Branding, Sponsorships & Artist Imaging

In the current music market, personal branding, sponsorships, innovative distribution, and public image have all become key aspects for an artist’s success. These concepts are valuable tools that artists are using to their advantage to differentiate themselves in a market of clear over saturation.   In each case, an artist’s utilization of branding needs to be considered, and most importantly, its effectiveness on consumer behavior must be examined as well. There are recent developments within the industry that are creating trends and testing new angles of promotional branding and image establishment.

Essentially, every artist is a product, and the current industry demands that an artist to be able to market themselves on a variety of levels. Artists also owe it to themselves to look at their art as a commodity, following a similar progression as a company would with releasing a product. Market research, target demographic, and consumer demand for what you are trying to do must be carefully examined in order to hurdle over the clutter. Branding has become a new way to connect with fans, reaching out and pulling two communities together.

The ultimate decision is how to craft the brand to compliment your art. In order for any personal brand or partnership to be successful, an artist or company must determine what they do well. Everything starts with authenticity. Artists should not attempt to sell themselves to everyone, but should take time to evaluate their demographic, and be sure the brand is the right match before moving forward.

Recently, non-music related businesses have been seeking brand equity relationships, i.e. using an artist to deliver themselves to a specific audience they want to connect with. Music is a part of the consumer’s daily life and conversation. The key is to portray an honest image and to be aware of credibility and consistency issues.

Current Practice

Many major campaigns have arisen within the past few months, including Natasha Bedingfield’s partnership with boutique hotel chains, Keith Urban with Target, John Legend & The Roots with American Express, Zak Brown Band with Dodge, and Drake, Pitbull and Trey Songz with Kodak. Finally, a promising partnership is Converse’s yearlong campaign centered on British talent, such as Hot Chip, Bitman & Roban, Hot City, and New Order.

Converse has identified its market, and created an agreement that is beneficial for them and their clients. Bands are promoted to clients and fans through Converse’s website and other means, and the company narrows its marketing by learning from each band’s loyal fan base. Over the summer, the company also paired up with Kid Cudi, Vampire Weekend, and Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast for the single “All Summer,” as part of their “Three Artists, One Song” collaboration campaign.

Although many wide reaching mass media deals are only seen with artists of a superstar level, the model is beginning to change. To many companies, a debut group that has a strong image is a prime target for such deals. Companies are getting comfortable connecting with these new artists because fans adore them, and blogs passionately cover them. “Indie artists have audiences that believe what they say, and partnering with that kind of credibility means more to a consumer than connecting with an artist who just has mass popularity,” says Jeff Tammes, senior VP of strategic marketing at Cornerstone. “Some brands are willing to grow with an artist, and use these lanes to connect with a demographic honestly and thoughtfully, because all in all, it is about building a community with an artist, protecting it, and finding a new audience. This in turn, will generate a large amount of revenue for the indie artists.”

Brands and sponsorships are becoming the new labels for many artists –able to generate substantial revenue and combine marketing, advertising and PR all in one. The Economist magazine recently placed the value of sponsorships in the USA at about $1.8 billion dollars , a figure that is equivalent to roughly a half of annual concert ticket sales. Clearly, this part of the business, which used to be unaccounted for, is expanding. Questlove, percussionist for The Roots, summarized the current sentiment at a recent press conference. “There is no more selling out”, he said, “just selling.

By Kerry Fee

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