie, Business Manager, Music Mill, Australia

http://www.baby-g.co.uk/

http://www.pixielott.com/live/

The gig race is on

Ted Baker’s new Born menswear range has launched a new campaign which will require dedication, stamina, and quite possibly ear plugs. In order to promote its new Born clothing range of shirts, polo shirts, T-shirts, and hoodies  – all aimed at a younger 18-24-year-old audience than its mainline brand – Born is setting a ‘Gig Race’ challenge.  Contestants involved will have two weeks to attend as many gigs as they can, whilst blogging and twittering their exploits as they go. The eventual winner will walk away with £1,000 of Born by Ted Baker clothing and possibly a Guinness World Record for the most gigs attended in one week. As well as that Born has two tickets for his year’s sold out Bestival music event, featuring Kraftwerk, Lily Allen, Fleet Foxes and Massive Attack, to give away.

If you think you have what it takes to tackle this musical triathlon, then you can sign up via the link below.

www.bornbytedbaker.com

http://twitter.com/bornbytedbaker

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

Topman offers bespoke access for music fans

UK high street youth clothing retailer Topman has embarked on a unique music initiative that sees it handing over control of its current music campaign to a selection of emerging artists. The CTRL platform – inspired by the recognition that fans want greater access to bands – enables one act per month to curate a bespoke live event featuring a selection of their favourite artists, whilst also taking hold of the creative reigns of the Topman CTRL blog.

First up to curate the CRTL blog and programme a live event is highly acclaimed British electronic 3-piece Metronomy. They will be followed by upcoming New Zealand born singer/songwriter Ladyhawke. Lightspeed Champion and Sam Kilcoyne are also lined up to participate and will programme stages at The Great Escape and Underage Festivals.

Topman Marketing Director, Jason Griffiths said: “After many years of successful music sponsorships, we feel that the time is right to launch our own platform. We will be handing over the reigns each month to an upcoming artist to bring our audiences closer to their favourite new bands. We are really excited to provide a window to their creative world and are looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”

The first CTRL Live event took place on the 25th March at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, and featured Kamerakino, Your Twenties, Koko Von Napoo and a DJ set from Metronomy themselves.

So what?: Fashion and music should go hand in hand, but for a long time now these two areas have only tentatively collaborated. The odd endorsement here, the occasional artist led collection there, but rarely led with a deeper understanding of what consumers what and need from music. This campaign from Topman goes someway to redressing this common misconnection by harnessing a developing trend emerging from the new music business. Radio’s ability to keep ahead of the zeitgeist is greatly diminished, and music TV is all but extinct, the ones making any real noise are the niche communities built around genuine fans.

Topman offers up an eclectic mix of cutting edge fashion for the youth market, and providing equally exclusive access to the personal playlists of artists on the creative cusp is a bold and decisive move. Recommendations don’t come any better than from your idols, and this handpicked selection sees Topman taking ownership of a definite space within music’s culture – as opposed to other brands that simply take campaigns off the peg. Access, rather than ownership is the new route for music consumption, and this campaign offers a new level of intimate insight into the bands Topman’s audience love.

“Topman CTRL is a great idea from a music perspective, it really allows music lovers to get closer to their favourite artists. I like the fact that those artists are also sharing their influences and showcasing their favourite up and coming artists.”
Jennifer Roebuck, Head of Ecommerce and Direct, French Connection

www.myspace.com/topmanctrl

www.topman.com

www.twitter.com/topmanctrl

Under wired for sound

“What’s that noise, here come the Vassarettes/c’mon boys the girls you can’t forget”.

In 1994 Eva Herzigová stared down from a billboard causing alleged multiple car pile ups with her cleavage, under the now iconic Wonderbra tag line “Hello Boys”. Now, 15 years later, The Vassarette underwear brand (part of Vanity Fair) is taking that same concept and giving it a musical spin.

Let us introduce the Vassarettes, four girls that have been brought together via an American Idol style contest to ‘front’ a new underwear campaign. The premise of which sees the newly formed group perfroming topless (note: but not bra less) as a central part of their act. According to Myxer which is offering Vassarettes mobile content, the girls are “all about playing music that not only rocks, but empowers. With their infectious melodies and undeniable energy, they take over the stage with nothing to hide”.

“I love getting up on that stage in my bra and proving to the world that women are amazing and unstoppable,” says Emily. the groups singer and lead guitarist . Bandmate Alexa (drums) echoes this saying ” I’d never associated bras with fun”. Erin, who sports a neat bra and Keytar combo, asks: “C’mon, who doesn’t like to rock out in their underwear?”

Marie Claire magazine held a ‘one-night-only’ performance by The Vassarettes, whom they referred to as “one of the hottest new bands out of L.A.” back on the 20th November 2008. The group premiered their (slightly Coke aping) song ‘Are You Ready for the Real Thing?’ at the event. Actually, to drum it home they played it Twice. – in their bras. Obviously.

Now we at BBF are all for brands creating bands and getting in at ground level with artist development. However this feels a little too staged. It’s clearly a meld of both rock girl bands such as The Donnas with barely-dressed pop acts such as The Pussycat Dolls. The main issue is that whereas The Pussycat Dolls dress as they do as part of their act, with an edge of female empowerment (i.e. they dress that way out of choice), The Vassarettes seem far more voyeuristic – as if you are looking at a normal rock girl band through X-Ray specs. It doesn’t feel natural, and therefore somewhat loses its credibility. The voyeuristic nature of the campaign is echoed again on the website which offers the option of nosing around the girls bra strewn dressing room in order to find out more about each item. The accompanying website also offers up bios and video profiles/diaries from each of the girls, links through to Flicker photos and a dedicated YouTube site.

The Pussycat Dolls who launched their own lingerie range for high-street store La Senza last year, know a thing or two about the heady mix of female empowerment and a good bra. The line “When I Grow Up I Wanna Have Groupies” in the Pussycat Dolls song ‘When I Grow Up’ is often misquoted as being “When I Grow Up I Wanna Have Boobies” – which would make a good tag line for their increasingly tween audience. (Actually, maybe not). That aside The Dolls have managed to take Madonna’s conical bra from the 90’s to its natural branded conclusion – a line of mid range underwear styled around their stage look. Unlike most fashion brand alignments or pop star designers The Dolls underwear range at least has a direct correlation to the artists’ ethos, and offers consumers a sample of the band’s stage persona in the comfort of the own home (and body).

The Vassarette brand is clearly attempting to sex up its image, as proven by last year’s print ads, and this will certainly garner some media attention. However the longevity of the campaign is still uncertain. Will the band tour? Will they release an actual single? Basically, where does it go from here? The Vassarettes will apparently make their TV debut on 19th April on Style Network’s ‘Running in Heels’ so maybe there is more on the cards than the one song. In its favour The Vassarettes campaign does aim for a much more down to earth feel than say Victoria’s Secret’s model strewn catwalk shows or Agent Provocateur’s high end sleaze. It also nods to other female empowerment campaigns such as Dove’s ‘natural beauty’ campaign. However somewhere along the way it loses its aspirational edge somewhat. Yes girls would love to have the rock lifestyle – but maybe not at the expense of perminantely losing their upper clothing.

The main issue with this campaign is that it, much like the members of the band, just doesn’t have enough layers.

New Kids on the boat

New Kids on the Block are to take a three-day cruise around the Caribbean with some of their biggest fans. The event will see performances from the reformed group and includes special ‘meet and greet’ sessions. The move echoes similar water-bound activity from the likes of Motley Crue, John Mayer and to some extent Josh Groban.

The (not so new) kids set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the 15th May – with tickets apparently on sale today.

“Our manager tells us this is not a cheesy thing. It’s not a step back,” said the band.

One NKOTB forum member response highlights the bands eager thirty-something female audience: “I might end up divorced over this[...] The 13 year old in me is SCREAMING “GO,GO,GO!” and well, right now, the 13 year old is way louder than the 32 year old”. However, in the current climate – with some US festivals having to offer payment plans – can the expense of a cruise be justified by music fans? Another forum member sees the harsh reality of listening to your pocket as well as your retro heart: “Please make this trip affordable. Do not cater to the super rich! If it’s over $500 I may not be able to go. I am so ready for a party and more facetime, but it needs to be realistic”.

http://www.nkotb.com/