MusicBranding

Marketing campaigns today require more to succeed than they used to. New products are failing at an alarming rate and most advertising does not register anything distinct in the mind of the consumer. Many products come across as interchangeable commodities rather than brands in their own right. The goal for modern marketing should be to make the brands live in the mind of the consumer and deliver a full sensory and emotional experience.

Whether we know it or not, we’re attracted by the brands that “feel right”, that align with our own values and beliefs. Our choices of brands tell the world what we’re about and what we stand for, in the same way our choice of music does. Are you a Mac or a PC? Do you like Katy Perry or Machine Head? Are you a Coca Cola or Pepsi? Are you into rock’n’roll or hiphop? Are you a BMW or VW driver? There are no right or wrong answers, only the ones you identify with the most.

Imagine this: you’re visiting a friend, but you actually think he’s a bit slick and materialistic, wears fancy clothes, only talks about fashion, his new Macbook and what's on his paycheck. All in all it can be a bit too much. Suddenly he reveals a playlist from Spotify with the most obscure early-nineties underground rock’n’roll-metal-alternative-indie music from the Ruhr dis-trict in Germany, and declares that this is his favourite playlist. The picture crackles, and you have to redefine your entire view of him. Imagine if this guy was a brand.

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Section 1

Editorial

The power of musicMusic engages people, it creates identity and mood. Everybody knows of one particular song that speaks directly to their emo-tions – the one song that makes them cry, or takes them back in time, and sparks personal memories. We’ve always made use of music to connect with our feelings!

The point is that music has a powerful ability like nothing else: it ties itself to our memory, affects our emotions and stores it-self in our body. Music has a direct connection to our emotions, and that is a unique factor that every brand in the world should aspire to!

For brands to truly succeed today they must engage in a deeper, multidimensional way to connect with their consumers. They must establish emotional ties between the brand and them. It is not enough to have customers any more. In today's world, you’ve got to turn those customers into fans. Brands are built through creating movements; a brand is not a commodity, and a company doesn’t own their brand. Yes, it is their business but a brand truly belongs to the people who buy it, who use it, who engage with it and for whom the brand is a part of their identity.

If you don’t acknowledge this and start letting go – you’ll find your company quickly lagging behind your competitors.

Put the power of music at the centre of your brand and start connecting with your fans!

Rasmus Hamann, CEO and Founder

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Contents

Chapter One gives a brief description of the shifted mind-set in marketing where

the importance of emotions in consumer behaviour is gaining recognition.

Chapter Two reveals data and insight in the subject and shows the significance

of music among consumers. Chapter Three uncovers strategies on how a

company or brand can harness all the benefits and opportunities music affords,

while chapter Four contains specific case studies in music branding.

Chapter 1

The new era of branding

Today, brands are facing a strong competition to get the limited and precious attention of the consumer. You need a clear and engaging brand communication to get to the valuable mind of the consumer. Music is an emo-tive medium, and brands are often tempted to use the passion around music to achieve rapid results. On the contrary, it is key to strengthen the core of the brand by communicating efficiently through every touchpoint of the brand. The goal is to get a sustainable and long-term relationship with the customer. Instead of a one-off transaction, you must strive to build loyalty beyond rea-son.

A new EconomyThe whole economy has moved. We’ve moved away from atten-tion, to participation. We have moved away from a rational econ-omy to an emotional economy. Companies used to care about shareholder value, return on investment and the like. Now, to suc-ceed, any company, however big or small has got to be purpose-inspired and benefit-driven. The company must be driven by a dream – not by shareholder value.

The role of advertising is very simple. It is to sell more stuff. You are trying to get consumers to act. To do that, you no longer solely need their attention, but instead create interest by inviting them to participate. We’ve moved from information to inspiration. We are all drowning in information and it doesn’t matter: It’s all just the same 'stuff'.

Our brains are adept at filtering out irrelevant information while emotion gets our attention through our senses and influences our decision-making processes. Brands that create an emotional con-nection to consumers are much stronger than those that don’t. Everything you do must be designed, not to inform, but to inspire. The role of marketing isn’t really to market stuff at people, but to create a movement. You’ve got to create a movement and then you’ve got to invite and inspire people to join. This transition is also one away from interruption to interaction: Consumers do not want to be interrupted but they do want to interact and play. In-stead of a return on investment we should think about a return on involvement – how involved will the consumer be with my propo-sition and brand.

Section 1

The age of emotional marketing

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Emotion can be a complicated subject. Emotion suggests chaos, lack of control and weakness. All traits traditionally feared for their potentially negative impact on the bottom line. Numbers are nice and neat. They either add up or they don’t. Not so with people and their ability to think and act emotionally.

Things have changed. Economics has adopted psychological learn-ings and proven that logic doesn’t necessarily lead – whereas emo-tions do. We make emotional choices and back them up with logic, reason and data. Even in business.

Emotions drive our ability to make decisions and increase the speed of learning, memory retention and evocation of emotion in others. Emotions are more important in the consumer buying deci-sion process than information. Individuals may be interested in the technical aspect of an item, but this interest is driven by the de-sire to achieve a specific emotional response. An emotionally en-gaged consumer, a consumer who is thoroughly committed to your brand, is not only going to be satisfied with your relationship but is also actively going to spread the word about you. In essence, they will become inadvertent employees of yours as they advocate your brand to their peers – people whom are perhaps inaccessible to you. They will become fans!

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“We know what our brand

looks like. We have a logo and

graphic profile. But what does

our brand sound like?”

Music engages people in conversationIn a marketplace where people are paying less attention, whilst more and more brands flood the market with their vociferous ad-vertising, old truths die hard. The era of “selling by yelling” is truly over and music has never been more important in the emerging marketing landscape. Today people are much too sophisticated to be lured by snappy jingles or slogans. It is true that every piece of communication needs a certain amount of volume and scale to stand out, but originality and participation are of increasing impor-tance.

We hear all this talk about new. New is dead. Nothing is new any-more; by the time we think it’s new, consumers have been doing it

for ages. You can argue that 'new' is just reinvented 'old'. We live in a world that is volatile. A world that is uncertain, complex and ambiguous. If you think you can plan or predict in all, then think again.

It isn’t really about managing in this world, because managing is impossible. It’s about surfing. The world will belong to surfers; peo-ple who can surf that wave, catch the next one, ride it to the max and get off it before you wipe out and catch the next one. Music branding offers a strategic way to reach consumers in ways that tra-ditional advertising simply can’t. This is perhaps the reason why many companies are now looking into new possibilities of promot-ing their brand using music branding.

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Music creates identity

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“A choice of brand is a clear

statement of who you are not.”

Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist

Music and brands go together. Brands are not commodities but must be built through creating movements. A company does not own its brand, it is not their brand, but it is their business. The brand truly belongs to the people who buy it, who use it and who are involved with it. A brand is not supposed to create value for a reason, it has got to build loyalty beyond reason and forge strong emotional ties between brand and consumer. Music is such a strong social force because it is tied to our sense of identity. Nothing is irreplaceable. Therefore the goal is not to make your proposition irreplaceable but to make it irresistible. Allow it to create a distinct identity.

One of the first things you’ve got to add to your brand is mystery. The more we know about something the less interesting it is. The more information we give people, the more bored they get.

Let’s get back to telling stories. Perhaps more often than not you have encountered a website that is confusing, muddled, uninteresting. It makes you want to click away instantly. They’re overloaded with information – and who cares? Mystery adds to the complexity of experiences because people are drawn to what they don’t know.

Add sensuality. We feel the world through our five senses. Brands and most businesses operate on one or two. But we as consumers holistically fuse our senses. Sensuality enables you to reframe a problem. Music can give you an emotional shortcut to the heart and change the whole perception - reframing boring to interesting. A final factor is intimacy. Intimacy means knowing not what they say or do, but how they feel. Commitment, empathy and passion. Without intimacy people cannot feel that they own a brand, and without this conviction a brand can never be taken to heart by con-sumers. They crave an experience.Put music at the heart of the brand – it should be. It’s not about making music, but to create more effective brand communication. Sound and music are our tools. Brands should reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection so that you just can’t live without it.

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Music has become an important competitive tool for business owners who want to offer consumers

added values.

Music consumers are increasingly becoming receptive to the notion of brand involvement with music. As the digital marketplace shifts the balance of economics in favour of the music fan, a new musical ecosystem opens up.

Chapter 2

Data and Insight

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Five truths There are many myths about the impact music has on us as humans. At KnowTheirName we believe that businesses should act as professionally in their use of music strategically as in every other part of their business. It is crucial that the music matches the profile of the business or brand.

No longer do the product or service solely determine whether a consumer appreciates a business or not. For example, many clothing stores have started to serve coffee next to the fitting rooms, and some supermarkets are offering consum-ers a glass of wine while they’re doing their dinner shopping. Just like these sorts of added value, music has become an im-portant competitive tool for businesses. Music is perhaps the most important element for a business targeting younger con-sumers. Therefore, it is important to understand that music connected to a brand, service or product constitutes an im-portant part of the experience offered to consumers. How-ever, there must exist a strategic fit between the overall busi-ness strategy and the music used to engage the target audi-ence or demographic. It is not enough just to play the music that hits the top of the charts on the radio and is universally recognised; the music has to fit the business where it un-folds.

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Consumers welcome brand involvement in music

Brand involvement in music is being increasingly welcomed by consumers, according to research undertaken by the leading music marketing agency in the UK, FRUKT Communications.

A nationally representative survey, specifically commissioned for the agency’s ‘Brands and Music Manifesto 2010’, found that 86 per cent of adults surveyed were positive or open to brands which add value and enrich their experi-ence of a product or service. FRUKT found that 80 per cent of adults felt that music was an important factor in their engagement with above-the-line campaigns such as TV advertising. Additionally, 20 percent of adults and 31 percent of 16-18 year olds stated that brand involvement in music actually drives their brand purchase preference – so long as it is done well and adds value.

"So much has changed since we first started working with brands and the music industry back in 2001, the trust has grown between partners and consumers alike and the research from the brands and music manifesto demon-strates this,” said CEO of FRUKT, Anthony Ackenhoff.

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Music as a branding platformAnalysis of the Danish music consumption

by

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76% Danes in the age of 12-70 y listens to music more than an hour a day

68% Listens to foreign music daily

56% Listens to Danish music daily

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Most popular genres: 75% Pop 33% Heavy 66% Rock 31% Classical 41% Hiphop 27% Electronica 36% Dance 25% Jazz 35% Indie

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56% of all Danes in the age of 12-70 y never or seldom buys music

The solution is a closer relationship between artists and fans...

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57% Download legally to support the artist

60% Are willing to buy music by artists whom they have attend at a concert

59% Will buy music by artists they are fans of

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72% Think it is alright for companies and brands to sponsor music

82% Believe it will affect their attitude towards the brand positively

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46% of the 18-25 year old find it interesting to receive music in addition to other products and believe that it will affect their attitude toward the brand or company positively

Chapter 3

Make your company sound familiar

Music has the power to create positive associations, contrib-uting to a good brand experience. The result is that custom-ers buy more, come back and recommend you further. The strategic use of music pays off.Through music you can tell the customer who you are. Most compa-nies have a visual identity, a logo or a style that characterizes who they are and what they stand for. Similarly, you can use sound and music to present and promote your business in a clear and simple way that affects your customer directly. There are various reasons why a logo is red and not green, or a website design is contemporary rather than in a classical manner. It depends on what signals you want to send. Likewise it is specific which music that reflects you as a business and fits your target audience.A complete music profile gives your customers a sense of connection between store, website, product, customer segment and brand. It sig-nals an identity for your business that tells your customers who you are in essence. It creates a potent third dimension to your product and brand. A strong sensory uniqueness is distinct enough for users to recognize you without the usual logo or typography cues.In music branding, as in all communication, defining clear and meas-urable objectives should form the basis of any activity. What do you want to achieve? Is it to generate enhanced loyalty, awareness, and increasing brand equity? By establishing clear and concise objectives, you can form the strategy that will help your company and brand achieve its goal.

Section 1

Make your company sound familiar

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97% believe that music can help strengthen their brand76% use music in their marketing70% believe that music will play a greater role in the future

Jakob Lusensky: Sounds Like Branding, 2011

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Brands that are associated with the right music identity, are 96% more likely to be recognized than those who do not use music or those where the music does not match the brand. DI Business, March 21th 2011

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Building Brands

Branding becomes critical the more goods and services flood the market, especially when the differences between them are less discernible. Coffee is a perfect example: millions of rational people shell out twice as much money for essentially the same coffee they could get somewhere else for much less. The reason? They are not just buying a cup of coffee, they’re buying a brand, an experience and all the connotations that come with that brand.

A good brand should be: easily recognised, consistent with organisational goals, distinctive and meaningful. Even blindfolded, you’d know you’re holding a classic Coke bottle. And if the bottle was dropped and smashed, someone else would still be able to tell at first glance what it was.

Remove a logo, and what do you have left? A brand is so much bigger than its logo. Are the remaining components easily identifiable by the consumer? If not, it is time for the company to make thebrand 'smashable'. Every possible consumer touchpoint must create and maintain the image of the brand. The images, the sounds, the touch – all need to become fully integrated components of the product or brand in question.

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In order to find the best strategy for your brand, the target customer’s and consumer’s demographics, online behaviour and brand values need to be analysed. However, there are some basic strategies using music.

The important question isn’t whether or not a company should use music, but instead how the music should be applied. The most beneficial way for brands to work strategically with music is to create a strategic platform in music.

Music strategies

1. Association

Associating with a specific artist or taking a unique position within a genre of music can be a great way for a brand to enhance brand equity and build an emotional connection to consumers. A good example is the case of the Danish rapper L.O.C. and telecommuni-cations company TDC. The campaign made full use of the power of social media by giving away L.O.C.’s new album exclusively from TDC’s website while spreading the word via other channels such as Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, national instore/TV advertising and TDC’s own intranet making it available to its 10.000 employ-ees. With an association strategy, TDC not only got priceless expo-sure to an attractive segment but also created a snowball effect with 100.000 downloads within 24 hours and eventually more than 250.000 downloads over the 5 week campaign period and thus just as many visitors to the TDC website. TDC’s L.O.C. Samsung Galaxy Limited edition was the most sold phone during the period beating the predominant iPhone. The album was the most mentioned media release of 2012 in Denmark and TDC had its highest brand equity score yet. L.O.C. received massive public-ity, set a few Danish download records and subsequently sold out his upcoming tour. In addition, the album sent the rapper’s back catalogue into the iTunes' Top 100 list, of which "libertine" from 2011 rose to the top of the list. In this way, TDC made friends and fans of the brand – where before there had been only consumers – by letting people actively engage with the brand.

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2. Activation

Music works as a driving force for interaction on social media net-works because of its engaging content and nature. Music engages one another, and this is why it is a great way for brands to interact with consumers.

One way to do this is through co-creation. A popular method has been to initiate remix competitions on social media networks and thus invite consumers to remix music from particular artists and then share the results with each other. This works best when the target segment is either an artist community or more hardcore fol-lowers, but can also be used for engaging with wider audiences twisting some of the basic elements of the concept. Other exam-ples include the many different campaigns launched by music serv-ices, e.g. Spotify. With Spotify, brands let customers share playslists and upload mixtapes around a specific theme connected to the brand campaign.

3. Emerging

Emerging means presenting new and upcoming music to consum-ers that they haven’t heard before. Not long ago, brands wanted only to be associated with big bands. Today, global companies have adopted a strategy that focus on emerging talent to reach the crowd and build their own fan bases. Instead of spending loads of money on big stars, brands choose to promote new and upcoming talents – the superstars of tomorrow. One way to do this is by

launching new artists in affiliation with the brand or by organising competitions for burgeoning talents.

A strong example is the Converse campaign, “Converse Rubber Tracks”, by which the company has put itself at the centre of music in an effort to strengthen the relationship with those who have adopted it, musicians and artists.

The most visible manifestation of Converse’s marketing innova-tion is the brand’s recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that opened last summer. Here undiscovered artists can come and have access to the most advanced, high-end equipment for free and lay down tracks that may or may not get them a record deal elsewhere. Fostering new music talent and giving back to its core community is how Converse becomes relevant and real to the peo-ple who would buy and wear its sneakers – even if they don’t buy it yet. All music created in the Rubber Tracks Studio is distributed through an online platform, generating relevant content and let-ting people engage with the brand, giving it authenticity and associ-ating it positively to fostering upcoming talent and new music.

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“As long as the artistic integrity is maintained, there is great potential for partnerships between bands and companies.”

Rasmus Hamann, CEO and founder, Knowtheirname

The need for professionalism

No matter the strategy, it takes more in today’s marketplaces than just music to create attention. At a time where music is freely avail-able, brands need to realise that offering consumers something dis-tinct and exclusive is vital. Brands need to offer music that consum-ers cannot find elsewhere, e.g. by offering exclusive songs before an official release, exclusive interviews, unique liveshows or record-ings. In the process, it’s really important to make the music free and easy to spread. This means avoiding access control protection as far as possible, intensifying the word-of-mouth effect.

That being said, music can be a minefield. Various stakeholders in these new partnerships are often seemingly pulling in different di-rections. Frequently brands feel shortchanged working with music, either because they can’t secure the artist or the necessary rights that are required to deliver integrated campaigns. Sometimes mu-sic stakeholders push their own priorities on to the brand without understanding the brand objectives. It is critical that all key stake-holders are identified and consulted prior entering a negotiation to ensure that all needs are met and budgets are well-managed.

It isn’t just the music industry that lacks objectivity when selecting suitable partners. Sense often goes out the window when it comes to talent selection, and artists are often chosen simply because stakeholders within the brand like them with little or no under-standing of whether or not the artist fits the target audience and campaign. Brands are often seduced by the fame of an artist. Yes,

celebrity can prove to be a powerful factor, but so can working with emerging talent. It is a whole new ball game in which differ-ent rules apply. Before deciding which path to choose, a brand should understand which objectives to focus on and its consumers engagement with music, and then determine the type of music and artists to engage. If you get it wrong, it can be costly in financial terms and be detrimental to your brand as consumers will regard it as a brash commercial enterprise. It is crucial to have a strong personality fit between the artist and the brand for the partnership to be viewed as authentic and acceptable in the eyes of the con-sumer.

A new way forward for the music industry?

It is not just brands that benefit from brand and music partner-ships. Artists are more than ever looking for new business models and ways to compensate for failing revenue in record sales. Fur-thermore, bands are looking for new ways to reach new and exist-ing audiences as marketing budgets are slashed and old business models are proven to be obsolete.

An artist forming a partnership with the right brand can reap huge benefits, in terms of raising awareness and achieving their strate-gic and creative objectives. Many brands have marketing clout and collateral beyond traditional labels. The value that a brand can pro-vide to an artist (and vice versa) should not be underestimated.

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Key success factors

So how do you go about and harness all the benefits and opportuni-ties music affords while avoiding pitfalls? No matter the scope, you need to first consider the strategic role music puts in your brand communication and clearly establish key objectives at the outset. Secondly, brand owners should identify the sonic personality of the brand to ensure the music fits its DNA and appeal to the target audience. In order for the partnership to be successful, one need to understand each party’s objectives. You can then design the cam-paign and negotiate contracts with these objectives at its heart, un-derstanding at the outset what metrics needs to be applied to en-sure each objective is met.

It is critical, that both parties understand the true sense of partner-ships. This is not to mean “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”, but instead the building of a relationship that is a true win-win. Where both parties are determined to unite forces for the benefit of all.

With a win-win solution, all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan. This scenario sees business as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. Most people tend to think in terms of dichotomies: strong or weak, white or black, win or lose. Win-win is a belief in the third alternative.

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Chapter 4

Case studies

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The ChallengeFacing the intense competition in the travel industry, DFDS Seaways wanted to find a new marketing perspective to attract new customers while still maintaining their existing customer base.In addition, DFDS wanted to improve the perceived quality and image of their brand and products by creating customized experiences on board their boats matching them to the different customer segments.

The SolutionIn 2006 DFDS Seaways in collaboration with ROSA (The Danish Rock Council) launched their concept “Rock Cruise”. The concept aimed at shifting the focus away from transportation to the unique experiences their customers can get on board.

As a part of the concept, certain departures were chosen by DFDS Seaways and ROSA to host concerts, presenting popular and upcoming Danish and Norwegian musicians.In return, DFDS Seaways promoted both famous and upcoming Danish bands and offering them free transportation with DFDS Seaways ferries if they were performing in Norway or England.DFDS Seaways is also one of the main sponsors of SPOT festival in Aarhus, held annually by ROSA.

Our PerspectiveAs a result of the campaign, DFDS achieved great PR value in terms of media coverage and raised the demand for Rock Cruise departures. According to the analysis, Rock Cruise-guests are much more enthusiastic compared to guests who buy the standard product. Among other benefits, it increased interpersonal recommendations of DFDS Seaways offerings and thus created a strong word-of-mouth effect. Analysis has shown that Rock Cruise became a youthful and energetic sub-brand of DFDS Seaways.

It is worth considering if a collaboration with a music organization like ROSA or other private organizations, independent music agencies or musicians could be the solution to some of your business’ challenges.

Do you see opportunities and advantages in offering concerts for your customers or employees? Will your business be able to strengthen its brand and expand its customer base by engaging in a musical collaboration or sponsorship?

Case

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The ChallengeBeing a part of a retail industry characterized by heavy advertising, Irma wanted to develop a creative and unique marketing approach that managed to get customers attention.Irma wanted to communicate with their customers in an open and positive way, refresh their brand and make it more up to date and appealing.

The SolutionIn 2010 Irma created a three-year collaboration with the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The collaboration was based on value similarities of both partners, since each of them stands for high quality, responsibility and the ability to embrace both tradition and innovation. Furthermore, both parties appeal to the same customer segment.The partnership was set to be dynamic: Nothing had been determined in advance and both parties discovered along the way which areas they could benefit from. Irma promoted Copenhagen Jazz Festival by selling festival programs, organizing concerts in specific stores, arranging food samplings during Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2011 and integrating motives from Copenhagen Jazz Festival posters into the design of their shopping bags. As a part of the collaboration, Irma also offered their employees to attend various jazz concerts.

Our PerspectiveThe partnership showed to be highly beneficial for both Irma and Copenhagen Jazz Festival, since both customers and employees was happy about the cooperation.Irma perceives the cooperation as an opportunity for further development and knowledge acquirement. In the long term, they consider using the experience for developing and implementing other equally inspiring marketing initiatives.

It is worth considering which type of music related collaboration will match your company’s profile.Should your company engage in a sponsorship with a music partner. Who would you consider and what would be the purpose?

Case

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The Challenge

Gajol, the manufacturer of the classic licorice pastilles, has in recent years grown older and so has its core audience. The interest among younger segments had been declining and Gajol wanted to do something about it.

The SolutionBy involving elements from fashion, sports and music, Gajol made a strategy to capture the interest of young people and thus capture the segment where already engaged. Gajol wanted to illustrate their diverse product line in parallel to the diverse musical landscape. Consequently, eight custom-designed boxes for each flavor were made – all inspired by different music genres and various Danish musicians within these genres. The new designs aimed to have a dramatic appearance that would entail impulse purchases and at the same time give consumers an opportunity to express their own style. The campaign involved agreements with various Danish artist including Infernal, Karen Mukupa, Alphabeat, Morten Breum, Per Vers, The Blue Van and Carpark North. Gajol was allowed to use the musicians names, pictures and music, and thus deepening the dimensions of the product.

In addition, an online remix competition was made to actively engage the customers. People were invited to remix their favorite artists which they then could show and share to their friends on Facebook.

CaseOur PerspectiveThe new designs got Gajols consumers to tryout and experiment with new flavors and thus challenging their usual first choice to expand their consumption. The campaign turned out to be successful and Gajol enjoyed great exposure.

It is worth considering how you business can reach its target audience through music. In what areas can you use music as an inspiration to the design of your company's products? Which musicians or music genre match your brand? Could you see your company organize live concerts?

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The Challenge

Dressmann had undergone a change of ownership and desired change. They wanted a new logo, concept and way of communication. Dressmann has always been known to make classic menswear to the mature male segment, but had a desire to appeal to a wider audience and thus increase their revenue stream. They wanted to brand themselves as a modern brand with a touch of rock'n'roll.

The SolutionIn February 2011 Dressmann signed a one-year contract with The Rolling Stones. It was the obvious choice because the music appeal to both young and older demographics, and because The Rolling Stones have made a great effort in their visual appearance. The cooperation involved a new collection of clothes with the band characteristics which the band also could use as merchandise. The collection made use of a retro look using replicas of T-shirts used by The Rolling Stones in their early career. In that way, the collection had an authentic appeal to the young segment. In addition, Dressmann bought rights to use six classic Rolling Stones songs and the bands graphic material. A compilation album of the bands music was exclusively sold in Dressmanns stores thereby generating traffic into the stores. The campaign was accompanied by TV-advertisements and custom-built in-store decoration in the style of the concept with the characteristic red tongue from the album "Forty Licks".

CaseOur PerspectiveDressmann sold 120.000 pieces of clothing and conjured up an evolution in the way Dressmann design their clothing. It is worth considering if your company could strengthen its brand and expand its customer segment by engaging a musical collaboration or sponsorship. Could your company develop new working methods by involving creative partnerships with partners not usual seen in the context of your company or industry in general?

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The ChallengeIdémøbler was looking for music that could be used a common thread throughout their marketing communication including TV and radio advertisements.

The SolutionIdémøbler became interested in the song "I Lay My Head" by the Danish-Romanian singer, Fallulah, and thus acquired rights to use the song in their marketing. The song was ideal because it had an immense recognisability and fitted the brand of Idémøbler as a vibrant, young and colourful furniture store. Instead of making a complete music strategy Idémøbler chose to make a direct and short-term agreement with the musician. This gave them a great amount of flexibility and to change and adapt their sound and style in the future.

Our PerspectiveBy using Fallulahs song Idémøbler obtained increased brand recognition and attention – especially in young segments that are known to be difficult to obtain the attention of. Idémøbler used an already known and modern song and thus transferred some of the values of the song to their own brand. In this way, they added youthful and modern elements to their brand without being tied to a specific artist or song. Henceforth, Idémøbler will use other fashionable and well-known songs and thus keep up with fashion. It is worth considering whether your company will benefit from a long-term collaboration or if you will have an advantage in the flexibility short-term and individual agreements generate.

Case

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The Challenge

Letpension wanted to create a strong and modern brand that could accommodate consistent identity entities, such as graphics, colours and sound. They would do away with the notion that pension and insurance is difficult and tedious and thus wanted to connect new and positive associations to their product. They wanted to give customers a different experience regarding their pension and insurance counseling.

The SolutionLetpension reached an agreement with the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, who organized special student programs where a number of music students would create an overall sound sound-identity for the company. Subsequently Letpension concluded a contract with some of the students who had developed a complete identity including a sound-logo and music to use in multiple platforms and media-types.

CaseOur PerspectiveLetpension obtained a full customized sound design which underpins their strategy and vision. The cooperation with RMC has contributed to a unique and different storytelling that proved great marketing value for Letpension. The company will continue its integration of the sound in their marketing profile. It is worth considering if your company needs a comprehensive and cohesive brand identity, and if a sound design can help to bring the parts of your business together. Will a partnership with a university or similar institution contribute positively to the storytelling of your business?

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The ChallengeThe car manufacturer Opel has previously been known to have a traditional marketing perspective and has for many years had models and design who look much alike. With the introduction of the model "Insignia" in 2008, Opel wanted to change its image and rebrand itself as a fun and innovative brand with various designs and possibilities.

The SolutionIn relation to the rebranding, Open entered in 2011 into a collaboration with Rasmus Seebach which will be a Danish brand-ambassador in the following years. The Opel Insignia became a central and natural element of the music video for the song "In my eyes/I mine øjne" from Rasmus Seebachs latest album. In addition to this, Opel got permission to launch the video on their Facebook page and had it exclusively for four days. The musician also appeared in the car brands customer magazine, and had his album given away for free to a number of Opels in-store customers.

Our PerspectiveOpel doubled its fan base on Facebook in the few days it exclusively had the music video. Subsequently Opel received a lot of exposure via Youtube where the video had topped 2 million views in less than two months. The Opel Insignia was further exposed in national Danish TV in relation to the release of the music video. This is some of the benefits that a company can harness when it is entering into a collaboration with a well-known artist. The marketing value can yield a rerun that far exceeds the economic investment.Which band or artist matches your current company profile and who would you like to be compared with in five years?

Case

Chapter 5

Acknowledgements

For futher information, visit:www.knowtheirname.dk

KnowtheirnameMusic Branding and MarketingVester Allé 15Ground Floor8000 Aarhus CDenmarkT: (+45) 61 37 54 36

Mail: info@knowtheirname.dkWeb: www.knowtheirname.dk

CEO and FounderRasmus Hamann

iPad ArtdirectorLasse Wagner

Photographers:Lasse Pedersen/Lassepatron

Imagework:Lasse Wagner, Lasse Pedersen

Proofread:Anne Jensen, Phil Hall

Words:Rasmus Hamann, Lasse Wagner

This ebook is published by Knowtheirname, Denmark.

All material on these pages, including without limitation text, logos, icons, photographs and all other artwork, is copyright material of Knowtheirname, unless otherwise stated. Use of this material may only be made with the express, prior, written permission of Knowtheirname.

isbn 978-87-996082-0-1