Music Dealers

Adverting Age has released their top ten “Ad Songs of the Year.”

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Not a bad list really.  You can definitely tell Ad Age is trying to dial-up their cool quotient by including more obscure artists and songs.  But although there are a couple more that probably deserve to be included, it’s hard to argue with the ten they have here.

And it’s interesting that eight of the ten songs are by “unknown” artists.  By “unknown,” I’m referring to how the brands were not trading in on the equity of a famous band or song, such as Sting or “Sweet Home Alabama.”  This points to the rising trend of companies using non-mainstream bands who the general public isn’t familiar with, either to gain some street cred or simply because the band or song fits the brand and ad.  What a novel concept.

Saul Williams: Ad Age’s #1″Ad Song” of 2008

Also included here are Ad Age’s list of “Most Questionable Ad Songs” (i.e. “Ad Songs That Suck”).  A lot of these do have famous artists or songs, which were used likely just because the brands could, and not because they fit their brand image or marketing strategy or execution.  Which is probably why they failed.  And really, when you’re using songs by Three Doors Down, Five for Fighting, or a Lenny Kravitz cover in your ads – what do you expect?

Sears latest holiday campaign once again proves they’re one of the most cutting edge, innovative brands out there today.

L.L. Cool J?  Vanessa Hudgens?  And a song by Five For Fighting?  Sign me up!  With avant-garde talent like this endorsing the brand, no wonder Sears’ business is thriving!  (ed. note: Sears posted a net loss of $146 million last quarter, seen their stock fall over 50% since last year, and continue to close stores).

Putting the facetiousness aside, L.L. Cool J was a good choice…in 1990.  But Vanessa Hudgens is nothing but disposable Disney-manufactured pop candy and Five for Fighting a watered down Train (and I won’t even mention Ty Pennington here).  This is who Sears wants to build their marketing efforts around during this critical holiday season?  Brilliant!

And yeah, I realize Sears’ target is mostly easy-listening, van-driving, Dancing With the Stars-watching moms.  But maybe that’s the problem.  There’s an abundance of music talent  - talent – who are relevant today and could help shift the stodgy image of Sears, bring in a new clientele, and invigorate the brand (or at least its advertising).

Mamma said shop at Sears


And getting back to LL Cool J – I don’t want to knock the guy too much.  James does bring some credibility and cachet to Sears (and what’s it says about Sears when a 40 year old rapper who peaked twenty years ago is a step-up?).  But at the very least, if you’re going to use L.L. Cool J in your spot, can you at least use one of his songs instead of Five for Fighting?  If not for synergistic marketing purposes, then simply for the sake of our ears?

And yes, I get that Five for Fighting’s song lends itself to the “Grant a Wish” campaign idea…but again, maybe that idea is the problem.  Your business is tanking – why not change it up, alter your image, try to engage a new audience?  What do you have to lose?  You used a song by The 88 earlier this year, so I know you can do it (even if that exact song was first used by Target).

Otherwise, if it’s true that “history starts now” as Five for Fighting enlightens us in these spots, Sears just might not be around to be part of it.

The second and fourth largest record companies have just joined forces  with Musicane – a three-year old social shopping company – in their quest to wrangle some of the digital music market share from Apple.

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Musicane’s business structure operates in a similar fashion as Apple – they pay labels a percentage of their proceeds from the sale of a song, and the labels then compensate their artists.  But where  Musicane differs from Apple is their ability to sell music via widgets  thanks to a unique embedded e-commerce technology.  This technology allows users to embed the widget into their desktop, social network profile, or blog, and can then purchase music without ever leaving those spaces.  And via Musicane, users can even earn money by recommending their favorite music to others.  And Musicane offers labels/artists additional percentages for installing widgets on their own websites/blogs.  This is especially beneficial for independent artists as they not only get the additional percentage but also can bypass a third party’s fees to get their music on iTunes.

With the largest record company – Universal Music Group — already onboard, Musicane now has three of the four biggest record companies signed up (and they’re currently in negotations with the third biggest – Warner Music).  With the backing of these companies, plus Black Eyed Peas frontman, Will.i.am, as a financial partner and company spokesman, Musicane could be a force to be reckoned with.

But despite all the firepower Musicane has, it’s hard to see them really putting a dent in Apple’s digital dominance.  Consumers are already comfortable with Apple and don’t view visiting iTunes as a major hurdle.  And Apple is no doubt working on a plan to counteract Musicane right now. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see a new underdog emerge on the landscape.  If you can consider a company who has the backing of three of the largest record companies who control 80% of the worlds major label recordings an underdog.  And actually the overall impetus here for the labels seems to get some leverage to charge more than the iTunes-induced 99 cent de facto price per song.  Therefore, the success of Musicane likely wouldn’t be a good thing for consumers.  So, perhaps it’s best to root against Musicane in this battle.  And hope these record companies continue to reap their karma for bludgeoning the world with boy bands, Celine Dion, and American Idol.

The latest spot in Esurance’s quirky, animated “Erin Esurance”  campaign continues their partnership with independent music acts.  A  previous installment featured Japanese singer/songwriter PWRFL Power,  and this time they’re showcasing experimental indy rock band, Cloud  Cult.

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You’ll note that there’s no sell at all in this spot by Esurance, and  that it essentially looks like just a music video for Cloud Cult’s  “Lucky Today” song.  Well, Esurance actually also released a full-length animated video for Cloud Cult which expands upon the thirty-second ad and features animation of all seven band members.  Esurance  also sponsored Cloud Cult’s tour earlier this year, and created a  microsite for the band that features free downloadable MP3s of Cloud  Cult songs, along with environmental info and tips.

Esurance and Cloud Cult first met at the 2007 Monolith Festival, an  annual music event founded with the goal of aiding environmental awareness.  The band and insurance company quickly discovered they  have similar eco friendly feelings, and a bond was formed.

This alliance not only exemplifies a sensible, natural fit between  brand and band, but also the legs that such a partnership can have  beyond merely using a song in a commercial.  Esurance has always had  to find creative ways to break-through the cluttered insurance landscape and compete against companies with much bigger pockets than they have.  Through their unique animated TV campaign, they’ve begun to forge an identity, and music partnerships such as this one augment their image and fuel their break-through efforts.  Esurance is now one of the fastest growing insurance companies, and we will no doubt continue to see them leverage music in future marketing endeavors.

And hopefully continue to see Erin Esurance as well.

How far has cross-branding between the advertising and music industries come?  EMI Music will soon be releasing an album of songs used in Guinness commercials, entitled, “Guinness 250 – Music From the TV Ads.”

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This album, which marks the 250th anniversary of the Irish beer, is the first promotion of a new partnership between EMI and Guinness distributer, Diageo, that will include music based projects across all of Diageo’s brands.

Guinness believes this collaboration will help drive consideration for the Guinness brand, while EMI sees it as opening up new channels and revenues for their music and artists.  Well…yeah.  As most music/brand partnerships go – it’s a win/win for both parties.  And no doubt other brands will quickly follow suit to forge their own partnerships with music companies, as they search for new ways to generate revenue and brand awareness in today’s rocky economic climate.

In the mood for a little Al Jolson with your dark Irish stout?  You’re in luck!

But beyond the partnership between the two iconic companies, what’s interesting to me is that brands are now releasing albums with music from their commercials.  Brands releasing albums.  Albums with songs from commercials.  This is now acceptable.  How times have changed.

Oh, this article doesn’t have it, but full track listing for the album is below.  I think you could deem this as “eclectic.”

1      Guaglione – Perez Parado
2      The Look of Love – Dusty Springfield
3      Do you Know The Way To San Jose – Dionne Warwick
4      The Story of My Life – Michael Holliday
5      On Top Of the World – Al Jolson
6      Mambo No. 5 – Perez Parado/Reorchestrated by Air Edel
7      Sing Sing Sing – Louis Prima
8      Mic Christopher  – HeyDay
9      We Have Explosive – Future Sound of London
10    Just Like Honey – Jesus and Mary Chain
11    Phat Planet – Left Field
12    Concrete and Clay – Unit 4+2
13    Land: Horses  – Patti Smith
14    Blitzkrieg Bop (live) – The Ramones
15    The Pixies – Isla De Ecanta
16    Spanish Dance, Op 37 No.6. – Enrique Granados.
17    Mr Blue Sky – ELO

Producer and musician, Pharrell Williams, has just become an owner,
investor, and spokesman for Bionic Yarns, a textile firm that makes
fabrics with recycled plastic bottles.

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It doesn’t say how much cash Pharrell had to put up, so it’s hard to
gauge the risk/reward of the investment for the Grammy-winner.  But
suffice to say that a potential big payout is the key motivator here
for Pharrell (who’s already involved in several other business
ventures) as it’s not the sexiest of industries for a major hip-hop
star to partner with.  And if this company ends up getting anywhere
near where Pharrell envisions it going as the “go-to fabric supplier,”
then the potential reward would seem to definitely be a risk worth
taking.

And it’s possible that he didn’t have to put up any money at all, but
merely lent his name to the two-year old company in exchange for a
piece of the pie.  Which would make even more sense for him, and which
would also actually be a wise move for Bionic Yarn as well.  They’re
already getting more publicity than they ever did before Pharrell’s
attachment.  And even if they now have to cut him into any profits,
those earnings are likely to be significantly more than they would’ve
been without Pharrell’s endorsement, so they’d still be coming out
ahead at the end of the day anyway.

This is all in theory of course.  Obviously, we’ll have to wait and
see how this plays out.  It will be interesting to see how the star
wattage of a hip-hop name like Pharrell impacts an upstart, nearly
invisible company such as Bionic Yarns.  If it all works out, expect
to see other similar companies following suit and finding their own
music stars as “investors.”  And if it doesn’t work out, then maybe it
just goes to show that cutting edge hip-hop artists and yarn
manufacturers don’t make the best of partners.

Long-time Bruce Springsteen guitarist, Little Steven Van Zandt, has
gone from doing interviews with “Rolling Stone” to doing them for
“Advertising Age.”  Why would one of the the world’s largest marketing
publications want to interview the bandana-adorning, leather pants-
clad fifty-eight year old E-Street Band guitarist?  Because he just
signed a deal with global entertainment marketing company, IMG, for a
worldwide marketing pact that will include him being an ad pitchman
for the first time.

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It’s interesting that Little Steven is so willfully diving into the
marketing waters, when his musical “Boss” is one of the last few
musicians who remain steadfastly opposed to engaging in any marketing
efforts of any kind – despite being offered tens of millions to do so
over the years.  But Springsteen is from the old-school mindset where
corporate partnership was frowned upon and seen as “selling out”
within the music community.  And of course, being worth hundreds of
millions may make it slightly easier to reject marketing offers.

Although he’s from the same rock n roll era as Bruce, Mr. Van Zandt
doesn’t have any such qualms about partnering with brands.  He views
it as a way to stay “visible” and thinks that it will be “natural.”
This disposition is representative of the changing mindset amongst old
school rockers who now see corporate partnerships for what they are -
viable platforms in an increasingly fragmented and specialized
climate.  And with a bank account not quite the size of Springsteen’s,
Little Steven also no doubt sees it as as an easy way to make some
extra cash for more bandanas and leather pants.

With significant forays into television and radio already on his
resume, corporate partnership seems like a natural evolution for the
Jersey gypsy.  His unique persona and entertainment credits could
definitely provide value to some brands.  And the right marketing
ventures could net a bigger audience for his radio show, land a
network deal for the TV pilot he’s pitching, and maybe even generate
enough general interest in him to resurrect his own old band, Little
Steven and the Disciples of Soul.

And if not, he always has his day job playing guitar in front of
millions of adoring fans for one of the most famous (and highest-
grossing) backing rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time.  I guess that’s not
such a bad gig either.

Have you seen the latest TV spot from one of the largest financial institutions in the world?

I realize the current economic climate has let to tough times for big corporations. But is Citbank really in this much of dire straits that they were forced to use as the central component of a mass multi-media campaign…..Nickelback?

I mean, Nickelback? Seriously? Were Creed and 3 Doors Down busy?

And in what universe is Nickelback playing to a sold-out crowd that large where two unfortunate Nickelback fans can’t even find an open seat? Are they opening for the Stones?

Putting the flimsy concept of the TV spot and inane online contest aside (contest entrants are prompted to complete Nickelback song lyrics…and are then “rewarded” by getting to hear a complete Nickelback song…and get entered for a chance to go to three Nickelback shows) – how could a company as big as Citibank actually land on a band as generic, undescript, dated, and hated as Nickelback for the centerpiece of a mass campaign?

Sure, sure – Nickelback has moved some records and charted some singles in the past. But they represent the absolute bottom of creativity and credibility in music today, and are loathed by the vast majority of music fans. Is this really the type of “artist” you want representing your company? Is it worth appealing to the Nickelback fanbase at the expense of alienating everyone else? Out of the hundreds of edgier, hipper, or even safer bands out there, this is what you choose? Even an unknown act would at least add an element of intrigue and coolness. Or a well-known higher-quality band would at least bring some credibility and a solid built-in fan base. And even a complete cheese-ball, has-been band like Candelbox or Warrant would at least inject some ironic humor and tongue-in-cheek value into the campaign. But Nickelback???

I’ll give Citibank some cred for using Mary J. Blige as the other artist of this campaign. Some. But it’s unfathomable that they’ve used Nickelback as the “rock” or “white” or “cool” or “youth” or whatever-they-were-going-for component of the campaign. If brands are supposed to be seen as aspirational and modern to their consumers – and successful brand/music partnerships are all about the fit between the brand and the music – then what does it say that Citi has chosen a band like Nickelback to represent it? Do you really want to entrust your financial matters with a brand like this?

But, what do I know. Maybe Citi discovered a large enough white space out there for clueless, tasteless, uninspired machismo males who are in the market for a new credit card and who have trouble getting primo seats for a Nickelback show, that it doesn’t mind turning off the rest of the population….and the joke’s on me.

With the release of his latest album this month, it seems appropriate
to give props to the partnership that’s been forged between Chicago-
based rapper, Common, and multi-billion dollar corporation,
Microsoft. The following article details this alliance, and also
touches on how attitudes have changed towards brand/music partnerships
- specifically in regards to urban music.

It’s interesting that Common points to the Sprite commercials of the
mid-90s as the turning point for negative perceptions changing within
the hip-hop community towards music acts partnering with
corporations. Many of these spots featured a soft product sell and
looked more like a music video than a commercial, laying the
groundwork for these video/commercial hybrids that are popular today.
They were truly ahead of their time.

Now back to the Microsoft/Common partnership. Let’s see here…

A natural fit between the artist and brand? Check.

A fully integrated campaign that leverages all available platforms?
Check.

A partnership that’s beneficial to both the brand and the artist?
Check.

This is what happens when music and brands combine forces with a
focused, well-thought, strategic plan. This is how brands and music
can work together. This is how it should be done

More proof that bands ain’t nothin but brands these days – our long lost friend, Axl Rose, is suing Dr. Pepper. For “failing to deliver on its promise to give out free sodas.” Or is that really why?

Of course, this is in regards to Dr. Pepper’s p.r. stunt to give everyone in America a free can of Dr. Pepper if “Chinese Democracy” was released. Dr. Pepper likely originally viewed this solely as free publicity stunt not thinking the album would ever actually see the light of day. But to their – and nearly everyone’s – surprise, Axl either finally ran out of money or “Cool Hand Luke” samples – and the album was finally released on November 23. So Dr. Pepper was forced to fulfill their promise, which they did for the most part…with a few hiccups in between such as crashing servers and busy 1-800-numbers that caused consumers to work a little harder for their free can of soda.

But apparently, these complications were enough to upset this rocker, who once crooned about the virtues of patience, and enough so to use it as the basis for a lawsuit. Afterall, despite taking decades between albums and regularly appearing hours late for concerts (if at all) – he’s always looking out for the good of the people, right?

Well, a reading of the letter from Axl’s lawyer reveals why Axl is actually upset. And it’s not because the poor citizens of America didn’t get their free can of Dr. Pepper. It’s because he didn’t get paid. The letter states that Dr. Pepper exploited the singer’s reputation and that “payment would be sought for the unauthorized use of the Guns N Roses brand.”

So, although Axl’s team deems Dr. Pepper’s fumbling of the promotion an “unmitigated disaster which defrauded customers” and is demanding that Dr. Pepper run a full-page apology in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, and extend a redemption window for its free-soda offer – they’re essentially using this all as a guise to re-coup a profit for the promotion. A promotion which Axl originally claimed to be “surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album ‘Chinese Democracy’” when he first heard about it.

But that was then and this is Axl Rose. Now, the man wants to get paid. And you know what? He is right. Dr. Pepper did associate themselves with Guns N Roses and attempt to capitalize on “Chinese Democracy” without permission. And as Axl is smart enough to realize, Guns N Roses is only a brand name now, much like Lollapalooza, MTV, and Britney Spears. If in the real business world, Brand A associated themselves with Brand B without authorization – and somehow harmed Brand B, then Brand A would surely be looking at a similar lawsuit as the one Dr. Pepper has been served.

Of course it’s debatable what damage Dr. Pepper did to G N R – if any at all. In fact it could be argued, they actually helped the brand by giving the album free publicity. And sure, maybe Axl did seem cool with this at first, but he’s not exactly known as the most stable of people. So perhaps it would’ve been wise for Dr. Pepper to get something in writing. And maybe Axl is trying to hide the real impetus for the lawsuit behind the facade of consumers not getting their free sodas. But that’s smart business and savvy p.r., and what any other intelligent brand would do.

So, although it may be hard to swallow – Axl is right. Although he may not be the most time-efficient or easy-going of guys, he proves that he’s at least a smart businessman (or has hired people who are smart businessman), and is aware that Guns N Roses is nothing but a brand these days. And is only doing what he can to protect the brand image and ensure he is paid when others attempt to capitalize on his brand. All of which again proves that big bands are nothing but brands themselves – and like any successful brand, they have an appetite for more than just destruction.