Music as a Consumer Engagement Tool in the Social Media World

MUSIC AS A CONSUMER-

ENGAGEMENT TOOL IN THE SOCIAL

MEDIA WORLD

Prepared by

Ian Steaman

“Music has been ranked as the media that most people would least like to live without (before TV and Internet).”*

* Source: Soundslikebranding.com

“A study conducted by professors Dr. Adrian North and Dr. David Hargreaves reports that brands with music that fits their brand identity are 96 percent more likely to be recalled than those with non-fitting music or no music at all.”*

* Source: Soundslikebranding.com

So how does your brand use music to connect with consumers online?

First, a look at a few different approaches to the music-branding equation in the past….

PROS:

Green Label Sounds is a boutique digital record label

underwritten by the Mountain Dew soft drink brand that

curates one-off singles and videos by underground

alternative rock, electronic and hip hop artists that would

appeal to a tastemaker, hipster audience.

www.greenlabelsound.com

PROS:

• GLS is overseen by the music-focused marketing agency Cornerstone Promotions meaning their A&R acumen is excellent and their blogger and music tastemaker influence and outreach is huge.

CONS:

• Cornerstone’s too-school-for-school aesthetic might not be an exact fit for the edgy but still mainstream Mountain Dew brand.

• Releasing only a series of one–off singles limits the possibility for ongoing consumer engagement.

Set up in conjunction with the Universal Music Group major

label, Island Def Jam records and headed by veteran producer

and industry executive, Jermaine Dupri, the goal of Tag

Records is to break new artists by leveraging the media buying

power of the TAG brand to bypass the traditional artist

development points of entry of radio and television.

PROS:

• Affiliation with a major label, lends it some credibility within the ‘traditional’ music industry

www.tagbodyspray.com/tagRecords.jsp

CONS:

• Has only released one artist, Q Da Kid to date.

• Functioning as a sub-label means they are subject whims and internal politics of the Universal Music Group.

• TAG has not fully-integrated the label into their marketing and lost chances to leverage co-branding opportunities like the Signature Body Spray endorsed by Def Jam artist, Ludacris.

Diesel:U:Music started 10 years ago by the Diesel clothing brand as anawards show to celebrate unsigned music talent, it has evolved into aglobal support network of musicians, producers, record labels,journalists and radio stations with tours that tap into that network.

PROS:

• Excellent taste in music which aligns with the Diesel brand.

• Good job of integrating online and offline marketing efforts tied to their

www.dieselumusic.com /

www.dieselumusicradio.com

offline marketing efforts tied to their retails establishments.

• Strong job of creating experiential events around music

CONS:

• Limited takeaway (music) to engage fans further beyond their in-store music events or the online branded radio station.

• Under-utilising Social Media (<2000 fans on either Facebook or twitter)

Launched initially as a new ‘hybrid model ‘for music distribution, part-blog/part-record label that would release music paid for by sponsoring and advertising brands like Nikon, Virgin Mobile and Puma who were all early sponsors.

PROS:

• Has smartly partnered with key

independent and boutique taste-making

www.rcrdlbl.com

independent and boutique taste-making

labels for content.

CONS:

• Brand association opportunities for

spmsors and advertisers seems limited.

Its really more about the RCRD LBL

brand.

• Because of that (?), sponsors seems to

have abandoned the platform.

• Credibility within and support from the

fellow blogging community seems mixed.

Major Label is a singles record label owned entirely by the Australian clothing

company, General Pants Co. aimed at discovering unsigned acts. The label artist

creativity, doesn't own their copyright and pays out to the acts 100% of royalties

generated from the online sales of the singles.

A&R, marketing and PR is crowd-sourced by the entire General Pants Co. staff.

Each month three acts will be chosen and their single released through Major

Label. The singles will be available for streaming right here and available to

purchase through selected online retailers.

PROS:

• Reasonably low-cost, low-key way

to get into the music-branding game.

www.generalpants.com.au/Major-

Label/Music.html

to get into the music-branding game.

• High-level of brand simpatico

between the clothing and record

labels.

CONS:

• Not very ‘social’. Hard to share or

download music and site somewhat

difficult to navigate

• Essentially set up a digital record

label to ‘sell’ music, not enhance the

brand beyond the site.

What can we learn from Mountain Dew, Diesel, TAG, RCRDLBL and the Australian General Pants Co.’s efforts in this space?

Is there another way to approach this opportunity?opportunity?

TAKEAWAYS:

• Don’t try to replicate the record company model, it’s not working for them and they’re the experts!

• You don’t need to partner with big name, ‘music-industry ‘ types either to enter the music branding game – there are plenty of other music content creators who have engaged and have ongoing relationships with ‘your’ consumers already.

• In the itunes, digital music era, the traditional music album may be dead but one-off singles limit the possibility for consumer engagement – create engagement opportunities around other content propositions: EPs, mixtapes, multi-artist compilations, short films, concerts, parties etc.content propositions: EPs, mixtapes, multi-artist compilations, short films, concerts, parties etc.

• Fans are open to discovering new, underground or developing talent if its presented to them properly.

• Crowd-sourcing and leveraging existing music discovery channels is possible for brands if working with the right partners.

• Consumers like free music - don’t try to get in the music – selling game (see the first bullet-point above again).

ANOTHER WAY:

• Don’t try to create content. Partner with existing content creators, indie labels, bloggers and production companies who are already creating consistent content and developing the audience and following for it.

• Every content creator is not equal, partner with one whose music matches your product’s brand values and aesthetic.

• Don’t try to find an audience for your branded music content from scratch – partner with content creators who are already from scratch – partner with content creators who are already talking to your target audience.

• Done right, this is a turn-key solution for your music branding efforts: save manpower, resources, time and money by not having to staff up on extra content creation and digital marketing staff.

• Create new branding opportunities: websites, videos, multi-media embeddable widgets, shows & events and access to a built-in community of other bloggers, tastemakers , sites and consumers already invested in your content partner’s value proposition.

YOUR

BRAND

How you and your music brand partner will interact…..

BRAND

HERE

ABOUT IAN STEAMAN

Ian Steaman is a marketing executive with over 15years experience in social media, brand marketingand product management in the music industry.

Most recently as Director of Marketing for Sonymusic’s Jive Records, he was responsible for themarketing of all three Gold-selling albums by T-Pain including the #1 Billboard pop album, Epiphanyas well as the #1 R&B album by Raheem DeVaughn.All told, projects he was involved with sold close to20 million digital, mobile and physical units.

Ian is also deeply immersed in the social mediaworld running the acclaimed music & culture blog,DIFFERENT KITCHEN which has over 2 million hitsand has been quoted by or linked to by Slatemagazine, the CBC, The Guardian newspaper in theUK, New York Magazine and VH1.com.

He has been published in Billboard magazine andbeen interviewed on ABC, Fox News and by The NewYork Times, New York Daily News and New Yorkmagazine.

Ian has a BA degree in Economics with Honors fromHarvard University. He was born in England and hasalso lived in Toronto, Canada.

Social media success for projects Ian has managed….

The Pack (www.myspace.com/thepack)

Lil Mama (www.youtube.com/user/LilMamaVideos)

Bay Area Teen Rap group THE PACK exploded onto the music scene using MySpace in 2006 with their self-produced mixtape track, “Vans.”

Their ode to the skate shoe few hip hop fans were wearing at the time became a regional radio hit and cultural phenomenon, eventually ending up as the #5 song in Rolling Stone’s year-end issue, opening up an entirely new market to the Vans brand.

THE PACK – By The Numbers:

Friends: over 172,000Plays: over 14 millionVisits: over 14 million

Views: over 2 million

T-PAIN

In under five years the ‘Rappa Ternt Sanga,’ T-Pain has gone from unknown to superstar with three album releases and over 15 million units sold.

His synergistic but natural incorporation of brands he uses in his personal life into the lyrics of his songs led to partnerships with vodka brand, Nuvo, his own signature sunglass for Oakley. He also has a record-breaking iphone app called I Am T-Pain which sold over 300,000 units in its first week alone.

T-PAIN – By The Numbers:

Friends: 779,143Plays: 147,531,930Plays: 147,531,930Visits: 80,131,359

Over 50 million views

135,782

“LIL MAMA, is currently the best example in terms of artist management, where a team is comprehensively harnessing existing social media tools to SUCCESSFULLY speak the language of a new artist’s audience….” - Daniela Capistrano *

* Source: danielacapistrano.wordpress.com

Lil Mama’s debut single, “Lip Gloss” became a viral smash on YouTube & MySpace and a Top 10 sales hit leading to a cross-marketing partnership with L’Oreal and eventually a hosting gig for Mama on the hit MTV reality show, America’s Best Dance Crew.

LIL MAMA - By The Numbers:LIL MAMA - By The Numbers:

Friends: 262,563Plays: 7,757,837

Visits: 15,702,388

Over 50 million views

MICKEY FACTZ

Bronx, NY rapper, Mickey Factz isnot a household name yet but withinthe digital underground, a world thattakes its cues for what’s hot andwhat’s next from blogs, twitter andother social media channels, he isone of the most talked-about newartists.

First championed on DIFFERENTKITCHEN, the blog of Ian Steaman,Factz built his reputation with a year-long weekly song campaign and aseries of acclaimed, much-downloadmixtape albums to the point wherehe is able to tour without evenhaving put out a ‘proper’ album orsigning a record label deal and isnow the face of Honda Motors’Rhymes & Reasons onlinecampaign.

“To be honest, we’re joining in [on following Mickey Factz] a bit late, but you can play catch-up at Ian’s Kitchen if you like.” -- The FADER

Elements of the Mickey Factz x Honda ‘Rhymes & Reasons’ campaign:

TO CONCLUDE:

Music x Brands x Social Media = an organic way to….

• Engage your customers

• Develop and maintain a relationship with your customers

• Connect your brand to something that is • Connect your brand to something that is important to your customers

• Build your brand presence on social media platforms in a natural way.

• Communicate your brand values without the hard sell of ‘traditional’ advertising.

Questions or for more details…

Contact:

Ian Steaman

E – [email protected]

T – 416.286.0679