Madonna Makes Hard Cash From 'Hard Candy'

More Details Emerge About Multiple Brand Tie-Ins From Forthcoming Album

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.31.08 @ 02:54 PM

According to a feature this morning in leading U.K. national newspaper The Telegraph, Madonna's "Hard Candy" album, which was pre-launched last week as part of a global Unilever Sunsilk campaign, is set to earn millions from other brand tie-ins.

The newspaper reports that she has signed other lucrative contracts with major companies, including Vodafone and Fuji, and over half of the tracks on the album have been licensed to advertisers. This will ensure that she not only gets pots of money, but also more global exposure for the album launch.

The deal with Vodafone means the network's customers will be able to listen to seven of the tracks a week before the album's worldwide release on April 28. Though the paper claims that this is the first time that an album has been launched on a mobile phone, hip-hop artist Timbaland announced an exclusive deal with Verizon back in February to become an "artist in residence" for the phone carrier, releasing a track a month exclusively for Verizon V-cast customers. As we also pointed out recently, mobile could become a major life raft for the music industry, so it's good to see two such high-profile artists embracing the platform in such an innovative way.

Madonna has also licensed "Miles Away," expected to be the album's second single, as the theme for a drama called "Change" on Japan's Fuji TV. John Reid, the president of Warner Music Europe and vice-chairman of Warner Music International, Madonna's label, said: "If it all goes to plan then there is no reason why other acts shouldn't strike similar deals."

Given that Madonna is leaving Warners to join Live Nation for a "360 contract," they should indeed be looking at their roster to strike more of these types of innovative deals.

Madonna and Unilever's Good Hair Day
Star Breaks New Single Globally Through Appearance in Hair-Care Commercial

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 03.17.08 @ 01:38 PM

Madonna debuts her new single "4 Minutes (to Save the World)" in a new Sunsilk commercial that hits the screens around the world today.


Madonna
Photo Credit: AP

The song, produced by Timbaland and featuring Justin Timberlake, is from the singer's forthcoming album, "Hard Candy," due April 29. The track will also be premiering simultaneously on multiple radio stations worldwide at noon GMT and will be available as a download tomorrow via the Madonna Store.

This is the first time that a music-brand partnership of this magnitude has been seen with a world-class megastar teaming up with a major marketer for a global launch. The collaboration between the Madonna and Sunsilk began with an appearance in the brand's "Life Can Wait" Super Bowl ad, which also featured Shakira and Marilyn Monroe, in a campaign built on the idea that hair, more than any other physical attribute, plays a crucial role in a girl's power of transformation and self expression.

The new spot traces Madonna's ever-evolving look, keeping the Madonna brand itself fresh and appealing. David Rubin, director of U.S. hair-care operations, Unilever, in a press release said: "Madonna continues to be such an inspiration for young girls by continuously reinventing her looks, and we expect the new commercial will also encourage girls to evolve by changing their looks and making their hair and lives happen in a variety of exciting ways."

According to unconfirmed reports online at the time of the Super Bowl commercial, Madonna picked up a cool $10 million for this brand endorsement. If that's true, it's an impressive amount, but, more important, it shows how a relevant brand tie-in that leverages the artist's brand equity can be a real winner all-round, for Madonna, Sunsilk, fans and consumers.

[Press Release]