Can social music transform Motorola

Motorola recently aired its first Super Bowl ad in four years for the Motorola ‘Devour’ handset with a high profile endorsement from actress Megan Fox. The clearly male-orientated ad depicted Megan Fox photographing herself in an outdoor bubble bath pondering what would happen if she shared the photo online. The result it seems would have caused power outages, make men fall off ladders and see boys lock themselves in their rooms.

The mobile brand says that this is “just the beginning” of a larger devices push, and that a series of new ads will play up different features, such as social networking and – more importantly – music, depending on the intended audiences. Whether the music ads will feature the Transformers actress (with or without her real thumb) or opt for a more direct music endorsement remains to be seen.

What is interesting though is that Motorola Ventures has just led a new investment round in social media music player TuneWiki. Although financial details were not disclosed it does see the brand making a concentrated move towards social music activity. “Music is rapidly emerging as a key feature for smart phones, and TuneWiki is changing the experience of listening to music from a solitary experience to a social one,” said Reese Schroeder, managing director of Motorola Ventures. Motorola believes the TuneWiki social media player will “dramatically change the way people will listen to and interact with music”.

As the company ponders spinning off its handset division from its other ventures and plans to launch around 20 Android handsets this year, will music now feature prominently in its turnaround endeavors? In 2009, Motorola’s mobile division generated $7.1B in sales, a considerable slump on the $12.1B seen in 2008.

The new Devour handset is targeted directly at 18 to 34-year-old males – hence the introduction of a near naked Megan Fox. If the actress is to appeal to this audience in a more musically inclined way perhaps she should move from the bath to singing in the shower – much like Burger King’s campaign from last year. The social element it used by teaming with Spotify would have been useful – had Spotify actually launched in the US as intended at the close of last year.

One of Motorola’s most successful attempts at music endorsement and social sharing can be seen in the 2008 tie up with Asian pop star Jay Chou. Part of the endorsement campaign, which ran in the Hong Kong International Airport, pushed the RAZR handset by inviting users (via a giant billboard) to say goodbye to their loved ones. It also offered personal messages from the singer.

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

Sing your way out of a contract

A new online campaign from Sprint Mobile takes a direct musical hit at a number of its competitors. Visitors to the ‘mobilegoodbye’ website can create, watch and share a series of break up songs from a selection of hit tracks penned to their old carrier. Each track features a cover version with new lyrics performed by a karaoke duo.

The campaign, aimed at getting moblie users to switch to Sprint’s ‘Any Mobile, Anytime’ package, directly name checks Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T. Say goodbye to T-Mobile to the tune of ‘Like A Virgin’ and Verzion to an impassioned reworking of Mr Mister’s ‘Broken Wings’.

The goodbye songs can be shared across various social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. “Sprint is reaching out to new audiences and changing the conversation of traditional wireless advertising by launching these viral spots,” said Mike Goff, VP of national advertising, Sprint.

So What?: The campaign manages to soften its hard-line message via its tongue in cheek karaoke positioning. There’s something a little jarring about putting words into the mouths of consumers when it comes to their feelings towards other brands- especially when its positioned as a message to be shared. However, this campaign is done with such humour – and blatant straightforwardness – that it manages to pull it off.  The sonic touches utilised in simple mouse rollovers -  reverb on the speaker, strum on guitar, and piano keys on clicks – also help to soften any perceived hard edges and gently adds to the tactility of the experience.

“Aggressive marketing delivered with a (musical) smile, a campaign like this sinks or swims on the nuance of its execution. Thankfully for Sprint, the music is well chosen, the lyrics gently amusing, and the band likably ordinary. Doubly impressive is the way the site follows through with its core message, inviting visitors to switch operators there and then – while the karaoke duo look on expectantly.”
Jack Fryer, Strategist, FRUKT

www.mobilegoodbye.com

Nokia is once again turning a part of London into a roller disco, as it rolls out Nokia Skate Almighty for a second year. The event offers up a free hour of skating accompanied by DJ’s and live performances from Little Boots and Calvin Harris. Nokia is to offer an exclusive remix of the Little Boots track Remedy (A1 Bassline remix) via the Nokia Music Store and Comes With Music for four weeks. The skate park will be open from 6-9th August at Potters Field, next to Tower Bridge

skatealmighty.nokia.co.uk

Trojan horse in music video

US condom manufacturer Trojan has embarked on its first ever-prominent product placement in a music video. The new single ‘Good Girls Go Bad’ by Cobra Starship – which also features ‘Gossip Girl’ actress Leighton Meester (who plays Blair Waldorf) – features the brand prominently. The video depicts two young women purchasing a Trojan 2Go condom at the start of the song (which notably they purchase alongside a 4-pack of Tuborg). Cobra Starship featured in Trojans ‘Evolve’ adverts at last year’s Vans Warped tour. More on Trojan’s marketing efforts – includng music grants – are covered in this previous BBF post. The campaign was notable due to the fact the US broadcasters CBS and Fox both refused to air ads associated with the promotion. “We have these media barriers, and so we are looking for ways to broaden our reach,” says Jim Daniels, VP of marketing for Trojan with regards to the product placement. “If this is effective, we will look at doing more of it.”

As well as Trojan and Tuborg, Nokia’s 5800 Xpress music handset – just recently brought into the ‘Comes With Music’ unlimited music fold – also features heavily in the music video, with the majority of the girls in the club setting highlighting the various features of the device throughout – including Leighton Meester herself.

‘Good Girls Go Bad’ video by Cobra Starship

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

Girls are louder

The Saturdays – a girl band once described as a “Girls Aloud for the recession era” – are making some serious inroads on the endorsement circuit of late. It seems ever more clear that the group are Girls Aloud 2.0, waiting in the wings for the long-running and universally accepted girl band to expire properly (rather than splitting temporally to follow solo projects, as recently announced). Universal appears to have the Sats working 24-7 on promotional work, with the group popping up at every promotional opportunity possible. However direct brand alignments are coming in proper now and see the five piece moving into territory well established by Girls Aloud (Sunsilk, Kit Kat, GDH, Ultimo, Coke Zero, Samsung, to name but a few). As usual you wait for ages for a proper endorsement to arrive and then three come along at once.

1. Veet: The girls are currently the faces – and legs – of the Veet and Veet Debut hair removal collections. The airbrushed photo attached to the promo sees them moving from the 50’s Style pin ups they portrayed in their charity single version of Depeche Mode’s ‘ I Just Can’t Get Enough’ to looking like they should be sprayed on the side of a WWII bomber. Beauty products are a natural fit for the aspirational girl band, and although the pay out for this campaign is probably not in the Girls Aloud Sunsilk remit (estimated at £1.2M) it places them in a similar bracket to Taylor Swift who signed her legs up with Gillette last year.

2. Virgin Mobile: Despite the Veet campaign the girls have decided to cover up their legs in black tights for a separate promotion for Virgin Mobile’s Addict pay as you go tariff (I’ve heard you have to let the hair grow to a certain length to use Veet – so maybe that’s the reason). As the new product offers up ‘unlimited flirting’ the photo shoot for the campaign sees them aping the classic Robert Palmer Addicted to Love video, with the girls dressed in black (with Frankie playing the part of Palmer) and sporting white fender guitars. It’s a press worthy idea, despite the fact the group aren’t actually a guitar band. However, I wonder what Cort Guitars – who used to be the sponsor of Una Healy – make of the Fender hanging round her neck.

3. RARE: The final campaign (for now) sees the girls moving into fashion with the launch of their own collections in conjunction with the RARE fashion brand. The limited 10 piece collection of dresses in conjunction will offer up 2 outfits per group member – “enabling fans to wear clothing designed by their favourite ‘Saturday’” . “Our relationship with Rare started with Mollie’s yellow dress in our If This Is Love video, so it’s great that we now get to have our very own range,” say the band. The clothes will be a meld of Hell Angels Chic and 80’s inspiration apparently. It’s not the first time however they have designed for the fashion brand, they sported their own creations at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards UK in 2008. The group also appeared in a ‘The Saturdays heart Rare’ window campaign in 54 BANK fashion stores at the end of last year promoted the RARE range, with a nationwide in-store tour of five BANK stores – Liverpool, Manchester Arndale and Trafford, Leeds and Birmingham. “The girls encapsulate the very essence of our brand – fashion conscious, on-trend and full of fun,” said Rare CEO John Quinn.

Now I like The Saturdays, and I’d happily listen to a double album of their version of ‘I Just Can’t Get Enough’ than ever have to listen to Depeche Mode’s current album again. However, what I think is irrelevant here, as its the fact they tick numerous boxes in the marketing to women category that is drawing in the brand activity in these particular examples. They have a certain ‘every woman’ appeal that cuts across a sizable age range, however for these brand campaigns to truly work they need to leverage more than just a glamorous facade. Cool by association works to a certain extent, but consumers, and especially female ones are demanding more from the brands that are clamouring for their attention.

A recent article on marketing to women through music in our FRUKT Music Intelligence report highlighted the Rise of the Sufranets: a new wave of tech savvy brand conscious females who are exercising their right to vote on your brand. Which means brands need to start the converstions online, before the consumers do it themselves. One example where The Saturdays offered something extra and more interactive was the recent tie up with Spotify, where they served up collaborative playlists to promote the MTV/Body Shop Safe sex campaign. With Gamma women buying into technology, blogging newtorks, and social networking as an extension of their personality, its time for brands to start offering deeper conversations as opposed to just offering a face and a message.

Weezer have released a seasonal mobile game, which will feature six new songs. ‘Christmas With Weezer’ is built on the Tap Tap Revenge game for iPhone and iPod touch (which has over 3M users). It highlights how albums have moved from CDs, to digital downloads, to games as music consumers increasingly want to get hands on with new songs. It’s almost as much fun as destroying a Christmas sweater.

www.nme.com

Ozzy Osbourne and his unintelligible mumblings help to promote Samsung’s new Propel phone, highlighting its text-messaging capabilities. “Make yourself heard” states the ad as Ozzy’s black varnished fingertips tap out instructions to everyone he meets on its full qwerty keyboard. However, I’ve seen Ozzy’s shaky hands and I’m not convinced it would actually read any different to be honest.

www.youtube.com