The Ricky Parker Report

Kenny Burns 7 Steps to Creating Effective Viral Media

noreply@blogger.com (R. Parker) — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:46:00 +0000

Kenny Burns, an industry veteran & former VP at Rocafella Records, understands the impact and advantages viral media carries with establishing an artist in today's music industry. Burns has worked with developing artists such as Monica, Mariah Carey, Kanye West and Wale, and has seen first hand the transition of how marketing and branding recording artists has changed tremendously over the last 15 years. Burns experience in marketing and branding has helped him crossover in creating viral media campaigns not only for recording artists, but also for company's such as Heineken, AXE, Sprite and Belvedere.

Creating effective viral media varies in a huge way from traditional standards of advertising. Traditional advertising (i.e.: billboards & print ads) depends heavily on selling a product, while viral media focuses more so on selling an experience. Burns believes that the key to maximizing the exposure of a product through viral media can be done through 7 simple steps:

- Playing on the emotions of your consumer
- Doing the unexpected
- Never creating advertisements
- Using sequels to keep your consumer’s attention
- Allowing sharing of content
- Never restricting access to members only
- Reinventing your campaign before its too late

Playing on the emotions of your consumer

Target a strong emotion within your consumer. You have to express an opinion towards an idea with commitment and dedication. You want your consumer to be filled with love or hate, very happy or very angry, but never neutral. Your consumers’ excitement towards your viral media campaign is what will propel the word-of-mouth and energy behind it. Remember viral media is 100% about emotion.

Doing the unexpected

Consumers will always pay attention and notice what they never expect. The key is to be different, and never simply relying on promoting your product as the best or being great (because everyone does that). What can you do the grab your consumers’ attention that hasn’t been done?

Never creating advertisements

Viral media is more than gets advertisements placed online, and this is the biggest mistake many companies make in venturing into the viral media field. Traditional marketing is about promoting your product and giving it the center stage for consumers can see how great it is, but that boring and out dated. You want your consumers to buy into more than just your product, but also buy into your brand experience. Viral media is about experiences and exposing lifestyle that is associated around a particular brand, and never focusing too heavily on promoting the product directly.

Using sequels to keep your consumer’s attention

Your potential consumer has seen your campaign, it has triggered an emotion, and you now have their attention, but now what? You have their attention so use their interest in your brand in creating sequels or continuations to your campaign.

Allowing sharing of content

Sharing is what viral media is all about. Allow your consumer the ability to download, embed, and send links of your viral content.

Never restricting access to members only

Viral media is never about exclusivity; it’s about the ability of presenting content that everyone can see.

Reinventing your campaign before its too late

You should begin your viral media campaign with an endpoint in mind, because you always want to remain new and innovative in your consumers’ eyes. Overdoing the time span of a viral media campaign can be detrimental to a brand’s identity, and cause consumers’ to lose interest in the brand.

Check out related Kenny Burns sites:

The Kenny Burns Show

Studio43

Beehive FM

Raw Talent’s XO Releases New Album 43ver

noreply@blogger.com (R. Parker) — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:38:00 +0000

Raw Talent’s XO Releases New Album 43ver

XO represents the Development of Today’s Indie Hip-Hop Artist

Think: Hip-Hop’s new four fathers all balled into ONE.

May 12, 2010 (Washington, D.C.) – XO’s fourth career album, 43ver., is here to start set the pace for 2010. This young DC native’s flow captures you and transforms you into a true believer that he is what hip-hop needs and wants. Rightfully dubbed “Christopher Shakur Nasir Carter” by industry veterans, XO illustrates to be at the top of the game as he chronicles life, love and the streets from a DC perspective on 43ver. Prepare to get rapped up in the inexhaustible verses over Go-Go inspired percussion as an underground hip-hop artist emerges himself into the ranks of the greats.

For 43ver, XO teamed up with AB The Producer, Oddisee (of Diamond District) and Soulful to produce an album true hip-hop fans can bop their heads to from beginning to end. The first single off the album and bonafide hit is “Take Home,” which features Raheem DeVaughn, fellow DC native. This is a track both men and women can vibe with for its’ mainstream appeal. Also featured on the album is Tabi Bonney on “We Are The Ones” which happens to be the second single off the album. Other tracks on the album to look out for are “Blah, Blah,” “Crucial” and “She Supposed Too.”

Recognized by the Washington Post for his previous album, “Monumental,” XO continues to make headlines with notable national publications and websites alike. Raw Talent CEO, Ricky Parker, says, "I've studied the careers of many of hip-hop’s greats and XO's talents measures up to them ALL! Although I must say, the most impressive thing about X is how he carries himself."

With 43ver XO continues to deliver quality lyrics, music inspired by DC’s Go-Go sounds and the mastered art of storytelling. As the next big thing in hip-hop, XO is hands down the most diverse artist hailing from the nation’s capital already making a name for himself on the hip-hop scene. 43ver will be available for free download on www.rawtalent.com as of May 12, 2010.

The Music Industry of Today

noreply@blogger.com (R. Parker) — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:44:00 +0000

The music industry is an entertainment field that is constantly changing with the advancements in technology. Since the creation of sites such as Myspace, recording artists have gained the opportunity of having their music heard by potential fans around the world. The Internet, a tool once only thought to be a medium of gaining information, has changed traditional formats of how fans hear music, artists gain popularity and labels sign artists. Social networks and blogs now serve as platforms for signed and unsigned artists to market themselves through viral media such as videos and mp3's.

Music Industry News Sources:

http://xxlmag.com

http://thesource.com

http://vibe.com