For midem marketing competition, a showcase of the best music marketing campaigns & music in advertising, Live Nation’s President, Marketing Partnerships, International, Anthony Robinson answers three questions to advise agencies & brands which would like to apply to the midem marketing competition.
Why should brands work with artists to use music in a campaign?
Madonna puts it best.. "Music makes the people come together". In a virtual world, music is one of the indisputable kings of connectivity- to friends, to strangers, to memory, to the unknown. A successful brand-music association taps into one or all of these aspects and takes the viewer/listener on a journey beyond what can be experienced with visuals alone.
What qualities do you look for in such a campaign?
Music doesn't work that way..for me, it's the unexplainable that tends to stand out, as if it was and always has been there, connected to that brand… to this day I cannot not hear Dandy Warhols "Bohemian Like You" without being reminded of the launch of Vodafone across Europe.. It was everywhere. Relatively unknown band at the time, new brand, but the two just worked so well as a positive message.
Which music & brand partnership has most impressed you of late and why?
Live Nation Entertainment works with approximately 800 brands/advertisers across our networks, so we see plenty of discussions with clients and brand agencies about music and entertainment. If there's one thing I've learnt about music partnerships, using old school terminology, success is a long player rather than a singles game, and why shouldn't that be the case? 10 year sport brand partnerships are the norm, and yet music is still considered the quick fix, the instant hit. A brand needs time to build that relationship with their customer, new or current, if music is to be considered an important tool in the communication plan. Music is so personal, that the trick is to give the consumer what they're looking for, which means either you're so ahead of the curve you're giving them something they didn't know was there, OR you give them the option of discovery- of choice, of empowerment, o2 Telefónica continues to be one of the best in breed at music brand partnership,and it's all about choice and we partner with Telefónica in several markets. In the UK particularly, o2 has taken the time and dedicated resource to really make a real difference to the live music experience, appreciating their customers loyalty by rewarding them with Priority, a simple and powerful proposition made tangible by partners such as Live Nation, AEG and Academy Music Group.
If you want to participate in the midem marketing competition, apply here!