I love the current trend of artist talking to fans via YouTube - gritty, iMovie produced YouTube videos. Jermaine Dupri was certainly an early adopter of this new practice and has developed a steady fanbase of regular viewers. His YouTube channel certainly garners enough attention on its own, but throw in a Jay-Z or Mariah or Janet and of course the views grow exponentially. He has even used fans response via YouTube to help steer decisions around new artists, and as expected, to show off some gear.
As President of TAG Records, it is safe to assume we will see some TAG references throughout his Living the Life series. Here is JD at the recent photo shoot for TAG. Note the ACME cameo as well
Ah… the Festival of Media. There is something about ‘Festival of Media‘ that just doesn’t sound right. Perhaps something is lost in translation? Maybe it is a raucous party and I am bummed we missed it? Regardless, TAG Records appears to have been a topic of conversation on at least one panel, and it is always refreshing to hear about others that understand the idea.
Citizen Sound provided a recap, since we couldn’t be there Thanks!
That’s what Jermaine Dupri said about the Tag Records label that was announced yesterday. It has been picked up in literally hundreds of publications and blogs, and here are a few links to what people are saying…
Should I be surprised that most people I talk to about Kanye’s new travel venture - aka a Kanye-branded entryway into Travelocity - think it is a bit of a stretch? Most of the people I talked to are at least Gold Status business travelers who rely on corporate travel agents to handle their travel plans, and I am doubtful Kanye is after that crowd anyways. I am a huge Kanye fan (David’s a Jay-Z guy), and I have long respected the way he handles his brand. Yeah, his arrogance turns some people off, but his words have always served to take him to new levels. Job well done in my opinion. I can forget about his foray into search engines… most people don’t even know about that Kanye brand extension. And although the idea of travel is totally in line with his jet setting global lifestyle, why put his well established brand at risk by aligning with an industry that has proven to disappoint like no other?
In my opinion, it should be an issue of control for Kanye. Any fan of Kanye knows he is a total control freak (in a good way). There is absolutely nothing Kanye can do to keep a flight from getting cancelled. Or a hotel from overbooking. For someone who is so notoriously hands-on, I am surprised that he would ‘co-sign‘ for the travel industry, an industry he has zero control of. Richard Branson knows a thing or two about branding and travel, and perhaps does it better than anyone. Check his commentary on brand experiences:
“A brand is more than a name or logo - it is a contract with every customer with whom you are dealing. And if people feel that the offering does not live up to what they expect from the brand, they will decide to stop buying.”
A Better Idea?
I love the fact that Kanye is encouraging his fans to get out and see the world. But why try to own the transaction? Why even be associated with the transaction? With all of his travels, why not create a Kanye-flavored travel guide, loaded with tips, reviews, shopping insights, video, blogs, etc. from Kanye and his crew? Kanye’s reviews, Don C’s shopping guide and Ibn’s guide to traveling in style, and tips for what to do in each city his on his tour. He can sell ads, sponsorships, integrations, and stay for free forever! Fans could contribute their own commentary. Kanye retains his control, expands his community, visitors are satisfied, and Kanye can rake in millions in revenue from brands vs. $30 per transaction from what will no doubt be just a few bookings through his site. There are better ways to monetize his lifestyle. Travel bookings are not the way.
Kanye, when you are ready to launch this venture, give us a call We can definitely help.
Ad Age just published an article featuring David and his views on the business of branded entertainment.
David Caruso has worked on some big branded-entertainment deals with enormous marketers within a giant agency holding company. But he now believes small and focused will work considerably better at taking branded content to the loftier level he envisions for it at the center of marketing plans.
Perhaps it is a symptom of the exciting world of non-traditional marketing and the non-traditional model that we have adopted, but we often find ourselves in buzzword central. Our clients, agency partners, potential clients and colleagues - it is impossible to escape, and we are often just as guilty as anyone. It must be a by-product of our environment. Everyone feels the huge potential of non-traditional approaches and is passionate. When you are passionate you talk a lot. Buzzwords are inevitable. You hate the fact that you say them, but when something is hot, its hot. And please don’t create a new version of the word in an effort to sound different - no more buzzword variations needed!
We have a word here at ACME that we actually love. It is simple, straightforward, and the perfect word to describe the implications of our work. The word is amplify.
When developing programs for brands, we always account for the wide spectrum of marketing activities a brand has in place. It is essential, yet seemingly rare in the branded entertainment space. We create plans to ensure branded entertainment and content will amplify the impact of just about any activity in any channel. TV, print, radio, outdoor, digital, social media, in-store, you name it… impact is incrementally improved, that that improvement is almost always measurable. We have a great slide that demonstrates this, so contact us if you are interested in learning more about our approach.
Back in 1990, there was a trio of remarkable skateboarders - all of them could have claimed to be the best street skaters around - and to this day, nobody would argue. One was the still-relevant skate icon Mark Gonzales, one was Jason Lee (yes, that Jason Lee), and the other was a quiet guy named Matt Hensley. Although none of them were famous back in 1990, their influence helped catapult skateboarding to the cultural significance it maintains today. Amazingly, they were all under the age of 20.
So what made these teenagers so influential?
One of the tools of the trade of the skateboard industry for the last 20 years has been the skateboard video. If you’ve never seen one, imagine 45 minutes or so of pure skateboarding, set to music, featuring the best skateboarders doing their best to represent their sponsor and elevate their own personal status. Today, skate videos (dvds) are awesome hi-def productions with major label music and even occasional special effects. Back then, skate videos were blurry bootleg copies of bootleg copies of VHS tapes that would circulate through schools and at local skate spots. Skateboarders… always the innovators, led the viral video revolution!
Now thanks to YouTube, all of the best videos from back in the day are now available on demand. I wanted to share a short clip from a classic skate video from a brand called H-Street, featuring Matt Hensley.
I get goosebumps watching this clip like I did when I was 15-years-old watching it after school. Not much can give a 15-year-old goosebumps - think about it! A video like this is the ultimate argument for the incredible power of high quality content.
Terrible audio, terrible video, a no-name musician, and kids would still gather around the television set with their bootleg copy of this video for hours to get pumped up to go skate. Kids would lose sleep after watching a video like this. Forget the lack of HD quality! Yeah, it would have been nice to have back then, but when you have great content - content that connects, motivates, inspires, and generally keeps kids like me daydreaming through every class - all the bells and whistles are just… fluff. Brands like this also inspired some of my first forays into consumer generated content… almost every art project at school was inspired by H-street and brands like them.
Forget the focus on technology. Forget the focus on the delivery mechanism. Learn a lesson from Matt Hensley and the H-Street guys from 1990 and give consumers what they want - high value, high quality content!
In the increasingly complex world of branded content - with all of these new distribution channels, formats, etc. - it was our mention in yesterday’s New York Times that reminded us of one of the most basic rules of content… alphabetical order is still very relevant and it pays to have a company name that starts with an ‘A’.
Adweek covered our launch last week. Personally, I dig this quote from David:
“Our agency is really trying to put some best-in-class practices and thought leadership into the space. We still feel like there is a lack-of-thought leadership in [branded entertainment]”, said Caruso.
Fortunately that made it in our Adweek debut, because it sums up our mission to infuse branded entertainment as a discipline with a much needed dose of sound strategy and strong multi-channel integration - something that is far too often lacking.
