What Would Gwyneth Do?

BMW films part #2

after the very successful BMW short films 2001/2002, the munich based car company has now inofficially released this hilarious fictious documentary called RAMPFEST about a huge ramp in a made up bavarian town called oberpfaffelbachen- check it out, it´s great!

Sony BMG Tuned to TommyTV

Tommy Hilfiger and Sony BMG today announced the creation of TommyTV, a web portal featuring four channels aimed at parlaying Hilfiger's penchant for directing fashion trends into lighting upon hot, new music artists. Read coverage of the announcement here.

Color Me Bad

The latest in music recommendation sites, Guitarati.com returns a playlist based on the colored dot you select as indicative of your mood. Poor color blind folks.

Throw Some 3D's On 'Em

The movie industry is dealing with declining box office ticket sales. Their solution - increase the production of 3-D movies and bump up ticket prices for the premium experience. In terms of crossover appeal, big concert experiences as 3-D movies have been growing in popularity. "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds" grossed $65 million in the US as a 74-minute 3D concert click at $15 a ticket. Read Wired's article on the bet on 3D by studio execs here.

Sony Takes a Bath.....A Bubble Bath That Is

Check out the much anticipated Sony Foam City advertisement just completed:

Track ID : Liberty City Style...

Rockstar Games has taken the concept of a track identification service one step further for their imminent Grand Theft Auto IV title. One of the best features of the previous game was the ability to tune into several themed radio stations when driving around the city, each featuring a playlist of cool (and not so cool) tracks from the Eighties. This time, not only have Rockstar increased the number of stations available, but players can dial up a track ID service from their (virtual) cell phone and the game will 'text back' the name of the track and the artist, AND give you the option to buy the relevant track in Rockstar's own download store or Amazon mp3. This is a nice twist to the in-game radio that could drive download sales, as well as increase awareness of real-world track-ID services.

Check out the flash video below.

SONY BMG Netherlands Wins The SpinAward For Best Interactive Video

From the Buzz -
"SONY BMG Netherlands recently won a SpinAward for Best Interactive Video concept for the Krezip Music Box, which was created in partnership with the interactive marketing agency ACHTUNG!! SONY BMG was honored with the award in recognition of the company’s unique way of “reinventing music promotion.”

Zoolander Meets Rock & Roll

Check out the latest iteration of the got milk campaign.

Dupri Tagged for New Record Label Venture

Procter & Gamble's TAG brand and Island Def Jam Music Group are creating a joint venture hip-hop label to be spearheaded by Jermaine Dupri. The initiative is part of TAG's efforts to "cultivate relationships with the urban community through programs that give opportunities to aspiring MCs." Dupri says the appeal to any artist will be a marketing budget 10 to 20 times the current industry average. Read Billboard's coverage here.

Fresh Takes from Alicia & Dove

Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" is looking to get communal in the digital space with the relaunch of its website at dove.msn.com. Intended to become the destination online for women to find entertainment, blogs, advice, and community, Dove has kick-started its buzz by creating a "microseries" starring Alicia Keys called "Fresh Takes".

Free Music Streams = More Music Sales?

So claims Last.fm. Read the article .here.

The New Definition for Crowd Control?

Here's interactivity that requires group participation.

A Rolling Stone Gathers Some Gloss

Keith Richards is featured in the latest Louis Vuitton ad campaign which aims to position "travel as the defining and fundamental value of Louis Vuitton, interpreting it as a personal journey and a process of self-discovery."

The tagline for the Richards photo: "Some journeys cannot be put into words. New York. 3 am. Blues in C."

Wine Ya Body Up

Lil Jon is starting his own wine label. Obviously courvoisier, hennessy, crunk juice, hypnotic, etc. - they're all so yesterday.

McFashionable?

Proving that there are no longer any sacred cows when it comes to what brands will become bedfellows nowadays, McDonald's has generated a good deal of buzz with its title sponsorship of MySpaceTV's "Who What Wear" fashion series.

95% of youngsters are illegally copying music

Home copying - burnt into teenage psyche

Calls for action as study reveals 95% of youngsters are illegally copying music

Interesting article in yesterday´s Guardian: click here

From (coke) Zero to Sixty

As a leadup to EUFA EURO 2008, Coke Zero has created an online viral videogame, aptly titled, "The Coke Zero Game" featuring fast cars, daring challenges, beautiful women....and all in the name of the most noble of male-blooded pursuits - making it into the Coke Zero lounge for the EURO 2008 final when no tickets can be found to support one's beloved club. Below is the German trailer released last week.

For All Your Kanye Travel Needs

Kanye West launched his own travel website this week - kanyetravel.com. Interesting concept potentially, except it doesn't seem tied to any specific touring schedule of his own, or any other artist under his tutelage. Wonder if he'll start his own Awards show next to make sure he gets the proper credit (he feels) he deserves?

Nice Videos -Low Bugdets?

just thought i should share this.
a very impressive result with a low budget (what an understatement.. it cost 35 euro to make).
the song isn't the best, but the video is impressive.

Dead Pretty Music Video - We Govern We

Another Marketing Idea That's Been Walked All Over

Everyone's in search of the advertisement or marketing message that will stop traffic. What about an ad that moves for traffic? Shoot, you might even throw it in reverse and become traffic again.

International Top 50 Most Powerful Blogs

Whether you love them or dispise them, here are 50 most powerful Blogs according to the UK's Guardian.

Dancers in the Crowd Bring Back ‘Thriller’

The biggest selling album of all time gets some NY Times love.

Footprints In The Sand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d08X2lN669k

Impactful!

Politics & Music

Whatever your political persuasion, our government needs help. And hope.

Only real artistry could capture what Will.i.am has created here.

Timbaland Celebrates His Verizon Deal with People Magazine...or not

People Magazine were befuddled to learn they didn't have the pulse on their own party thrown in honor of Timbaland's new deal with Verizon and his birthday (which is actually in March.)

Some Sound Advice For Yahoo!

Forget the traditional resources for tips on negotiations, here's a bit of unique advice for Yahoo! that you haven't heard yet.

YouTube Korea Crushed by Local Competition

YouTube's world domination will have to exclude Korea. One size does not fit every market after all.

Sneak Preview of Justin's Pepsi Superbowl Commercial

Enjoy!!

SonyBMG UK team sparks 'Thriller' Mania

Thriller, the world's best selling album is out globally in February, celebrating it's 25th Anniversary.

How does one come up with a creative solution that's positive and doesn't involve the artist? Watch this to find out!

next "gnitekram lariv" strike by arcade fire

rorrim kcalb

Bebo leads UK Social Networking.

In the rapidly growing social networking space, UK's Bebo.com was ranked number one with 79% approval rating, Facebook. came in at number 2 with 74%, find out who else made the list.

As the DRM-free experiment rolls out, Ian Rogers, my former collegue at Yahoo!, updated his blog with his latest presentation on how we can start maximizing a DRM-free world (if you missed his October presentation, where he compares iTunes to an excel spreadsheet, take a read now).

On the Slate for '08

It's always entertaining to look back on the year that was, but what about peering into the future of what the coming year could be? Might we get in on a business opportunity or profitable trend before anybody else? JWT, the largest advertising agency in the US, dusted off its crystal ball with a list of 80 Things to Watch in 2008. Enjoy the future!

Go Elf Yourself!

Put yourself in some green tights and a funny hat, record an elfin' funny message, and let the holiday spirit move your elf incarnation to your friend's email addresses at elfyourself.com

Some Sirius Evolution

The domino effect just never gets old, does it? Especially in this commercial that uses some stand-ins recalling the musicality of yesteryear.

Eric O'Shea- TV Commercials

Need better songs to help promote products!

Hottest Products of 2007

Where the Buzz Was each year, a new crop of products takes center stage -- that handful of items that really seems to resonate with consumers and the media. Whether the products are highly anticipated or they shoot up out of nowhere, they create a tremendous amount of buzz. So which products were hottest this year? From toys to drinks to gadgets, click through the gallery to see the top 15 picks.

Getting The Led Out

To promote its newest album, "Mothership", Led Zeppelin partnered with the website netdisaster.com to enable fans to direct mothership vessels to crash through the web pages of their choosing. The practice is called "Zeppelising" the net.

The Midas Touch?

King of Spain, Juan Carlos made international headlines last week for telling Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez to shut up at an Ibero-American summit meeting in Chile. The marketing signifcance of it?.....The phrase "Por que no te callas?" or "Why don't you shut up?" has since been turned into a ringtone and downloaded by half a million people, earning the enterprising ringtone makers $2.2 Million to date.

Tesco Ads Some Holiday Spice

From Ad Supported to Sponsor Supported?

The debate over pay per download vs. ad supported vs. subcription models may now have a new entrant into the mix. RCRD LBL, an online music label just up that offers sponsor supported mp3s completely free to consumers has forged relationships with companies like Puma, Nikon and Virgin America to distribute music freely in exchange for sponsorship dollars. Perusing the artists currently offered through the site, it's hard to make a leap of faith that such a model could exist at the 'majors' level, but it's another interesting twist on a wide open music marketplace.

A Marketing Campaign That Lives Forever: Priceless

Mastercard's Priceless campaign, now a part of the pervasive pop culture psyche, joins forces with one of the most recognizable US football players and brand spokespersons to create Priceless Pep Talks. In the same vein as Career Builder's 'Monkey-Mail' marketing tool, and New Line Cinema's 'send a phone call from Samuel L. Jackson' for "Snakes on a Plane", MasterCard and Peyton Manning have crafted a number of facetious pep talks that can be personalized for greater poignancy. Don't have much of a social life at the moment? Peyton thinks you should learn some new dance moves.

Computerworld : DRM-free music boosts online album sales

check out the full article:

November 11, 2007 (Macworld UK) -- Even if some of the major labels remain shy of them, actual data shows paying music customers will buy non-DRM tracks at four times the rate they purchase music with DRM (Digital Rights Management) attached.

According to U.K. music download store 7 Digital, DRM-free music downloads are outselling other formats provided by the online music store by a factor of four to one. Given the choice, consumers prefer MP3 DRM-free formats, the website explains.

Good news, too, for the albums market, where DRM-free MP3s downloads are encouraging the purchase of digital album bundles, with 70 percent of MP3 downloads by value being albums. Physical album sales in the U.K. declined 20 percent this year.

It all adds up. The company observes that 78 percent of track and album downloads through its service are now in MP3 format, stripped of DRM.

7 Digital also confirmed that data rates and compression count, admitting that consumers "greatly prefer high-quality MP3s encoded at 320kbps" rather than WMA or AAC, the format offered by iTunes.

7digital.com also announced that more than 60 percent of its 3 million-strong music catalogue is now available in DRM-free MP3 format and that it expects that proportion to increase to close to 100 percent by summer next year.

"Consumers are a lot savvier than some people think, and overwhelmingly choose MP3 over any other format when given the choice. MP3 is the only truly interoperable format that works with the iPod, most mobile phones (including the iPhone) and all MP3 players," said Ben Drury, MD of 7digital.com.

"The MP3 format is also good for the music industry as a whole. As physical sales on the high street and online continue to drop, it is vital that labels find a way to increase digital album sales to make up the shortfall. In order for music industry revenues to flourish again, all four majors need to get on board and make music available to the consumer in the format of their choice," concluded Drury, who is also deputy chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

Sony's Bravia Ad Painted Gold

Sony's "Paint" spot for its Bravia LCD line was named the most awarded commercial of 2007 globally by the Gunn Report.

The Guinness Book of Viral Advertising

Guinness is not launching its newest advertisement on TV. In fact, to the normal eye the advertisement isn't being launched anywhere. Hidden somewhere on the web, Guinness has created an Internet treasure hunt for the ad, with clues amongst video clips and beer blogs for one savvy sleuth to find and unlock to the masses. With the level of difficulty set high however, prospective hunters may want to remain sober. The main contest site is located at GuinnessTipping.com. The first domino clue is apparently hidden in this video:

Merchandising PiZazzle from MySpace

Artists on MySpace can create and sell their own merchandise through a virtual merch store widget embeddable on MySpace pages. The widget is the result of a partnership between MySpace and Zazzle, an 'On-Demand Retail' company. Artists will have the freedom to set their own royalty rates, anywhere from 10% to 99% of the retail price, while incurring no up front production costs. Maybe cooler for fans of artists who set up these merch stores is the ability to customize any product with their own photos, colors, designs, etc. Wow, now even merchandising has gone 2.0!

Hulu Hoopla

Hulu.com, a video sharing hub created by NBCU and News Corp. has just launched in private beta. Dubbed by some as a potential "YouTube Killer", Hulu offers users access to full length television programming, feature films, clips and other content. Currently, programming has been made available by NBC, Fox, Sony, MGM, Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Key points of differentiation from YouTube, however, include the fact that users are not able to post their own content. They can, though, take content to post to their own websites, blogs, etc., even splicing the video to create new in times and out times. Additionally, each video contains a 15 or 30 second ad that cannot be skipped. Hulu has also partnered with AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo to place its programming on their video sites. Surely, the muscle behind Hulu is banking on its format becoming 'the next big thing' in marrying video and the internet, and music videos will be right there on the front line.

Vringo is its Name-O

Vringo, a video ringtone service now up and running in public beta phase is set to give the ringtone a makeover. Not only does it make video (both licensed and user generated) available as a 'visual ring', but it changes the paradigm for ringtone delivery; instead of me determining what ring plays on my phone when a given aquaintance calls, my aquaintance would dictate the video ringtone appearing on my handset at their call. At a time when the ringtone/mastertone business has started to flatten out, this may be a perfectly timed shot in the arm.

Separated at birth?

On the left: old press shot for Apple iPod Nano . On the right: new press shot for Sony Cybershot camera.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/25/apple-and-sony-like-peas-in-an-ipod/

Off-Road but On Message

If the line between entertainment and advertising isn't already completely lost to you, check out Toyota's new commercial set amidst 'World of Warcraft' videogame scenery.

MySpace Gets In The Game

MySpace and casual gaming company Oberon Media have announced a partnership to create a MySpace Gaming Channel for launch in early 2008. The games themselves will be embeddable, and offer multi-player modes inviting competition amongst friends. Participants will also be able to chat with one another while playing. Of course, not to be forgotten is the allure for advertisers of being able to place ads in and around the games - an advertising terrain attractive for marketers targeting a captive gaming audience.

Dance Dance Resolution

South Korean Company, Samsung takes choreography to an entirely new level, using over 1,100 people and apparently only clothing (no cards) to create a gigantic human LCD Television and programming to boot.

For Consumers with a Street Tooth

Honda's new advertising campaign for its CR-V SUV focuses on consumer cravings. To this end, Honda has purchased indulgent search words like "cupcakes", "chocolate" and "banana split" as part of an SEM initiative to direct people with a sweet tooth to its website to play a "Guess What You Crave" game. The game uses an image of the CR-V's navigation screen to ask a player 20 questions, after which it guesses what the player is craving. Too bad it can't emit that "new car smell" through the computer; that's always been the deal sealer for me.

Arcade Fire: First Interactive Video?

We've seen interactive ads, games, short stories, teasers... but a full length video? Check out the new video from Arcade Fire.

Using the car as a platform and distribution channel for music

In a digital age where the CD is losing it's fanbase, the automobile industry is shifting it's focus to the newer medias of music. Out with the old and in with the new. Some examples below...





Sony BMG & Honda re teaming up on an online branded music player to jointly promote new video releases and the Honda Civic model. The player will feature Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, and Dido amongst others.


http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003654898





The Twingo Nokia is a music-enabled phone on wheels. The new car features an MPS-compatible radio & CD player (with USB, jack & iPod inputs), steering wheel controls, hands-free bluetooth phone control, and GPS navigation via the new Nokia 6110 Navigator phone.


http://www.twingoconcept.com/

Hugo Boss Holds Court

Finding an attractive way to market its brand in a place where a multitude of eyes are focusing at once, Hugo Boss used models as ballgirls at the Madrid Masters Tennis Tournament last week.

Smart Like a Foxy?

Rapper Foxy Brown's sentencing to a year in jail in late September makes her another in a growing field of female recording stars running afoul of the law and public opinion. Foxy and team, however, appear to be embracing her mishap as part of the marketing strategy for her new album, creating the website freefoxybrown.com. The pretense of the site is to allow Foxy to stay in touch with her fans while she's incarcerated, but with heavy promo language around her forthcoming album, and links for ringtones and merchandise, the "free Foxy" message looks more like a fox(y) in sheep's clothing. A more fitting adage may be, 'You do the crime, you sell the rhymes.'

Functional Fantasies?

Came across an interesting adaptation to the fantasy sports hobby that has become an obsession for many sports nuts (19 million participants in the U.S. and Canada alone according the Fantasy Sports Trade Association) - a similar points based fantasy game for wannabe TV Executives.
TVBigShot.com provides players with a virtual budget of $300 Million dollars with which to create their own television network comprised of existing shows. Points are earned on actual ratings performances, finishing first for a specific time-slot, ratings growth, magazine covers, Golden Globe awards, etc. Players can then buy and sell the programs in their network to further bolster their budgets and points totals.

For the networks themselves, interactive involvement by viewers to this degree has to be appealing on account of the heightened attentiveness that participants will likely give to guest appearances and other newsworthy items, which in turn can generate added promotional buzz amongst the players themselves. Moreover, if networks are tapped into why players are selling specific shows, and for what reason, there are learnable opportunities for possibly turning a show around, or fortuitously cutting the chord sooner rather than later.

Now, considering that most people's career daydreams involve themselves as a Rock Star, and that settling for the life of a Record Label Executive isn't too far behind, why couldn't a fantasy game for wannabe music executives be a big success? Say, give players a virtual budget with which to invest in a number of actual upcoming releases. Points could be accrued on sales success, chart position, magazine covers, Grammy and music video awards, and lost upon release delays, etc. The insight which could be gleaned for artists attracting a lot of investment attention, as well as the increased awareness of album release dates before they've streeted, would certainly be valuable for informing the real decisions that occur within our walls.

Combating Ad Fatigue

An interesting piece from the Wall Street Journal earlier this week examining the challenge marketers face in making sure that their advertisement's don't run too often in one medium so as to turn consumers off. Advertising wear-out - as it is called - has been researched primarily in the television commercial format, leading to conclusions that an ad can be viewed 3 to 25 times before losing its effectiveness, or can be brought back in the original format after being off air for at least 12 weeks and regain its initial effectiveness. The short of the article being that maximum reach and success require creative ways of adapting a single creative work across multiple mediums and formats. Nothing mind-blowing there.

However, for us music marketers, it is interesting to take up the question of consumer fatigue as relates to the job we're trying to do. In our business, the music itself is always the biggest marketing tool, and everyone is familiar with the concept of a song being "played out." Still, leading up to an album's release, our focus becomes getting a song played on as many music channels, sites, and radio stations and formats, and anywhere else, as much as possible. We aren't in the business of managing against listener fatigue, and I don't think we ever will be. But as we continue to play with questions for how long to lead with a single to radio before an album's release date, or whether to make a radio single available for download at first detection, it may be worthwhile to consider listener fatigue as affects purchase behavior during different time periods of song exposure.

In Their iSights

Open season on Apple's iPhone by competitor carriers is officially here, and imitation appears to hold as the ultimate form of flattery based upon the look of the new Voyager by LG. One of Verizon Wireless' four new phones for the approaching holiday season, The Voyager slides open sideways to reveal a full QWERTY keypad in addition to its large touch screen seen at left. Other features are an HTML Web browser; Verizon Wireless' V Cast mobile TV, video, and music service; plus the ability to play MP3, WMA, and unprotected AAC files. Anticipated to be available for sale before Thanksgiving, Verizon is literally hoping to help you ring in the New Year.

Out of Their Radiominds?

Rock band, Radiohead is releasing its new album on October 10th. Want to buy it?....name your price. Seriously. Fans visiting radiohead.com are asked to enter what they're willing to pay (as little as 1 pence/2cents, plus the 45pence credit card fee). Independent after completing their contract with Capitol Records, the band is going what the LA Times calls the "tip-jar route" to maximize fan awareness and engagement on the album as opposed to sales revenues. Any attempt to qualify the success of the strategy will likely be up for debate, but, then again, if we're debating the album then Radiohead'll have accomplished a primary goal of the maneuver.

amazon.com mp3 shop - also available for non-us consumers

Last weekend I was reading that this download shop is also accessible for us people overseas:
Simply use your credit card and fake an US billing address - only the ZIP code need to match. So I created a new amazon.com account added my details with my German credit card and billing address 550 Madison, NY and than checked out the shop.

First of all it looks the same as the usual shopping cds at amazon and so I instantly liked it. Checking out the charts I recognized that our friends at Universal have chosen to make a big part of their catalog available as MP3's, EMI of course too and a lot of US Indies. Currently I am not buying music digitally because I simply not like DRM (call my and I will explain in detail why) and rather still buy CDs and rip them into my Itunes. So I was pretty exited to check out the shop.

To download with "1 Click" you have to install an "amazon download" manager which worked alright on my Mac and which downloads the tracks to a new folder (you can also choose to have it added to your iTunes automatically).

So I started to put some music into my basket. Being a little bit cautious I started with just one track from the "Apples in Stereo" for 0,89 cents (pretty cheap price especially if you live in EURO land) - all good and after I moved it my Itunes library I recognized that it's been encoded into 256kbps - nice quality and better than I usually use when I rip my CDs.

So why not to buy an album - I checked out "Spoon" and bought the full album for 8,99 $ - nice stuff and also the download worked fast and smooth. Later that day I bought the latest from "Stars" and an old record from "The National" which is not available yet in Germany.

Actually I spend more money than my total Itunes spending was in the past three years. If you check out the charts on the site looks like there is a lot of old "classic" songs like Verve , Nirvana or Don Mclean alongside new releases and my gut feeling is that this shop will turn more CD buyers into digital music buyers (and hopefully also some who get their music from illegal sites yet).

The sad part of it is of course that there is no SONY BMG or WARNER MP3's in that shop (that my opinion as a consumer) and that there is no news yet about how SONY BMG will deal with DRM in the future. We keep patient but want and need to know soon (that my opinion as a SONY BMG marketing guy).

Mornings May Never Be the Same......For Your Friends

The possibilities are endless (all mischevious of course) with a new service that allows you to send "wake-up" calls to any phone number. Drunk dialing without the after effects of getting drunk; that's genius. If this gets big, maybe we can look at creating stock 'wake-up messages' from our artists for a nominal purchase amount: something like, "Mornin', this is T-Pain, it's time to wake up so that you can get your drank on."

The Clash / Nissan Rogue spot

I had to post this. Really creative spot with a great music bed.
http://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=5f1c6d18

If the Shoe Fits, Wear it on Two Feet

As we consider global solutions for artists whose music and appeal find legs beyond their home territories, it is interesting to examine big brand companies hard at work on the same task. Check out Reebok's newly launched 'Two People in Everyone' global campaign. The personalities and languages featured on the .com site reflect a broad lineup of iconic figures of varying degrees of international renown.

Go Go Gadget Ads

Google unveils a new ad format to complement web 2.0. The advertisements themselves can feature video, maps, audio, and flash or html actions in what was once the domain of flat, one-dimensional displays. I wonder how long it will take for the first adisode to be produced?

Not So Bunny

Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" meets the anti-Sir Mix-A-Lot in a recent burger chain commercial that has numerous educators' associations up in arms. Is anyone considering the Patty Melt in all of this?

Painfully Entertazeing

An incident at a recent University of Florida John Kerry forum has the phrase, "Don't Taze Me, Bro" showing up everywhere from t-shirts to bumper stickers to music video remixes. Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em; He's already been tazed.

http://www.dylanmessaging.com/index.html

This is a brilliant bit of marketing (simply because it features Bob Dylan) and is precision-built for me. It allows you to 'doctor' the iconic cue card sequence in Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' video with your own (invariably rude) message.

This Video is the Shi...sh Kebab

This Parisian Kebab Vendor's ditty on his cuisine specialty earned a deal with EMI. Maybe the follow up single will promote whatever beverage goes best with his fare.

Cadbury Gorilla ad

I love that this has nothing to do with chocolate, but makes the brand cool. Cadbury has made a lot of noise and fans with this ad.

Loose Lips Sink Ships or Set Them Asail?

The preponderance of recent music leaks to the internet from big name artists is a little perplexing. Is it really becoming an uphill battle to preserve early tracks for an album's street date? Or is intentional leaking the new piece de resistance for a viral marketing strategy? An interesting Village Voice article insinuates such a conspiracy theory around the leaks of Kanye West's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis on the same day last week.

Remember in grade school how by way of flirtatious speculation you'd be asked if you liked someone, which was then followed by, "but do you like them, like them?" It seems we may have to start asking internally not whether a song was leaked online, but was it leak leaked?

A New (and valuable?) Offspring of the Music Video

Youtube continues to spawn phenomenons. Most recently, anyone wanting to get up to speed on Hip Hop artist, Soulja Boy's 'Crank That' dance need only visit the video site for a literal step-by-step tutorial on how to be official with one's moves the next time the song plays. The instructional clip featuring Soulja Boy himself has received over 3 million views in the month it's been posted (half of the 6+ million of the actual video). Soulja Boy, or his team, has even displayed the wherewithal to scroll the online address for his merchandise store across the lower third of his video to entice greater revenue out of the song's/dance's popularity.

To take it a step further, the web site nowplayit.com recently launched in beta phase offering downloads for purchase of instructional clips from artists like KT Tunstall and Coldplay on how to mimic the guitar mastery of their hit songs.

Makes some sense, doesn't it? We admire our favorite artists for their skill, showmanship and musicianship, and often attempt to emulate their dances, guitar play and singing short of ever having a how to video to follow. If an instructional clip is coming straight from the artist we admire, wouldn't it be worth a reasonable fee to download, keep, play and imitate?

Mobile Device Industry Enroute to Making Waves on the Web?

Nokia yesterday introduced Ovi, their new internet services brand name. ‘Ovi’, meaning ‘door’ in Finnish, signals a huge step for Nokia from the mobile device market into the internet. Ovi will serve as a gateway for customers to access many of Nokia’s services and will also become a social network for Nokia’s customers and users. From Ovi, customers will be able to download music, games and GPS maps. A key thrust is also the aim to create Nokia web communities, which will enable interactivity with other users and also easy access to individual’s content and contacts.

What We Stand to Game

I've been having a go with one of the marketing tools for T-Pain - a flash video game where one directs T across a bar floor to catch dranks that are falling from the sky (T-Pain's Cocktail Crazy.) Apparently I am one of the biggest barroom butterfingers alive, however. Still, it is quite addicting and I'm itching to give it another shot. My running infatuation with social networking widgets got me thinking whether a game like this could be turned into an embeddable widget. Surely, fans of T-Pain would like to house such a game on their site to see if visiting friends and strangers could best their score. Moreover, what if the stakes were raised so that someone scoring over a certain threshhold then earned the privilege to download the single "Buy You a Drank" for free? This might spur viral sharing and awareness. And maybe for those not reaching the ultimate threshhold, various incremental scores would garner a corresponding reduction off of the standard $.99 price for purchase.

It's even possible that - in this instance - the falling drinks all clearly display the Bacardi brand or something like that so that they not only foot a contribution to be the exclusive promoter of the game, but also cover the free and discounted downloadable tracks for players attaining the requisite scores. Just some food - or should I say drank - for thought.

Levis - Both Ways

Have you seen that Levi’s TV spot where the guy pulls up his pants, along with another world and a hot girl? It's great. But you'd have to watch the gay and lesbian Logo cable channel to see a different version airing there, where our same pant-pulling He-man brings up a guy through the floorboards instead of a woman.

Now that's SEGMENTED advertising.

Gettin' Wiki Wit' It

fuse.tv today announced the launch of www.wiki.fuse.tv, an interactive community site that encourages fans to personalize artist pages. Ultimate fandom or fiefdom? Check it out.

We Love The French

The Race to Free in France

This past week the French have hit on a trifecta of free music deals further bringing into focus the sign of times to come. Jockeying for the favor of broadband consumers, both French telco companies Neuf Cegetel and France Telecom have announced plans to provide free unlimited music downloads to subscribers for their respective "triple-play" internet, telephone and tv bundles. Neuf Cegetel's deal is with Universal Music and makes the service available immediately. France Telecom's response won't launch until 2008, but promises a wider selection than the nine pre-specified musical genres comprising Neuf Cegetel's free offer. For Neuf Cegetel customers to download music from genres not a part of the pre-specified nine there is an additional monthly subscription cost of EUR 4.99 ($6.99).

Almost simultaneous to the news above, the old BlogMusik.net has resurfaced as Deezer.com announcing its free and legal on demand streaming service as a result of a deal with French collection society, SACEM. The agreement compensates record companies and other claimants with monies from advertising revenues earned by the site. Deezer.com is available in 16 different languages

Is it now official that music has become a value-adding throw-in/enticement for other revenue generating services?

Mix(tape)ing It Up

Two interesting stories this week bringing the mixtape debate back to the forefront. One has Universal Music experimenting with a legal mixtape series called "Lethal Squad Mixtapes" to the bemusement of retailers who stopped carrying the product after the RIAA's crackdown on DJ Drama and wider-spread mixtape outfits. The other details a brand new initiative between Hot 97's DJ Envy and mobile content distributor, Cellfish Media to distribute seven-track mixtape compilations as ringtones and full downloads to paying consumers.

Both touch upon the viral power of mixtapes in generating critical buzz and artist credibility. Maybe more telling is the stated importance of the DJ actually doing the mixing. Universal's foray is being criticized for using an unknown DJ. Envy offers a supporting claim that "if I have a hot mixtape, it'll sell out. A new album will be hot only for a few weeks, then die down. That's what the kids want."

With the above in mind, as labels move away from the "record company" moniker to operating as talent developers/brokers, etc., should once 'antagonistic' street DJs be brought into the fold? And must mixtapes only be a tool for Hip Hop if their value can be capitalized upon?

Intimate-Tones (Intimatones?)

Last summer about this time, I, like many others I'm sure, received a call from Samuel L. Jackson. He knew my name, the fact I sported a bald head, and he even made mention of the scooter I rode. I was touched. Not touched enough to actually go and see the movie "Snakes on a Plane", which he was exhorting me to see, but touched to the point that I logged on to http://dev.snakesonaplane.varitalk.com/ at first opportunity to personalize phone calls from Samuel to a number of my friends. Everyone got a real kick out of it.

Thinking of the music industry currently and the assortment of digital/mobile product elements available, ringtones and mastertones and ringback tones have certainly proven profitable, but they still exist primarily within the paradigm of items one would purchase for oneself. Aren't we all still trying to figure out how to capitalize on the inertia for sharing that great music compels us toward? That said, I would relish the opportunity to pay $2.99 or $3.99 for a customizable digital transmission, which I could send to a friend's phone so that when my call was answered or voicemail retrieved, the recipient would hear (in Justin Timberlake's voice) "Hey Lauren, this is JT, and I wanted to personally thank you for bringing sexy back" (then followed by the song of course). Or something like that. Thoughts?

Just the ticket for the CD's Golden Years?

The 2005 remake of Roald Dahl's 1971 cult-classic 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' had grossed over $268 Million in International Box Office at last count. Thus, people everywhere are well aware of golden-ticket-mania. Seen in the real world, millions of people play national lotteries every week with the grandest of hopes. And when the numbers are pulled, these same millions are left with nothing but a worthless piece of paper. Yet millions more will buy-in again the next week.

Applied to the music industry, what if for a coordinated worldwide release of a major artist with a rabid following, 5 CDs around the globe contained a golden ticket awarding the opportunity to accompany said artist on their upcoming tour? Could this be a lottery-esque tipping point for fans who straddle the fence on whether and how to by new music? Would the reward be grand enough to influence 'Johnnie' to buy more than one copy? Would 'Johnnie's' aunt also make a purchase in hopes of being golden in her nephew's eyes? Regardless, even for a fan who didn't win, being left with an album in the end would have to be much more valuable than a worthless piece of paper; a rationale which in itself may be a purchase influencer.

Too gimmicky? Maybe. But any opportunity to toss around an idea that rekindles visions of Oompa Loompas is worthwhile in my book.

Widget or Won't It?

Hi all! My name is Maikel and I am thrilled to be rotating through Sony BMG's Global Marketing department for the next four months or more as part of the company's Management Trainee program. Well, widg'ya believe the prominence that the mini-app phenomenon has assumed in the Web 2.0 world? While the functionality of many of the touted embeddable applications may as yet be more smoke than substance, their growth and popularity is undeniable.

Earlier this week Apple launched three "My iTunes" widgets, which enable users to share their iTunes purchases, reviews and recommendations in blogs, personal websites, or social networking pages. It appears everyone wants the tools to customize their web presence to share what makes them who they are. Question is - are our artists sharing enough with the fans who visit their sites using similar tools? Not sharing in the sense of giving more away, but is there value in incorporating widgets that promote the music our artists are listening to? the concerts they'd be interested in attending? It depends widge way you look at it, I guess.

What happens when the shoe's on the other foot?

Futbol or Football?

Who’s better...?
Beckham or Bush?
David or Dubya?

Is Copy Dead or Just Evolving?
Call Me Old-Fashioned, but I Like Words...Small Agency DiaryI recently came across a circa 1950's print advertisement for Budweiser hanging on a wall in a Jersey Shore (Avalon) bar. A colored drawing of two hardy guys enjoying their Buds in a far off cave. Within the design was an encyclopedic-like paragraph that ran the entire length of the ad where there was a mention of Bud using "water that came from stalagmites for purity," etc., etc. A number of multi-syllabic words were threaded throughout the highbrow prose that was an obvious focal point of the ad. Something about this ...

1-18-08 - viral movie campaign

A very impressive and powerful viral campaign started in US theatres in july 2007:



Prior to the movie "Transformers" a trailer (see below) was presented, which had no information on the movie itself and only gave the information "J.J.Abrams" towards the end. The trailer itself was composed of shaky pictures filmed with a handheld camera and did look anything but like a trailer the audience is used to. This left some people quite irritated and statements such as "WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT!?" were quite common. As a lot of viewers were familiar with the name "J.J.Abrams" (creator of mystery show LOST) people started seeking information on the web with the goal to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The result: Lots of talk in the internet and on the media about the trailer and the upcoming movie Cloverfield which is supposed to hit theatres on 1-18-08.



This campaign shows how the buzzword "viral marketing" can be filled with actual meaning.








More details can be found on wikkipedia/cloverfield.



André Bohnet-Armstrong

Sprite, taking flight

Madlib's Beat Konducta

Yes this is a real promo tool. Don't ask me who thought up such an infectious, clever scheme using Bollywood's finest and Youtube! ... but it works. Madlib's Beat Konducta in India will release the hip hop laced album, "Beat conductor Volume 3 & 4" on August 28th. What can we expect? Yes you heard it... "Breaks, disco, Rock n Roll!"

Fun with Inmates!

Oops!...They Did It Again

Zomba is on a hot streak again, with hits from performers like Justin Timberlake, R. Kelly and T-Pain, a rapper-turned-singer whose new CD surpassed Paul McCartney's last month to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.

Ray Ban Viral Part 2

Have you seen the Ray Ban print ads for "Never Hide" in Rolling Stone this month (40th Anniversary Edition)? They are running a competition with Rolling Stone, calling for bands to submit a song at myspace.com/ray-ban, which will be judged by a panel made up of Tyson Ritter (All-American Rejects), Ben Berkman (A&M/Octone) and Jonathan Ringen (Rolling Stone). The winning band will perform at Rolling Stone's 40th Anniversary party in Sin City and featured on MySpace.

I like the "Never Hide" theme, personally.

As a follow up to the Ray Ban viral You Tube video which I posted here last month, they have now created a sequel...

Josh Warner, viral video creator, said, "As you know, one of this summer’s most successful viral brand videos was from Never Hide Films sponsored by Ray-Ban. "Catch" or "Guy catches glasses with face" as it was titled on YouTube featured two young filmmakers from Santa Monica, CA throwing Wayfarer sunglasses at each other from increasingly challenging distances. After 11 million views on multiple video share sites and blogs; features on MSNBC, CNN, and the BBC; and over 11,000 comments on YouTube alone, "Catch" filmmakers Steve and Benzo are back with a summertime sequel ‘Bobbing for glasses.’"

Check it out...

Behavior Defines Consumers
Deeper Understanding: Don't Ask People What They Think; Watch What They Do
Some people are bouncing between so many pursuits, it's impossible to determine their priorities. But most of the time we can cut through the "I do it all" cover stories and discover the real person, by focusing on behavior. In other words, actions really do speak louder than words.

“We in the bed like ooh, ooh, ooh…”

Funny or Die is a user generated website full of youtube like content from various comedians around the country mixed with clips created by your average Joe. Users upload their videos and wait to see what happens. If the video has all the right ingredients for a successful viral video, the vid’s popularity will gain more exposure and eventually carry on to other sites. If it just doesn’t cut it, the clip dies. This T-Pain parody of “Buy U A Drank” was posted 3 hours ago and has 73 views. U can follow the video’s success by checking back with the site to see if it has what it takes to live... or die.

This next clip entitle "The Landlord" submitted by Will Ferrell has been viewed more than 39 million times.

Sharks Roam Manhattan
Moving Fin Projected on Skyscrapers for Discovery's 'Shark Week'
Just when you thought it was safe to spend a summer evening in Manhattan, sharks are swimming along the buildings. No, global warming hasn't kicked into high gear and submerged Manhattan -- yet. But Discovery Network's 20th annual Shark Week starts July 29, which means the media push beforehand has brought the chondrichthyes (that's "cartilaginous fishes" to all you non-marine biologists) to New York en masse.

The Rakes rakin’ it in

I love this new contest for the London based band The Rakes. Fans enter to win signed “Rakes” artwork and memorabilia by purchasing their new single, "The World Was A Mess but His Hair Was Perfect." Participants simply send in proof of purchase for the single via email or they send in a physical copy or the receipt. The best part is fans are encouraged to enter multiple times by buying more singles. The single was released today so we’ll see how this promotion affects sales. For more contest details visit http://www.therakes.co.uk/go.php?object=news&mode=default&newsID=231

Thirsty? ...for some Black Eyed Peas?

Pepsi-Doritos and the Black Eyed Peas have entered a two year multi-brand partnership that recently began with this new Pepsi spot. The BEP's specifically wrote a new single called "More" just for this commercial. Check it out!

Pepsi Goes on $55 Million Binge for Diet Max
Cola Giant's Largest Investment in a Decade for a New Brand Looks to Awaken Men to the No-Cal Category
This is no yawner. That's the thinking at Pepsi-Cola Co. North America, which this week begins pouring its largest investment into a new brand in a decade -- as much as $55 million -- into Diet Pepsi Max, a cross between a soft drink and an energy drink to rouse men out of that 2 p.m. slump. Pepsi is so confident in Max, which it said tested higher than any other diet-cola concept in its history, that it's putting two to three times its normal launch budget behind the theme "Wake up, people!"

Coke plunges into viral mode

This is a brilliant viral piece from Coca-cola's "Happiness Factory" campaign. The "Happiness Factory" commercial has been very successful at stirring the emotions of the consumer and branding coke as a quality product. This viral release is a behind the scenes extention of the original concept and broadens the effectiveness of the campaign to millions of youtube viewers.

Simpsons movie: 7-Eleven turn into Kwik-E-Marts

Promotion for the Simpsons movie is reaching a new high as 12 7-Eleven markets across the USA are turned into Kwik-E-Marts from the well known cartoon series:


Can anyone get me a Duff or a Squishee, please?

More pictures here