The Stravinsky Code

We stumbled on an interesting new site last week entitled Code Organ, which lets you ‘play’ websites. You simply drop in a URL and it generates music from the HTML code.

The results can them be shared socially (via Twitter/Facebook).

We decided to test run a few well known brand home-pages through Code Organ to reveal the sonic branding hidden deep beneath the surface.

Here our some of our favourites:

Pepsi UK’s etheral chimes

Nokia’s hip hop twin peaks soundtrack

Ford’s metronome-backed scaling chords, Miami Vice style

IBM’s electro calypso

Blackberry’s machine gun/fireworks spouting  church organ

Levi’s Bossa Nova bassline tune up

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)

WIN tickets to WIRELESS sponsored by Barclaycard

With a line up looking stronger than ever, where better to enjoy your summer than the stunning surroundings of Hyde Park at Wireless sponsored by Barclaycard?!

The opening day of Wireless already boasts a stunning line up with superstar P!NK headlining on Friday 2 July, supported by  The Tings Tings, Gossip and  The Temper Trap. Megastar JAY-Z and Mr Hudson are confirmed for the Sunday and with many more acts to be announced for the three day festival, temperatures are set to soar.   Wireless is guaranteed to be one of the hottest events of the summer and you could be there!

We have 2 pairs of tickets for Friday 2 July, headlined by P!NK.  For your chance to win a pair, just answer the following question:

What racing event is P!nk currently promoting? Answers to the usual address: competitions@brandsbandsfans.com

1. Spanish F1 Grand Prix

2. V8 Supercars

3. Nascar

4. Banger Racing at Wimbledon Stadium

For more information, go to www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

Snacking on music

“Ever wished that your favourite track would come out of your favourite chips?” asks The Smith’s Snackfood Company – part of PepsiCo International – in Australia. The snack brand has teamed up with Sony Music Entertainment Australia on a new large-scale on-pack download giveaway. Those purchasing packets of Smith’s Chips, Doritos, Twisties, Cheetos and Burger Rings will be able to go to Bandit.fm – the Australian music destination that houses 1M MP3 tracks – to download a free song. In addition to the download giveaway the brand is also giving away 200 full Band Hero Kits via an online competition.  Entry to the competition requires users to collect specially marked tokens from Smith’s 20’s Multipack or 6’s Multipacks.  The campaign is live now and runs until June.

Aside from the freebies and competitions visitors to the Smith’s website can also play around with Chip Sync, a web app which enables them to create music of their own.  Users simply select their choice of chip packet – Doritos representing Mexican samba, Smith’s snacks opting for Rock and Twisties some form of hip hop/rock crossover.  The player then lets users turn various instruments on and off and edit in lyrics of their choosing (certain words result in ‘bleeps’ – we know, we tested it). The results can then be shared via Facebook.

The title of the campaign ‘Track A Pack ‘ obviously plays on the ‘Track Pack’ moniker Guitar Hero utilises for additional downloadable content and seems like a good win for those who eat a lot of crisps down under. However, the argument always levelled against on-pack downloads is that in a world where most songs are freely available online anyway – albeit illegally – will a purchaser actually bother to download just one track from a new destination site? Amid a credit crunch freebies should be welcomed, however historically redemption on these types of offers are usually low.

However, Bandit.fm isn’t just a download destination. The site enables users to create playlists, stream audio and video plus gain access to a wealth of information on artists and music genres. Most importantly Bandit.fm has social functionality built in – letting users set up their own music channels to showcase their interests.

The Chip Sync app – although fairly minimal in its execution – is the more interesting side of the campaign and plays on social sharing.  Built into the Chip Sync part of the Bandit site is an email a friend mechanic (up to three) and integration into Facebook, which could provide increased traction for the brand.

Increasingly personalisation and bespoke experiences are becoming the driving force behind digital music campaigns in the snack food market – and Smith’s generosity on the download site could possibly have benefited from a more tailored music experience for its users.

A 2007 offering from Doritos saw Missy Elliot providing an online mash- up experience and the creation of an exclusive track for the brand. Tim McGraw also embarked on a different kind of on-pack promo in 2008 when he bundled a behind-the-scenes DVD from his tour with 500,000 limited edition McGraw tins of Spicy Jalapeño Fritos.

In addition a recent Brazilian campaign for Doritos offered up added innovation value by supplying on-pack Augmented Reality characters – which could be brought to life by placing a code in front of a webcam. These creatures – which were all individual – could then be utilised within Orkut, Brazil’s most popular social network. The Augmented Reality concept was also utilised by the brand in the US to put live bands such as Big Boi and Blink 182, literally, into the palms of music fans last year via an interactive on-pack code.

So what for the future of the on-pack download. Well a couple of start-ups (both in the US and Australia)  are attempting to roll out a new model with brands ‘gifting’ downloads which could hold the answer.  Both Free All Music (US) and Guvera (Australia) are beta testing free downland ventures whereby visitors select the particular brand that they would like to have purchase a song on their behalf. Once selected a short pre-roll ad runs and the download is theirs to keep. There is also social functionality built in to the Free All Music model whereby those who opt in will have their choices circulated via social media – for all to see.  Although this is currently a digital only concept , and somewhat removed from the on-pack premise, it does highlight a new trend for consumers pulling  content from brands as opposed to having tracks pushed via packaging. The addition Social Media traction offered also sees brands turning somewhat detached ‘downnload and go’ consumers into mini brand ambassadors.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks to the nice people at SpringFetsival we have two tickets to the 10th anniversary celebrations of the biggest Austrian festival for electronic music and art. Live acts and DJs have just been announced and include Kruder & Dorfmeister, Zoot Woman, Delphic, Miike Snow (live), The Japanese Popstars (live) Pendulum (DJ Set), plus  Zombie Nation, Henrik Schwarz and AME, with many more acts yet to be confirmed.

The festival takes place in Graz, the 2nd largest city in Austria, between the 12th-15th May.

To win tickets simply answer this question. Which of the movie lines below is not from famous Austrian export Arnold Schwarzenegger? Answers to the usual address: competitions@brandsbandsfans.com

1. “Remember when I said I’d kill you last… I lied!”

2. “Your clothes, give them to me, now!”

3. “I’ll be Beck”

4. “I live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I’m going to ram it into your stomach and break your god-damn spine!”

www.springfestival.at