The Branding and Banding of Green

Originally published in Ad Week on 30th April 2009

By Mike Tunnicliffe

Spring is in the air and "green" is high on the agenda for both musicians and major brands -- but not necessarily together. Could greater collaboration be a missed opportunity?

The answer to that would seem to be "yes."

Brands and musicians are plowing their green furrows in increasing numbers. More and more marketers are developing their communications strategies to meet consumer demands for environmentally friendly products. "Eco friendliness" is growing exponentially in sectors including household cleaning, appliances, computing, automotive and food. But musicians only seem to come together with "green" brands outside the mainstream, and in low key or specialist ways.

As Billboard magazine's recent Green Issue reported, there's no slowdown in the number of artists embracing environmental issues. Some fairly mainstream and iconic musicians leading the charge include John Legend, Radiohead, Ludacris, Tommy Lee, Pharrell Williams and Feist, as well as more ecologically focused artists like Jack Johnson, Okkervil and Cake. These performers are among those driving the message home to their fans, leading by example. They're reducing their carbon footprint via biodegradable fuel in tour trucks, designing energy-efficient stage sets, running solar-powered recording studios and banning disposable water bottles at their performance venues.

Musicians are also encouraging fans to learn more and participate in socially responsible and cause-related behaviors. For example, Hanson's Take the Walk, which encourages fans to participate in a mile-long barefoot walk with them at each gig, raises awareness of poverty and AIDS in Africa. It also raises funds to send shoes to underprivileged kids there.

John Legend's Show Me Campaign encourages people to take individual action and, according to Billboard, has been a large part of his 2008 Evolver tour where fans can text in donations during the show and visit Show Me displays.
A number of environmental organizations have been tapping into the emotional engagement artists have with their fans. For example, Rock the Earth, which campaigns for and takes action on many environmental issues, has partnered with a number of high-profile artists including Alanis Morisette, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crowe, Ozzy Osbourne and Tom Petty.

So with all this star power and influence, why aren't we seeing more partnerships with big marketers?

According to Shawn Kilmurray, executive director of Rock the Earth and a music industry veteran, it's not that brands aren't interested; it's that artists are wary of brands that greenwash -- meaning they talk the green talk to lure in consumers, but don't walk the walk. When the Sierra Club, for instance, endorsed Clorox's eco-friendly cleaning line -- and as result gets a share of the profits -- it suffered a backlash from some longtime supporters who thought the club had sold out. Kilmurray points out that artists are worried about losing credibility if they take dollars from unsuitable brands.

Anthony Ackenhoff, co-founder of global music branding and strategy company Frukt, also notes that while artists have got over the notion of selling out to brands, when it comes to their own beliefs and personal interests they're extra careful. Brands, he says, have to pass the sniff test and be able to stand up to scrutiny. If the artist and his or her fans smell a rat, then the artist -- and the brand -- could be damaged.

The stakes are high for all, but there is clearly an opportunity for brands that are genuine in their green/sustainability claims and performances. As the old saying goes, "He [or she] who dares, wins."

Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner at the Filament Entertainment Group. He can be reached at mike@miketunnicliffe.com.

Brand New Music Business

Originally published in AdWeek ; March 18th 2009

By Mike Tunnicliffe

As the financial storm and economic woes blow a chill wind through the stock market, and music stocks in particular take a bashing to end all bashings, is this the end of the music business as we know it?

Quite possibly -- but that's not what we should focus on.

The real issue is that we're at the beginning of a new era. Music is more alive than ever, consumers are listening to more music than ever before, artists are interacting and building bonds with fans across multiple platforms, digital distribution is enabling artists to get their music out to fans for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, and brands and other alternative marketing partners are being embraced as the new patrons of artists and music. So, yes, it may be the end of the traditional music business as we know it, but for those willing to embrace change it's the start of a brand new paradigm in the entertainment and brand-marketing worlds.

Last year saw the brand-music partnership space explode with never-before-seen collaborations between artists and brands. Highlights from 2008 include:

• The world's largest consumer brands company formed a record label: Procter & Gamble/Def Jam's Tag Records, to help break new urban acts through its advertising.

• Bacardi partnered with British Dance Act, Groove Armada, to build a global marketing strategy based around music.

• Red Bull and Levi's set up labels and studios to help create and break new music.

• MTV Networks' Rock Band franchise sold more downloads than many digital online stores.

A number of new business models and players also emerged, including promoter Live Nation, which signed a series of mega-global stars away from their traditional labels into new deals that have the concert promoter and artist partnering across multiple revenue streams (known as "360 deals"), of which sponsorships and partnerships with brands will be a key source of revenue. Artists included Madonna, Nickelback, Jay Z, Shakira and U2, which signed a slightly less encompassing "270 deal."

The old notion of "selling out" is long gone. Let's face facts, the music and entertainment industries have something that brands want and vice versa. Put simply: Brands offer artists opportunities for exposure and marketing dollars that simply don't exist anymore in traditional music companies. And brands want to tap into those ever-elusive emotional engagements with consumers (fans) that artists seem to have in buckets.

Fans themselves are endorsing the notion that brands are going to be central to the new music economy and ecosystem. A recent survey by Bauer Media in the U.K. showed that 69 percent of those classified as "most passionate" about music thought that brands being involved with music and artists was a good thing.

Another recent survey, from music-branding company Heartbeats International, polled senior brand marketers and found that seven out of 10 marketers see music becoming an increasing part of their tool set going forward. Usage ranges from enhancing TV commercials and other forms of promotional content, to artists collaborations, music in products and the development of a "brand sound" -- a whole other area with massive growth potential for agencies and "sonic branding" specialists.

As often happens in times of economic downturn, new opportunities arise for those willing to flout convention and look forward rather than backward.

So gazing into my crystal ball, what sort of things might we see happening this year? In broad terms the trend will continue of artists increasingly seeking new business partners and associations away from traditional music companies. More specifically:

• A major artist will almost certainly "sign" with a brand to make their new album and content available exclusively through the brands online- and product-distribution networks. Imagine, for example, something like MyCoke Music. Com partnering with The Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters' legion of fans would then be interacting and engaging with Coke to get access to their favorite band and the artist will have massive promotional support that's just not available from traditional music companies.

• A new breed of very nimble, rapidly evolving music and entertainment companies will emerge to take advantage of the growing number of digital pipelines and increase in branding and partnerships. A combination of ad agency, content owner, talent agency and technology company, perhaps?

• Some of the new players will emerge as leading aggregators of musical content. As the financial pressure continues to mount on traditional music companies, a number of assets will change hands, fueled by investment money that will be increasingly looking for a home in businesses that can be turned around, if leveraged in new and different ways.

• A major smash hit record will break after partnering with a brand and being featured as the brand's signature tune across multiple platforms. A No. 1 hit single courtesy of Pantene shampoo, perhaps?

Whether these particular predictions come true or not, we'll have to see. But what I can predict with some certainty is that we will see some never before thought possible business models, partnerships and collaborations involving music and brands.

Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner at the Filament Entertainment Group. He can be reached at mike@miketunnicliffe.com.