Brands are the next wave music video producers
As Spotify this week announced their move into video streaming, it means that alongside services like Tidal and Apple Music and Social Networks including Twitter and Facebook, the potential for music videos to connect with their audience is as significant again now as it was when MTV first launched into living rooms back in 1981.
And when you consider that channels like Vevo and YouTube contribute to some of the most viewed music video content on the internet, often with views in excess of 100 million - or in the case of the most viewed music video of 2015 by Wiz Khalifa surpassing 1 billion views in just 184 days - it’s clear to see the value of this format is only set to increase in popularity.
Music & Advertising
Over the years new music has always featured heavily in brand advertising. In some cases ads have even been responsible for launching the careers of new or unknown artists. Such as Apple’s iPod commercials featuring acts like Jet, Feist and CSS, or Leftfield’s ‘Phat Planet’ track in Guinness’s famous ‘Surfer’ ad of the 1990s. Equally brands have utilised established talent in savvy ways. The Adidas "Dream" commercial of the 2000s featured the vocal of Karen O (singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) in an unusually downbeat song for the punk-rocker. The video originally made no reference to the track leaving it to fans to seek confirmation of the artist's involvement for themselves. It's clear that music has benefited from advertising, just as advertising has benefited from music.
Now, with music video consumption enjoying renewed energy through video streaming, it means record labels and artists will undoubtedly have to find the budgets to produce ever more compelling and creative videos to capture viewers’ attention. Budgets which, given the margins of the music industry today, are scarce. So it poses the question: What if brands were to become the music video producers?
What if brands were to become the music video producers?
As brands are looking to connect with this audience in increasingly authentic ways, it’s interesting to consider, which is more powerful – a 15 second pre-roll ad with the viewer's finger hovering ready to ‘skip ad’, or building the recognition of the brand deep within the music video itself?
Of course there have already been forays into this space with exclusive tracks and videos like Converse’s collaboration with Pharrell Williams, Santogold and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes lead-singer) in 2008 for “My Drive Thru”. Or McDonald’s song and jingle “I’m Lovin’ it”, originally recorded by Justin Timberlake; written by Pharrell Williams, Tom Batoy, Andreas Forberger and Franco Tortora and produced by The Neptunes.
While sync deals for rights usage in advertising have a long-standing commercial relationship, what if brands were to take their role in music further and shift media money into getting behind artists and labels to become meaningful producers of branded music videos - truly blurring the lines between commercial and cultural music video formats.
It goes without saying that balancing creative integrity with legitimate brand integration will be the critical challenge to generating authentically good production outcomes. But finding that balance opens a new wave of potential for the artists, labels and brands to mutually benefit from the huge exposure generated.
Clyde McKendrick is Founding Partner of Zeitgeist Labs: a cultural innovation company
Videographer at Exstatic Video Agency
8 年First of all, nice article Clyde! My question is if brands should search for artists with a unique (life)story or rather work with famous artists. In my opinion a lot of modern music doesn't really have a message to tell, which makes it pointless to combine to brands.
Founder + Chief Strategy Officer at Rupture Studio
8 年Agreed Sam. We did took that music culture approach on Sprite and Vitaminwater
Co-founder, Early Studies
8 年Hi Clyde. I think you’re definitely right that the power of video now is reminiscent of the opportunity that MTV took advantage of. But that opportunity this time around, is way beyond the ‘music video’ format that’s been around for 30 years. All the music platforms must understand that a millennial audience won’t buy into intrusively branded content. That means brands have to instead provide content that they actually want to watch. That takes more than a 3 min music video. I think Spotify are getting into this to provide richer content about music, and ‘music culture’. That would certainly be my approach anyway.