"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

I am blown away by how my 9-year-old son with complete ease shifts between multiple devices in a single session. In one sitting he actively engages with content across several channels simultaneously. He is playing Fornite online with a group of friends on one device, chatting with other friends on Twitter using another mechanism, listening to background gaming music, and somehow he manages to add YouTube to his media mix on the TV screen. For me that is information overload on steroids but not for him and his fellow Gen-Zers!

These digital natives (born approximately between 1995 – 2012) are not only tech and social media savvy but are a group of socially conscious youngsters that are the next consumer powerhouse that is reported to have access to $44 billion in buying power according to a study released in January 2017 by IBM and National Retail Federation. That kind of spending power is requiring companies to bring their A-game to their Z-game strategy to figure out how to earn this mobile-focused and high-spending global cohort’s precious dollars. The keys to unlocking the doors to reach my son and his generation are content and delivery channels. So how do brands get their attention? Keep reading to get some useful tips and see how some brands are doing it.

Content is key number one. When it comes to crafting messages, rather than talking about the functionality of the product/service, marketers need to emphasize the value from practical and emotional standpoints. Apple does a great job in this area. For example, instead of talking about how the iWatch can tell time, it highlights the watch’s value. For instance, it is a health management tool that helps you monitor your well-being and is a companion for your workouts.

Another good practice is using inclusive language as well as be transparent and genuine in your communications and interactions. Gen-Zers are a socially conscious group, so they expect the organizations they do business with to be good corporate citizens that are socially responsible, engaging in work that supports and uplifts communities. It’s imperative to not only to talk about corporate social responsibility but to demonstrate it in the organization’s actions.

So now that you have some ideas on content strategy, how do you make sure all of your hard work in developing these wonderful messages reach the young powerhouses? One way that Coach – a modern luxury handbags and collections lifestyle brand – is doing it, is through its Brand Ambassadors – Michael B. Jordan and Selena Gomez.  The philanthropic arm of the brand, Coach Foundation, partnered with the pair for the foundation’s Dream It Real initiative that focuses on the values of possibility, optimism and inclusivity to assist young people around the world with making big dreams a reality. And it seems to be working!

While staying up to speed on technological trends is essential, in addition to be socially responsible, research conducted by Cigna in 2018 found that a significant number of Gen-Zers experience social isolation and feel the need for some human interaction. This makes a strong case for brands to be intentional in appealing to Gen Z’s natural desires for in-person and face-to-face connections. One strategy is incorporating a new content construct in the organization’s marketing communications plan that blends Gen Z’s physical and digital worlds. Jodi Harris of Content Marketing calls this “phygital”.  This unique blend of physical and digital experiences can be designed to create immersive, multisensory and mixed-reality content and interactive events that resonate with Gen-Zers in meaningful and thoughtful ways. Some examples include virtual reality gaming, pop-up stores, and micro-theme parks. These can be fun and effective methods used to satisfy the loneliness that Gen-Zers may experience while still appealing to their digital preferences (Harris, 2018).

This certainly is not a comprehensive list of what you need to consider for marketing to Gen Z, but hopefully, it sheds some useful insight on how you can bring your A game to your Z game.

References

Apple. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/watch/

Cigna. (2018). 2018 Cigna U.S. loneliness index. Retrieved from https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8294451-cigna-us-loneliness-survey/docs/IndexReport_1524069371598-173525450.pdf

Coach. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.coach.com/dreamitreal

Forbes Business Development Council. (2018, February 22). 13 strategies for marketing to generation z. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2018/02/22/13-strategies-for-marketing-to-generation-z/#3e15ba3831c3

Harris, J. (2018, October 23). The abcs of connecting with generation z. Retrieved from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/10/connecting-generation-z

Perlstein, J. (2017, November 27). Engaging generation z: Marketing to a new brand of consumer. Retrieved from www.adweek.com/digital/josh-perlstein-response-media-guest-post-generation-z/

Smithson, N. (2018, April 4). Marketing to gen z: What everyone over the age of 30 ought to know. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-to-gen-z

Williams, K. C., Page, R. A., Petrosky, A. R., and Hernandez, E. H. (2010). Multi-generational marketing: Descriptions, characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 11(2), 1 – 18.

Brazil is the world’s eighth largest economy and with that comes lots of opportunities for international marketers to tap into the new middle-class consumer market segments (Bajpai, 2018; Cavusgil, Deligonul, Kardes, & Cavusgil, 2018). The Brazilian middle class is well-educated, young, connected with global media and have discretionary income (Bajpai, 2018; Cavusgil, Deligonul, Kardes, & Cavusgil, 2018). Being in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I’ve been able to observe the popular culture scene and realized that fashion brands can do a better job at representing diversity and inclusion in Brazil by casting non-white supermodels.

Generally, Brazil is known for birthing some of the world’s most famous supermodels, such as Giselle Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima. For instance, supermodels like Giselle Bundchen are at the forefront of the fashion world and represent Brazilian “beauty” in the global market, but her image of beauty does not represent the racially mixed population in Brazil. This begs the question: Why isn’t Brazil’s diverse consumer base represented in the fashion industry? In our course, we’ve discussed Dove’s beauty campaign and the definition of beauty, which got me thinking about how international marketers can tap into the growing middle-class consumer market that is not generally represented in the media. One way Dove and other brands can appeal to the Brazilians is by addressing more extensively the changing cultural perspectives on beauty in Brazilian society. For instance, there is an emerging LGBTQ community that is challenging what is traditionally considered female beauty. International marketers can tap into this growing trend by highlighting differences in their beauty/fashion campaigns and how this contrasts with the different ways people identify in Brazil. It is also important for marketers to understand the socioeconomic conditions in Brazil and how it affects people’s’ definition of beauty.

I want to give international marketers a few things to think about to appeal to the Brazilian market:

It is important for marketers to understand the changes in popular culture. For example, the music industry is changing the traditional (white, European, and heterosexual) definitions of beauty. Although in the U.S. the following examples would be considered socially acceptable, these iconic musicians are blazing the trail for Brazilian society’s changing cultural values.

A great example is Pabllo Vittar, Brazil’s most popular LGBT singer, who is challenging and changing beauty standards. Vittar dresses in woman’s wear and wears makeup when performing on stage.

Another example is Johnny Hooker, a singer, producer, and actor who also wears makeup during his concerts. As a result, many gay males in the city are using makeup and other skin care products than ever before, which creates a market for beauty products. This is an opportunity for marketers to tap into this viable market that appeals to both females and males as made apparent in the music industry and cultural events in the city. Marketers should include diversity in their beauty campaigns and the different ways the various ethnicities in Brazil define beauty.

It is also important for marketers to understand popular culture and be aware of these nuances in how different people think about beauty. Another example is IZA and Ludmilla, who are both African-Brazilian pop singers who are changing diversity in the music industry and challenging the traditional definition of beauty. They represent a traditionally marginalized population in the media, which is important to raise awareness about Brazilian beauty.

  IZA

Ludmilla 

However, there are a few challenges for marketers in implementing this kind of inclusive beauty campaign in Brazil. The first challenge is that these beauty campaigns might do well in larger cities, but it is unclear how they will do in smaller cities/towns. It is unclear how effective reaching diverse populations in remote regions in Brazil will be because certain media are not accessible in poorer regions (i.e. access to fashion magazines, cable TV shows, etc.). Therefore, it’s hard to gauge how far a social message campaign about beauty can travel outside of larger cities. The second challenge is getting major print publications (such as fashion magazines) in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to run fashion and beauty ads that feature a diverse range of models (ages, race/ethnicities, body shape).

Given these challenges, it is still worth the effort for marketers to engage in social cause marketing in Brazil by tapping into the cultural nuances of beauty standards in the country. It is important for beauty and fashion brands to show that they are reflecting and adapting to the changing attitudes worldwide. Do you think it’s worth it for beauty and fashion marketers to tap into the LGBT community in Brazil?

References

Cavusgil, S. T., Deligonul, S., Kardes, I., & Cavusgil, E. (2018). Middle-Class Consumers in Emerging Markets: Conceptualization, Propositions, and Implications for International Marketers. Journal of International Marketing, 26(3), 94–108. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1509/jim.16.0021

Bajpai, P. (2018). The World’s Top 20 Economies. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/

It is no secret, California is liberal. Just look at past election results to see California pulling for whoever was running for Democrat. It is safe to say California has been in political frustration with current President, Donald Trump and his eye-opening Twitter account. However, residents in Los Angeles did the unthinkable on Saturday night when the President took to Twitter to complain about something every Los Angeles Dodgers fan was also complaining about… Dave Roberts and his managing of the bullpen during the 2018 World Series.

During a critical Game 4, Roberts pulled Rich Hill after pitching 6.1 innings only allowing 1 run on 1 hit. The Dodger bullpen would go on to give up 8 runs in a 9-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox and just like that, the Dodgers find themselves in a bind needing to win 3 games in a row, 2 being on the road in Boston… a baseball death sentence. Trump agreed.

“Big mistake!” was tweeted by the President and no Dodger fans have disagreed so far. The Dodgers were destined to tie the series up 2 games to 2… and then the unraveling happened after Hill left the mound. Faster than the fireworks at Disneyland down the road, the Dodgers lead in Game 4 went “poof.” A complete and “shellacking” as the President referred it to.

The President’s use of Twitter has caused an uproar of responses from fans, analysts, and political junkies. The President tweeted about the baseball game just 11 hours after 11 people were shot and killed in a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the tweet. Roberts, classily responded, “ I’m happy he was tuning in … I don’t think he was privy to the conversation. That’s one man’s opinion.”

The Red Sox now lead the series 3-1 and are a win away from winning their 4th World Series in 14 years. Game 5 will take place on Sunday, October 28 at 5:15 p.m. PST from Dodger Stadium.

Whether a company is developing a new product or a new service, crowdsourcing can be used to add to the company’s creative process. By using the crowd or consumer for the idea process, it allows for new perspectives on product ideas, in addition to improving existing products. It can provide organizations access to new ideas and solutions, consumer engagement, opportunities for co-creation, and reduced costs. The Internet, more specifically social media has brought organizations closer to their consumers. They are building the foundation for innovative collaboration and creating value by partnering with consumers.

Lego is a company that continuously uses crowdsourcing for product ideas. Any person can submit an idea for a Lego product or new Lego sets and other consumers vote for the best idea. When the idea produces at least 10,000 votes, it will then be reviewed by a Lego Review Board and the most popular idea will be picked. Typically the product/Lego kits are limited editions and the creator receives 1% of the sales. By engaging users to participate in the design process, it helps build trust among the community and in return, they are appreciative of the creative outlet.

Crowdsourcing is a smart strategy for Lego because it provides the consumer a platform to share their creative ideas. Lego picks the best idea and provides compensation once product releases. Lego is going straight to the source, the customers who love the products and provides the necessary feedback to keep the brand relevant. By keeping the consumer engaged, the brand continues to keep its loyal customer base and continues to keep the products fresh and entertaining. Legos are no longer a product for children. Adults are reliving their childhoods with these unique and intricate products and kits. There are numerous Lego groups in which these enthusiasts display their products and share their love of creating masterpieces. Lego will continue to be successful as long as they continue to crowdsource.

Have you ever thought of creating a product? Have you ever been part of crowdsourcing before?

References:

https://ideas.lego.com/#all

https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmainwaring/2016/08/11/how-lego-rebuilt-itself-as-a-purposeful-and-sustainable-brand/#9e858286f3c4

Many of you are likely aware of the tragic fires that are raging through Southern California at the moment.

The Woolsey Fire is spread out over a massive 70,000 acres and has caused an indescribable amount of damage to structures, property, and most sadly…people’s lives. There are so many photos circulating the internet showing the path of destruction and the animals and humans who have been effected by the fires. In the age of social media, news spreads quickly. According to Hayes & Kelly (2018), “Social media represent a medium for the rapid dissemination and consumption of information consisting of text, images and video content.” Social media truly can act as a strong tool to help connect people, keep users engaged, and spread information during a crisis.

   The American Red Cross is a strong example of an organization that has effectively been using social media to support Californians affected by the fires. They tweeted a link of help to users to help connect them with resources. In addition to the link to “Safe and Well“, where people can note if they are safe, the tweet also included a video clip with resources in Spanish & English, broadening its reach to the masses.

In another tweet, they included a link to a press release with more information about the fires, resources, and how to stay safe. At the time of writing, these tweets had 498 and 290 retweets, respectively, showing the positive impact that users can have when engaging with an organization like the Red Cross.
Furthermore, the same content was posted on Facebook, where they had 208 and 254 shares, respectively.

The American Red Cross is responding to questions on users’ posts, showing their authenticity and genuine concern. Facebook has unveiled an option for people to crowd source for donations for a charity of their choice; American Red Cross has many people who have chosen them as their charity, furthering the amount of physical money they receive as well.

Additionally, the American Red Cross has made it easier to gain donations by setting up a phone number to text. People can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10, a quick process that only takes a matter of seconds but can have a massive impact. It is all about making this process as seamless as possible. In this day and age, users want convenience: how quickly can I donate? How accessible is the link I need to visit? Do I need to do research?
From a communications standpoint, the American Red Cross is doing a great job of managing questions, concerns, and funding during this major crisis. While this is to be expected as the organization’s purpose truly is to deal with crises, they certainly have done an effective job of streamlining content across their various media channels. According to Briones, Kutch, Liu, & Jin (2011), the American Red Cross does a strong job of having a “two-way dialogue through social media”, which in turn, helps to build relationships with its users, as seen in the personal replies to posts and inquiries on Facebook which were mentioned earlier. Additionally, the organization has also made sure that their links to their individual social media sites are accessible from others, showing a strong connection across media. Lastly, by utilizing hashtags in their posts, they are showing consistency across their media, while increasing the amount of user generated content. From a charitable organization point-of-view, this is only increasing the exposure of their content, and consequently, the amount of support received.

Overall, it is truly a scary time for Californians. Which so many tragedies happening, it’s important to hold your loved ones close. If you would like to donate to another organization, here are some options for you. Remember, every donation, share, and impression truly does make a difference. 

To support Los Angeles Firefighters by providing hydration backpacks, click here.
To donate to the Humane Society of Ventura County and help animals in need, click here.
To make a donation to Direct Relief (which Tito’s Vodka will match), click here.
To donate to the California Community Foundation Wild Fire Relief Fund, click here.

If you are like me and would like to learn more about the way different charities work and their “ratings” for fund distribution and efficiency, visit Charity Navigation.

References: 

Before reading this post, please know that my deepest apologies and sincerest respect go into every word written below. Also, as a preface, I am a Pepperdine alumna who graduated in 2017.

At the beautiful, upscale and privileged campus of Pepperdine in Malibu, CA., we have a false sense of security called the “Pepperdine Bubble.” This bubble ensures safety, solitude and protection from the outside world. This bubble makes us feel like bad things only happen to them (those outside the bubble) and not us (those inside the bubble). I believe this idea extends to many other privileged and metropolitan areas. This ideology is a very dangerous one to have for many reasons. For one, it causes us to be lax or indifferent on important issues facing this country. Because we consider ourselves to be safe and unfazed by the rest of the nation in our perfect and elite bubble.

Until tragedy strikes. For those of you that do not know, a shooting took place in Thousand Oaks at a small bar during their college student night on Wednesday, October 7, 2018. Among the victims was a first-year Pepperdine student. Although all the innocent souls deserve to be grieved for equally, this student, in particular, has garnered much news attention because of her famous family members, Tia and Tamera Mowry. However, the focus should not be on whom this young soul was related to, but rather, we should ask ourselves: “How could this tragic event have been prevented?”

How many more innocent people will have to lose their futures before we realize that on current gun policies are not working? Contesters say that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” While that statement is completely accurate, let’s not omit certain adjectives and nouns that belong in that sentence: Mentally unstable, violent or ill people with guns kill people.

America is one of the richest and most advanced nations, yet we do such a poor job of protecting our citizens against other citizens. I am not here to politize this blog page, nor am I here to make any grand gestures on policies changes. I personally do not know WHAT should be done, but I do know without a doubt that SOMETHING needs to be done.

Rest in peace to all the victims of the Borderline Bar and Grill shooting. My heart goes out to the families and friends.

Sincerely,
A Fellow Wave

It wasn’t so long ago that YouTube was the dominant video platform on the internet. In the spring of 2014, Facebook launched autoplay video ads and changed the landscape of online video marketing (Edwards, 2014).

In a 2018 survey, 47% of people say that most of their video consumption took place on Facebook, while only 41% name YouTube, giving a substantial lead to Facebook (Arnold, 2018). However, more marketers utilize YouTube than Facebook Video (87% vs. 68%, respectively) (Pratskevich, 2018).

In addition, there are differences in how consumers watch the platforms. As Tayenaka (2018) points out, people tend to visit YouTube specifically in order to watch videos. They are willing to spend time watching those videos, most likely taking a break from other duties to do so. With Facebook, however, people tend to view videos as they mindlessly scroll through their feeds while waiting in line (or something similar), implying that they are not paying close attention to whatever is playing.

So how do you take advantage of each platform?

Facebook:
Brevity is key: Make the video as short and to the point as possible. Attention spans are not what they used to be. Also, be sure to stick in some captions; most people keep their automatically play volume off, and aren’t going to bring out the headphones to watch a video that looks mildly interesting.

YouTube:
Take advantage of the attention. Take a deeper dive into your product and what you want to say about it. You may only have 15-30 seconds, but your consumers will be most likely be watching closely for the entirety of the ad so they don’t miss the start of their clicked video.

Don’t be afraid to take a close look at which platform is better suited for your video ad. Understanding the complexities of both YouTube and Facebook audiences will better enable you to make the best possible marketing decisions.

References

Arnold, A. (2018). Facebook now dominates YouTube for video content. Here’s how brands should respond. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2018/09/26/facebook-now-dominates-youtube-for-video-content-heres-how-brands-should-respond/#203046cf1cc0

Edwards, J. (2014). Facebook video ads will be released today. Business Insider. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-video-ads-launch-2014-3

Pratskevich, A. (2018). Facebook vs. YouTube: Which platform is more effective for video marketing? Adstage. Retrieved from: https://blog.adstage.io/2018/02/06/youtube-ads-vs-facebook

Tayenaka, T. (2018). Facebook Vs. YouTube for marketing videos: What’s the difference? Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/04/30/facebook-vs-youtube-for-marketing-videos-whats-the-difference/#3d1ffe27363d

As communications professionals we have situations where we must manage a crisis that affects the organization publicly. Crisis communication can range from things that are extreme incidents to even minor hiccups. While circumstances can vary, we should do our best to be prepared with a plan to manage a crisis. It’s important for us to have crisis communications systems in place (Hagerty, 2017), whether internally or with an external PR firm.

At a previous company I managed the marketing and communications for the manufacturing division. We had plans for managing crisis based on what was for obvious manufacturing facilities of aircraft parts. I had a game plan for workplace safety issues, aviation investigations, or catastrophic equipment accidents at one of our facilities. Unfortunately, the crisis communications incident we had to manage wasn’t about anything we anticipated, it was about something a senior executive did and we were blindsided. Lesson learned.

Crisis communications can prove to be very challenging for companies and public safety agencies, but this past week I was following something in the news that wasn’t as serious, but certainly had its own complexities based on the entertainment industry. Last week Pete Davidson performed a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live, and the result was negative publicity due to the subject matter.

While the sketch was intended to be about political candidates before the election, many perceived it as missing its mark and even crossing a line. This became a crisis communications issue for Pete Davidson and NBC. At issue was the depiction of a congressional candidate, Dan Crenshaw, and his war injury was presented as a visual joke.

The reaction on Twitter was swift (HuffPost, 11/4/18), with many questioning the appropriateness of mocking a wounded military veteran. A television network likely has an army of PR staff in place, since they regularly deal with public sentiment, particularly since SNL has comedy sketches or guests that cause a stir. Crenshaw, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, lost his eye in an IED attack while serving in Afghanistan, and now wears an eye patch, shared this: “I want us to get away from this culture where we demand apologies every time someone misspeaks,” he said. “I think that would be very healthy for our nation, to go in that direction. We don’t need to be outwardly outraged. I don’t need to demand apologies from them. They can do whatever they want. They’re feeling the heat from around the country right now, and that’s fine.” The resolution of this issue could’ve gone a number of ways.

Today is Veterans Day, so it was appropriate that SNL invited Dan Crenshaw to appear on the show last night, and their sketch together was a home run in my view.

Saturday Night Live

Hopefully, this example shows that while it’s important to have a crisis communications plan, there are a variety of ways that something can go wrong, and we’ll have to advise on the best path forward.

References:

Hagerty, James F. (Feb 2017). Bank News. Crisis Communications; Guard reputation with the right plan and right technology. (117, 2) pp. 16-18.

Huffington Post. Twitter Erupts After Pete Davidson Jokes About Veteran’s War Wound. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/pete-davidson-slammed-for-joke-about-navy-veterans-war-wound_us_5bdf9607e4b01ffb1d037567

Kevin Gonzalez

The topic of fake news is highly relevant and it is not without warrant but what is surprising is that it is not a new concept. The mid-term elections recently concluded, and many are now coming to a realization that a yes on one bill actually meant something very different than originally conceived. Both sides of a given bill proposition are purposely vague or misleading. In the 2018 mid-term elections, proponents and opponents of Proposition 10 in California, a rent control bill, spent $32 million on social media, mail and television ads (Hart, 2018). Communication is a way of using rhetoric to lead people towards one direction or another, and is deeply rooted in the early forms of communication.

The term fake news is a new term coined by President Trump, but fabrication and inaccuracy began as early as 1836 (Tucher, 1994; Vedantam, 2018). According to a NPR radio report during a segment called “Hidden Brain”, newspaper publications up until 1836 reported only the facts and saw their readers as citizens and not consumers. It was not until this time that a new newspaper, the Penny Paper, decided to print unverified claims in order to gain more readers (Vedantam, 2018). This was the beginning of the movement of the news organizations towards giving the audiences what they wanted to read rather than necessarily the truth (Vedantam, 2018).

The only difference now is that the Trump Administration throws around the term fake news towards journalist organizations that are not fake. Yet fake news organization state that the other is fake. We, the public are the only ones who can insist for news organizations to be transparent, hidden motivations and we must be willing to acknowledge when news stories are formulated with consumerism in mind and not citizens.

References

Hart, A. (2018, October 8). Both sides mislead on California rent control initiative. Sacramento Bee. Retrieved from https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article219455000.html

Tucher, A. (1994). Froth & scum : truth, beauty, goodness, and the ax murder in America’s first mass medium. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press; 1994.

Vedantam, S. (2018, June 25). Fake news: An origin story. NPR. Hidden Brain. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=623231337

Music is a powerful tool and marketers are aware that it can be used to capture ones attention through utilizing it in their marketing and communication strategies. Especially to create a hype on multiple media platforms. In today’s digital era that means music can be used for TV, Radio, internet and social media campaigns. Many companies tend to integrate famous artists and their music into their brands commercial to promote a company’s product or service. Some are effective in doing so and others are not so effective. According to Dever (2018), “Memory is just one of the many benefits music offers to advertisers. From creating moving messages to sending out calls-of-action, music has the ability to dramatically change the way you experience an ad.” The main goal of a company is to use music that will catch the consumer’s attention to give their brand the visibility it needs.” Music can be used in many different ways to promote a brand, it all depends on the needs of a product or service. An organizations marketing department can use a song, a jingle, or have an artist create a song just for the product or service. Below are some examples of how music is used create marketing ads that get used in all marketing and communication platforms. Using an artist’s music gives the artist an incentive to promote themselves, their music and a brand which in return increases sales for both parties. “Music is able to reach its fans through different channels: digital platforms including all online service (social media sites, blogs, and online music platforms), and event platforms.” (Jentetics, 2012).

An great example when music was used to promote a product and its artist is when Apple successfully utilized the song by the JET’s called “Are you gonna be my girl” in their commercial to sell their iPod. The JETS are a group from Australia and were not known to U.S consumers at the time. Apple was able to promote their IPod and the Jets received visibility worldwide. Steve jobs is credited to make bands and their songs famous like “The Black Eyed Peas: “Hey Mama”, U2: “Vertigo”, The Casers: “Jerk it Out”, Daft Punk: “Technologic, Feist: “1234”, Ting Ting’s: Shut up and Let Me Go”, Yael Naiml:”New Soul”, Chairlift: “Bruises” and Chilly Gonzales: “Never Stop”. (Andrew, 2011).

In 2017 Android use John Parr’s song “St. Elmo’s Fire” to promote its brand in one of their commercials which many thought was clever. It made consumer want to go out and buy an Android phone. People were actually tweeting about how the commercial wants them to ditch their IPhone and buy an Android. (Jerry, 2016). It’s not just tech companies that are using music in their commercials. Estee Lauder used Bruno Mars song “Just the way you are” for their women’s perfume called Modern Muse. The commercial was dubbed in different languages across the globe. These are just a few that I have named but there are a list of companies that incorporate music into their commercials and consumers are able to connect to these brands because of music. All the commercials that have been mentioned thus far can be found on YouTube.

Do other organizations from other countries use music in their commercials to conect with consumers, and how? Here are a couple of examples. Most recently a company named Vogue Jewelers in  Sri Lanka used an famous Indian playback singer named Sonu Nigam in their commercial to promote their jewelry. The singer didn’t use any of his music famous songs in the commercial. It is a song that was specifically created for the company. This company had the right idea to connect the brand with a song. This ad was posted on YouTube on Oct 21, 2018 and has received 458,665 views in just 22 days. The brand was successful in receiving viability for their products.

The ad below creates an emotional connection by using a serious issue of Alzheimer, a product, and playing an emotional tune in the background. The ad flawlessly combines the three things: the brand, the consumer and music.  Although there are no famous artists utilized in this video, the music is beautifully composed and sends a heartfelt message. Thanks to Ehsaan Noorani for the link to this video. This commercial was posted on February 2017 and has 3,495,134 views to date. (Subtitles on this YouTube video)

Can consumer be connected to a brand through the use of music? As stated by Byerly, 2017, this can be accomplished, “A brand and an artist need to have a mutual relationship, each giving value to the other in order to make a truly holistic campaign.” Organizations that utilize the use of music across their marketing channels are more likely to see an increase in engagement of their commercials on all platforms because consumers are likely to connect to the song playing on the commercial. The key here is for an organization to know its “marketing goals, potential, define a target audience, create a SWOT Analysis, know your competition, identify your competitive edge, get creative, check your big idea, and communicate your message through different platforms.” (Kareh, 2017) It’s not advisable for all organizations to use music in their media platforms. Music should be used as long the marketing department of an organization is able make a connection between the brand and the music and the consumer only then it is a smart move for an organizations marketing department to use music to promote their products or services. Apple and other companies have proved how music can be used as a tool to sell products and services to its consumers. At the end, it all adds up. Music is an emotional connection between consumers and their brands which gets utilized in integrated marketing strategies and campaigns.

1. What do you think, should organizations be using music and artists in commercials to promote their brand? If yes why? If not why?

2. Would you feel closer to a brand if a brand used one of your favorite songs in their commercials on all media platforms? If yes, why would you feel a connection between the brand and music? If not, what do your think brands should do to get that connection with you?

3. Do you feel Apple and other companies use of music has helped their brand image or not?

4. Are you someone whose more likely to stop and pay attention to a commercial that incorporates your favorite song or artist in their advertisements?

5. Do you think its important for a brand to connect its product/service to a song that is written especially for that items being advertised? Should a company ask an artist to write a song especially for their product and service as they do in other countries?

6. Do you think you would connect to a brand if they used a famous celebrity and created a song or took a serious issue and played a heart touching tune in the background? Which product are you more likely to buy  and which commercial are you more likely to watch?

References:

Agarwal, A. (2018) How digital marketing is changing the music industry.  Inc. Retrieved from: https://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/how-digital-marketing-is-changing-the-music-industry.html

Byerly, W. (2017).The music bridge – effectively connecting to consumers. Flytevu. Retrieved from https://www.flytevu.com/blog-post/connecting-customers-to-brand-through-music/

Dever, S. (2018). The relationship between music and advertising. Blog. Retrieved from https://www.chatterbuzzmedia.com/blog/the-relationship-between-music-and-advertising-5-ways-music-enhance-commercials/

Hampp, A. (2011) 10 songs steve jobs made famous. Adage. Retrieved from https://adage.com/article/news/10-songs-steve-jobs-apple-made-famous/229471/

Jentetics, K. (2012). The strategic integration of music branding and its evolution in the past 10 years. Retrieved from https://musicbusinessresearch.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/13-jentetics-kinga-the-strategic-integration-of-music-branding.pdf https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/keller-brand-equity-model.htm

Jerry (2016). That song in the commercial. Blog. Retrieved from http://www.liketotally80s.com/2016/06/song-commercial-st-elmos-fire/

Kareh, A.( 2017). Seven steps to a better integrated marketing communications strategy. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/oracle/2018/11/06/cmos-put-down-the-journey-maps-and-think-data-first/#38fb55885abd