OMG with Emily

SNOOP: The Smokable Songbook

2012-04-12T08:48:00.003+10:00

Snoop is never one to market things in a traditional way, which is why he is a favourite of mine when looking at how brands & bands work together.

He is well known as a fan of smoking - with his own Snoop Dogg Master Kush marijuana, a line of cigars called ‘Executive Class’, and now a line of Kingsize rolling papers. And in true Snoop style, rather than just release an ad for his papers, he has now released the Snoop Dogg Smokable Songbook.

Each perforated page of the book is a king size rolling paper itself, and each page also has Snoop song lyrics printed on it in non-toxic ink (to keep you healthy!). Plus, the spine is like the side of a matchbox, so that you can strike a match on it.

Snoop is also looking to sample the papers at this year’s Coachella festival – through pole posters which will have the rolling papers as detachable tabs.

Rolling Words: Snoop Dogg's Smokable Book from Projeto Winner on Vimeo.

BRANDS & BANDS: Buy what Diplo wears

2012-04-12T08:40:00.003+10:00

Online fashion store, Ssense, has created what is thought to be the world’s first shoppable music video.

The video, for "I Think She's Ready" from 21 year old Aussie Iggy Azalea (of Pu$$y fame - see vid below) and Diplo, sees the artists styled by Ssense in outfits from designer brands they stock - including Phillip Lim, Givency and Alexander McQueen

As you watch the music video on the Ssense website, you can hover over items in the video to bring up more info on what the artist is wearing – before then clicking through to purchase their clothes, accessories, shoes etc online.

Iggy Azalea & Diplo - I Think She's Ready (non shoppable version - click here for interactive version)

Iggy Azalea - Pu$$y

BRANDS & BANDS: Guetta's HP deal - set up by his wife

2012-02-16T08:35:00.002+11:00

One of my favourite quotes from any musician comes from David Guetta - "I'm not trying to be credible I'm trying to be incredible" (I know, right?!) and it's always interesting to watch what an artist who has no interest in credibility does when it comes to brand endorsement deals.

Last year, Guetta and HP joined forced to launch the HP Touchpad – with Guetta appearing in the advertising for it, and including the Touchpad in 2 of his music videos.

This partnership is continuing in 2012, with the announcement this week that HP will launch a branded web series on March 6 (via Dailymotion and Guetta's Youtube channel) to promote its laptops and headphones. The episodes will follow Guetta as he tours Europe. And will also show his wife, Cathy, as she shops while he DJs.

Seeing his wife's shopping expeditions listed in the content made me question whether there was also a fashion brand behind this content... but as I looked into the deal further I found a much clearer explanation. The deal was done through a brand endorsement agency called My Love Affair – which happens to be run by Cathy Guetta. So she has included her own perks into his endorsement deal! Smart lady.

Alcohol product placement hidden in song lyrics

2011-10-27T09:57:00.003+11:00

A recent study was completed at the University of Pittsburgh which looked into the placement of alcohol brands in music lyrics.

Researchers studied the lyrics of 793 songs on Billboard Magazine’s Top 100 lists from 2005 – 2007, and found that 21.3% of them referred to alcohol, and of those, 24.3% referred to specific brands. The brands mentioned most often were Patron Tequila, Grey Goose Vodka, Hennessy Cognac and Cristal Champagne.

While many brands pay for the placement in lyrics, Patron Tequila have said that they have never paid for a mention in any song, assuming that their inclusion in song lyrics is just because artists like their product.

It has definitely been proven in past that putting a brand into a song can drive alcohol sales. According to The Star, when Busta Rhymes and P Diddy released Pass the Courvoisier in 2002, sales of the cognac increased 19%!

Given that integrated advertising has been proven to be quite effective, it is no wonder that there are so many brands using companies like The Kluger Agency (who were responsible for the multitude of products placed in Lady Gaga & Beyonce's 'Telephone' video - below) to put their products into music videos and song lyrics. This is particularly interesting when looking at alcohol brands - given that it is illegal to advertise alcohol to underage consumers, embedding brands into songs is a way of still promoting your brand to youth whilst staying out of trouble.

PITBULL takes a 'Sheet' on stage

2011-09-20T18:37:00.002+10:00

The year isn't yet over, but I think we've got a winner in the worst brand & artist partnership!

Pitbull (yes, the guy who rhymed 'Kodak' with 'Kodak' in "Give Me Everything" as part of his Kodak sponsorship) has teamed up with Sheets Energy Strips to front their latest campaign.

You can see the creative above. Gross, huh?
As Adweek says: "This is a product you put in your mouth, yet it's being marketed with headlines that reference defecation."

Partnering with the wrong brand, or fronting a horrible campaign, can do massive damage to an artist's credibility. If you didn't already dislike Pitbull, this ad will probably change that.

Check out Pitbull's Kodak ad here:

BRANDS AND BANDS: Madonna & Smirnoff

2011-08-25T09:20:00.002+10:00

Last year, Smirnoff launched a campaign called the Nightlife Exchange Project where cities around the world swapped nightlife to throw a huge Smirnoff sponsored cross-cultural party.

The next event will take place this year on November 12, and will again involve 18 countries swapping nightlife. But this year, they've got Madonna on board.

The vodka brand has paired up with Madonna to hold a dance contest in which she will select the best dancer from 50 countries (in which Smirnoff are running this promotion) to join her on her next tour.

Madonna will be sure to bring in a large number of dancer entries, due to her wide appeal, and the reputation she has for big-scale stage shows. But she is an interesting choice for a campaign which looks to be targeting 18 - 24 year olds... is Madonna too old for this demographic? She had already released Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), Like a Prayer (1989) and Erotica (1992) before 18 year olds today were even born! Or will the Smirnoff customers latch on to her 'vintage' appeal and embrace her - like Virgin Mobile customers did with Vanilla Ice a few years back?

Ruby Rose & JVC launch The Bustival

2011-05-26T09:11:00.004+10:00

You may have thought that the biggest news in Australian music yesterday was Silverchair’s hibernation... but did you hear that Ruby Rose and JVC are announcing a partnership (Exciting, right?!)

As part of this deal, you’ll see Ruby Rose appearing in a JVC advertising campaign over the next few months, but the main element of this partnership is that JVC are creating a "Bustival". It's a one day, portable event on a bus, which will travel to various destinations in Sydney and featuring Ruby Rose as a DJ.

In an attempt to increase audience interaction, they are inviting music fans (and Ruby Rose's followers) to co-create the experience – from the music Ruby plays to the destinations the festival visits.

While they are calling it a pop-up music festival, there is no mentions of acts other than Ruby Rose – and I’m not sure that one DJ makes a festival. So maybe we'll see other bands and DJs announced in the coming weeks.

Lots of brands play in the music space, and do it quite well. From Becks (Sydney Festival Bar), to Smirnoff (Experience and Nightlife Exchange), to Converse (artist collaborations for their TVCs), and Adidas (with multiple artists appearing in their House Party ads) to name just a few.

Then there are others who 'give it a go' by creating loose concepts based around a live music experience, bring a personality or musician on board, and cover it in branding in an attempt to look like they are 'edgy', 'cool', 'in touch with youth' and/or supporting the local music scene. They may even create a logo for the campaign that has a 'street art' edge (see above).

While JVC haven't yet launched all the details of their Bustival - it is sounding a bit to me like a brand who is desperately trying to play with the cool kids.

If you want to find out more, check out the Bustival page here.

Morgan Spurlock makes a brand funded film, about brand funding

2011-05-20T15:36:00.004+10:00

Check out the trailer below for "POM Wonderful presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold".

It's the latest from Morgan Spurlock, in which he investigates brand funding in entertainment, by creating a 100% brand funded documentary.

As someone who works in branded entertainment, this concept really interests me. It is so often that brands want to be integrated into your content, but they want it to look seamless, natural, and believable. By offering brands sponsorship of a film about brand funded content, you know that the integration isn't going to be hidden - it is the very reason the documentary is being made!

But will Morgan Spurlock be able to unlock any hidden secrets behind product placement, or will he just be highlighting what we already know - that advertising is no longer contained to 30 second spots... it is now contained within, or sitting around, almost every piece of content we consume.

BRANDS AND BANDS: Chromeo voices map service for Nokia

2011-04-07T07:57:00.007+10:00

Last month Chromeo released a bizarre video about the making of their new album. Titled "Drive Time", it was to be the smallest album ever made.

Coming in at just over 3 minutes, but containing 55 tracks, Chromeo talk about how in this age of information, people don’t have time to sit through a 3 or 4 minute song - which led them to the creation of this micro-album.

In a twist, it turns out that the video was a pre-promotion for the Nokia "Own Voice" - a map service which lets you record yourself or your friends to be the voice of your maps.

In a partnership similar to Snoop & Tom Tom, Chromeo are providing one of the free downloadable voices for the map service, so you can let their synthy sounds guide you around.

Check out the finished product here:

CONVERSE: keeping music alive

2011-02-18T10:14:00.006+11:00

The 100 Club is one of the oldest live music venues in London, who have been promoting live music since 1942. Over the years it has seen performances from Muse, The Who, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Paul Weller, Kula Shaker, Joe Strummer and Oasis.

But, in September 2010 the club's owner announced that it was facing financial difficulties and would close at the end of the year.

A massive campaign began to save it, which was supported by Liam Gallagher, Mick Jagger and even Sir Paul McCartney, but by the end of 2010 it still wasn’t looking good.

Until Converse stepped in, with an announcement that they were going to save the venue.

They will not be rebranding it (as Virgin Mobile did with the Metro in Sydney), however they are expected to take a financial stake.

And really, could there be a better marketing opportunity for a brand who has been trying to align themselves with music and youth over the last few years? They have gone to great lengths (and expense) to secure credible musicians to feature in their campaigns, including Julian Casablancas, Pharell, Santogold, Kid Cudi and Bethany from Best Coast. And now, they have showed their brand to be truly aligned with their marketing message - that Converse really supports music.

If only more brands who wanted to align with music did something to support the industry, without making bands or venues look to be selling out due to extreme branding requests. Maybe someone could have stepped forward to save some of Sydney's iconic music venues, like The Hopetoun or The Abercrombie?

And if you've got 2 minutes, check out the video that Converse created with Bethany Cosentino below. While it does include some product placement, it does so in context, and steers clear of huge logos / overt branding. Bethany is allowed to represent herself in the spot, while talking about why she loves music - instead of about why she loves shoes. All this ensures the final product doesn't look too much like an "ad":

MORE FROM SNOOP: Pepsi Max

2010-11-10T12:43:00.003+11:00

Pepsi Max has used Snoop Dogg in their most recent campaign.
But it's not just an appearance... in true Pepsi style, Snoop performs the 'jingle' within the spot.

My favourite thing about Pepsi endorsement ads featuring musicians are that they have nearly always used the artist's own music, rather than just the artist's image. The music will then have the lyrics tailored for the campaign (Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was turned into "You're the Pepsi generation, guzzle down and taste the thrill of the day, and feel the Pepsi way"). It's cheesy, but it works.

Check it out here:

And a few other Pepsi ads featuring musicians below...

Britney

Bob Dylan & Will.i.am

Michael Jackson

David Bowie & Tina Turner

Rod Steward & Tine Turner

Mary J Blige

Justin Timberlake (this one was for a Pepsi competition, rather than just being a brand spot... so it doesn't quite match the same Pepsi formula. It does use JT's music, but doesn't really incorporate it lyrically in the same way)

THE BEOP: The easiest way to launch a band? Have a brand do it for you.

2010-10-29T10:30:00.008+11:00

The first time I ever heard Die Antwoord a couple of things went through my head, starting with "are these guys for real?", and quickly followed by "this must be a brand funded marketing stunt".

And now, it's happening all over again, but with a Kiwi band who say they are from a 'time bubble'.

Introducing The Beop.

I was sent a press release recently from the band which included a Beop handbook, and some facts on the band (a selection of which are below).

We are from another dimension – diagonally advanced to yours (for convenience sake people call this the future).

Yes, we are Intergalactic Druids.

Our instruments are normal (for where we come from)

The Beop band members are: Zozzi the Zozz: Lead vocals and Hairy-Tailed Jippet (though the Jippet tends to play himself); Sister Dep: Lead Vocals and Phrove; Uncle Doog: Rhythmo-pole, Phrove, backing vocals; Art Gurd: Multi-instrumentalist Gurd, has been somewhat preoccupied by his side projects of late.

Due to the physical limitations of being in a time-bubble, we don’t do ‘conventional’ live stage performances, but rather beam in to venues and festivals (a bit like a live football simulcast) using very sophisticated projection technology.

As mentioned above, the band 'beam' in to venues... so the release goes on to say that The Beop will make a synchronised video release into the streets of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington to celebrate the release of their single "Our Souls Are Intergalactic" on 20 November.

This all screams brand funded marketing stunt to me, but I can't yet work out just which brand might be behind it all.

The Beop site is quite fun, but doesn't really tell you anything about the band at the moment. It was created by a New Zealand developer called Simon Lindsay, who seems to do a lot of work for brands such as Toyota, Intel and Puma... But he has also done some music work for New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. The site, the band 'handbook' and their videos are all well produced - and look far too expensive for a band who is just launching their career. But, that is exactly why I'm interested in The Beop - their music isn't great, their website doesn't really do anything, but their story is intriguing!

Find out a bit more here:

And check out their video for "Shake On" here:

How to make a video go viral

2010-10-28T08:35:00.005+11:00

All artists want their music video to go viral, but how do you compete with a seven year old rapping "Whip My Hair"?

Dutch band Cmon and Kypski are offering their fans the chance to become a part of their video for 'More Is Less' - leading to almost 25,000 people already engaging with their clip.

The interactive video sits online at a site called "One Frame of Fame", and allows you to select individual frames, reshoot them with your own webcam, and upload the replacement footage in real time. The video is then refreshed every hour - so you can come back every hour to see a completely different product each time.

They've engaged their fans, they've given them the chance to be (somewhat) famous, and have offered something new and interesting.

Check it out here, and get your One Frame of Fame.

NEW VIDEO: Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

2010-10-19T11:21:00.004+11:00

Check it out. She's signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, she's Will Smith's daughter, and she's just 9 years old.

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair (Official Video)
Uploaded by Jeffhardy143. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

From Anarchy to Advertising: The Sex Pistols Sell

2010-09-23T15:44:00.002+10:00

Earlier this year, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols appeared in a British butter ad (see the bottom of this post). And now, the entire band for the first time in their 35 year history, have agreed to license a song for an ad - with “Pretty Vacant” being used in a spot for a UK gambling website.

And while the Sex Pistols used to be the antithesis of both commercialism and consumerism, it seems like we’re going to see more brand partnerships from the band in coming months.

They already released a range of Pistols branded shoes in conjunction with Vans ealier this year, and coming soon is a unisex perfume, which has their God Save The Queen imagery on the box. Plus, if you’re a gamer, you can now get virtual Sex Pistols merchandise for characters in The Sims.

All of this makes sense, for a band who is no longer releasing new recorded music and whose revenue from music sales will continue to decline. Licensing their image and brand is a way for them to continue to make money.

Sell out? Or just selling? Check out the "Country Life" butter ad below.

Lydon's Butter Ad:

Personalising music videos - Arcade Fire

2010-09-02T08:34:00.004+10:00

Arcade Fire are doing some fantastic work with online music videos and video streaming, and their latest project is absolutely no exception.

The band’s latest video from "THE SUBURBS", which can be found at thewildernessdowntown, gives you a personalised video, enabling you to reminice about the suburb in which you grew up to the soundtrack of Arcade Fire.

The video works by pulling both map and Google Street view data from an address which you plug into the Wilderness Downtown website. It was designed to work with the new Google Chrome, and gives you layers of video which pop up all over your screen. The browser senses how large your display is, and uses the full area available.

There is a bit of a push at the moment to use the “google toolbox” to pull together all the different google tools, and create new inventive pieces of online content. It will be interesting to see whether all of this leads Google being well known (and used) as much more than just a search engine and information service.

Check out a video of the content here... but make sure you jump online and create your own.

Free Icecream on Katy Perry Day

2010-08-12T08:13:00.004+10:00

Towards the end of this month, Katy Perry is releasing her new album.

While this doesn’t excite me from a musical perspective, what DOES excite me is that EMI and Baskin Robbins have teamed up to celebrate the release with a day of free ice cream.

Baskin Robbins announced this week that Friday August 27 is Katy Perry Day, and if you go into one of their stores and mention Katy Perry’s name, you will receive a free cotton candy flavoured ice cream on the day.

Katy Perry fan or not, everyone loves free desert!

Bonds brings back Ratcat with a nod to AC/DC

2010-08-09T18:34:00.009+10:00

Bonds has brought back one of the biggest Aussie bands from the early 90s, Ratcat, with some more 90s music nostalgia in advertising.

Their latest ad, for Tube Bra, sees a girl band recreating Ratcat's "That Aint Bad", and even includes a cameo from Simon Day himself. In a nod to another seminal Aussie band, the performance on the back of a flatbed truck resembles AC/DC's 1976 music video for Long Way To The Top (note that Simon Day is even wearing a similar black & red striped top to Bon Scott).

Check it out here:

And the Ratcat original:
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BRANDS AND BANDS: Arcade Fire Live. Free and directed By Terry Gilliam. Funded by Amex

2010-08-05T06:36:00.005+10:00

If a brand funds a musical project, but no one is talking about their involvement, is it still a successful campaign?

Last week, I heard that Arcade Fire was streaming tonight's live performance from New York online.

As their new album was about to be released, the band was getting a lot of buzz, and it seemed like a great promotional strategy for them - release a new album, then stream the performance of that album on YouTube so that audiences around the world can experience it. Plus, they secured Terry Gilliam to direct the stream - which gave what they were doing a point of difference. This wasn't just another concert you could watch online - you'd be watching a Terry Gilliam live creation with Arcade Fire in your living room!

What I didn't realise, was that American Express are behind the whole thing.

In a great sounding campaign, American Express have teamed up with YouTube and Vevo to produce a concert series called Unstaged.

The Unstaged project will see American Express live-stream five concerts from breakthrough artists over the next 12 months, all from iconic locations.

Tonight (US time) sees current FBi favourites, Arcade Fire, stream their live performance of new album "THE SUBURBS" from Madison Square Garden here.

During the performance, you’ll be able to control how you view the show, by switching between the director’s stream and a second camera which will allow you to check out other vantage points – including backstage or the front row. And to encourage audience interaction with 'The Suburbs' show, American Express is allowing people to upload photos of their suburb which may then get featured on stage during the band’s performance.

American Express have taken an existing concept and made it bigger, but implementing big name artists, big name directors, big locations, and audience interaction - so you don't need to be at the show to feel like you can be a part of it.

However, up until 15 minutes ago, I thought of this performance as just an amazing idea which Arcade Fire had organised with Terry Gilliam. It was only when I searched for more information that I came across a press release from American Express that enlightened me to their involvement in it. Is it still money well spent by Amex if audiences are more educated on the bands and directors involved than the brand that is bringing them this experience?

Either way, I'll be watching.

Can't get to Splendour? You can stream it live!

2010-07-29T08:06:00.003+10:00

Well... The Temper Trap's set tomorrow night at least!

If you missed out on a ticket to Splendour in the Grass this weekend, you can still catch The Temper Trap's performance. It will be streamed live online for Virgin Mobile tomorrow (Friday) night at 9pm via news.com.au

And so that you don't have to sit in front of your computer on a Friday night, the stream will then be available for playback on Virgin Mobile's Members Lounge.

Virgin Mobile has been getting more and more involved in the Australian music scene over the past year. From their "Right Music Wrongs" campaign, to their rebranding of Sydney's Metro Theatre to the 'Virgin Mobile Metro' and now this, which I believe this is the first time that a brand has gotten involved with a live music stream from a festival in Australia.

Engaging youth with free sh*t and hidden parties

2010-07-01T08:54:00.004+10:00

The mapping and business location service, Where Is, ran their second “Where Is The Party” party on the weekend, turning a furniture warehouse in Waterloo into a party venue – with guests being asked to dress in black before being covered in coloured chalk dust.

To get there, clues were given out the party and its location via social media and texts in the lead up.

The company that owns Where Is, Sensis, was also behind the Yellow Pages hidden pizza campaign – where a hidden venue in Melbourne was giving out free pizzas, but you had to find them first via the phone directory.

I like the thinking behind their campaign. Making people feel as though they are 'in the know' via a promotion is a nice way of creating talk, particularly if you've created a party or event that is a bit different (check out the coverage "Where Is The Party" has received on Sydney Alter Ego, Social Diary, and Oyster. And the great photos on Hobogestapo- including the below.

Rumour has it that another hidden free food venue is coming to Sydney soon... stay tuned.

Music Nostalgia in Advertising: Bringing back the 90s

2010-06-17T07:05:00.005+10:00

An example of just one (of seemingly many) brands currently using 90s music nostalgia to push their products:

Castle Light last year used Vanilla Ice to promote their beer (as did Virgin Mobile in their Right Music Wrongs campaign).

And in another nod to 1990, they have returned with a follow up advertisement this month - featuring the man with almost 2 million twitter followers, @MCHammer.

The Adidas Cantina - featuring Snoop Dogg

2010-06-10T08:35:00.003+10:00

This Adidas piece of World Cup promotion is my favourite piece of football promotion so far... and how could it not be, with a line up that includes Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, Ciara, Ian Brown of the Stone Roses and David Beckham.

Adidas have managed to combine old Star Wars footage with new shots, to create a video that shows the stars watching a World Cup game in the cantina. And Snoop in a light sabre fight.

COLLABORATION: Of Montreal, Spike Jonze and Absolut Vodka

2010-06-09T22:07:00.005+10:00

Absolut vodka has collaborated with Spike Jonze to create a short film / robot-romance called "I'm Here". The beautiful and heartbreaking film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, showing a world in which humans and robots co-exist.

The film is available to view online in it's entirety here, but Absolut limits the number of screenings each day - so if you hit the site at a busy time, you may not be able to make it on.

The soundtrack contains music from artists including Sam Spiegel (of N.A.S.A), Aska Matsumiya and Of Montreal - who are also releasing a new 12" light blue vinyl for "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal", their track from the film.

Recreating the CBGB toilets as art

2010-06-03T08:48:00.004+10:00

CBGBs helped to shape the punk and New Wave scenes in New York during the 70s and 80s – with performances from artists including the Ramones, Misfits, Blondie and Talking Heads.

Perhaps just as famous as the bands that performed there however, were stories of the filthiness of their bathrooms.

If you never got to see the CBGBs toilets for yourself before the club closed in 2006, artist Justin Lowe has recreated the club’s bathroom in the Wadsworth Atheneum gallery in Connecticut, all in the name of art.

Justin is known for transforming white-cube interiors into spaces which evoke the urban underground, including a fake meth lab he built in a New York gallery.