Brand Dots

Posts Tagged ‘music’

I’ll be honest. Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands.  I found a keen fascination with the band years ago, when they released the album “Pablo Honey.”  And I have been a huge fan and admirer ever since.  I’ve bought every album and listened to them religiously over the years, and now I can add one more reason to love them to my list.  They are marketing masterminds!

Last year I was blown away by the huge success of their “In Rainbows” album.  With industry album sales in decline, largely because of the expansion of digital distribution and piracy, Radiohead decided they would try something new.  They marketed their “In Rainbows” album in a fresh and controversial way.  Fans could download the album from their website and name their price.  The “pay what you want” price strategy, intrigued consumers and in one year, the band sold more than three million copies.  The buzz helped move them and keep them at the top of the charts.

According to the NY Times, Radiohead didn’t stop there.  They have more contentious and cutting edge marketing tricks up their sleeves.

Here are a few marketing concepts that Radiohead has mastered:

• Create buzz-worthy material: They continue to release great music that speaks to people of all ages and social classes.  It gets people talking and makes them want to share it with everyone.
• Viral vitality: They’ve embraced technology.  Internet videos, blogs, digital downloading, and forums are all part of Radiohead’s marketing vocabulary.   They start rumors about new releases and encourage consumer connectivity.
• Fan interaction: They ask fans to participate in their success.  They hold contests, ask fans to create their music videos, and get consumers involved.
• If you can’t beat digital distribution, join ‘em: Recently, Thom Yorke, the band’s lead singer, announced that the band has plans to start releasing singles as opposed to albums.  This strategy goes against the music industry’s traditional distribution strategy.  This is generating more buzz about the band…maybe the industry could learn a thing or two from the group.

No doubt, Radiohead has found a way to stand the test of time through great musicality and notable marketing practices.  Here is the winning video from one of Radiohead’s recent contests.  Rock on, Radiohead.  Rock on!

MTV has taken building interactivity and community into a brand strategy to the next level.  They are giving their fans complete creative control over their branding.  Today I came across this really cool website that allows people to submit their own version of the MTV logo, and if enough people like it, it will be used on the MTV website.  How cool!

MTV’s brand strategy had a humble beginning.  For those of you who haven’t noticed, MTV doesn’t really stand for “music television” as it once did.  MTV is synonymous with “pop culture,” so why not choose a logo that represents the same.

Frank Olinsky, Pat Gorman, and Patti Rogoff, young independent designers at the time, created the first MTV logo.  The original design consisted of a blocky 3-D “M” with a graffiti-scrawled “tv” on top of it. In the spirit of pure-nonconformity – rather than choosing “corporate colors” for the logo, they decided that the logo should always change, as music, art, and culture changes.  Over time, it has changed size and style, but the fundamental logo design has stayed consistent.  The ever-evolving design has kept the brand strategy current and trendy.

Now that’s what I call brilliant design!