The next instalment of our #TwitterMusic coverage discusses the changing relationship between brands and the music industry...
Our recent work for Twitter unearthed a treasure trove of insights about the changing nature of fandom and online interaction. Therefore it’s great to see Marketing pick up on one of the more exciting pieces of news for advertisers – that brand-band relationships have become accepted and even valued among music fans.
“… 89% of fans on Twitter like to see brands get involved with music. This is a notable shift from the days when credible musicians aligning themselves with corporations were treated with derision by many music aficionados, who would immediately cry “sellout” at the faintest whiff of brand/band collaboration”
Despite this positive news for marketers, the piece continues to outline that this relationship is governed by strict rules around the fit between the artists and the brands.
“…this doesn’t mean that brands can get trigger-happy by targeting any hot pop star of the moment. It still has to make sense: artist, brand and fan values must align to ensure a solid strategic move… This desire for brand involvement, but not to the detriment of authenticity, is also borne out in the research: 80% of fans think it’s highly important for brands to share the values of the event or artist with which they partner.”
Marketing cite an ill-judged partnership between Microsoft and Clean Bandit as evidence that it’s still very easy to get it wrong. Nevertheless, it’s an exciting development for the music industry, which has enjoyed a bumper 2015 with the streaming service race hotting up, and artists creating more news than ever (meme warfare, anyone?).
So how should brands ride this wave of positivity? Marketing argue -and we’d agree – that it’s first about targeting the right tribes of fans. Appeal to the right groups and you’ll have “a ready-made group of marketers tweeting on [your] behalf”. Second, it’s about tapping into fan altruism. Brands seen to be genuinely supportive of music will reap the rewards in the long run.
Back at Crowd DNA, we’re looking forward to more insights being shared from the work.