“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato

Music touches everyone. Music inspires. Music romances. Music invigorates. Music recollects.

Innovative brand marketers have at some point wondered how they can incorporate music into their strategic marketing plans.

Fact is - brands need music and the artists that create it.

Music cuts through the “noise” of traditional advertising, setting your brand apart to build an authentic connection with your consumers. In return, the artists reap benefits that they have not had access to before.

As a more extensive scope of brands look to engage with artists, the ultimate end-result is that both the brand and music artist receive maximum return.  

Here are 5 benefits to consider when creating a harmonious partnership for both the brand and music artists:

1.    Expands Your Fan Base

Brands give artists the chance to associate with potentially new, different audiences. In return, the brand is given the opportunity to leverage the band’s fans which can result in new and more engaged customers.  A good example of an Artist using a brand to their benefit is Jay Z’s 2017 album release “4:44” which was exclusively released to Sprint & Tidal customers. The partnership required fans to subscribe to Sprint or Tidal to gain rights to be the first to listen to the album.  Although this partnership was intended to increase Sprint subscriptions and reach a possible new fan base it can’t be overlooked that it was self-serving as Tidal is Jay Z music streaming service with Sprint owing 33% of Tidal.  

2.    Trigger an Emotional Connection

Brands that can align with the passion of their consumers through music can succeed in turning them from a customer to an advocate.   

A brand that has a great story to tell here is the 2015 partnership between Southwest Airlines and Imagine Dragons.  In celebration of the bands new album, Smoke + Mirrors Southwest launched Destination Dragons that took the band coast to coast, performing exclusive concert for fans in four cities that hold a special place in the band’s history.   

In addition, fans could enter a sweepstakes to win a chance to join the band on the tour and experience the band perform at 35,000 feet in the sky.   This partnership resonated much excitement amongst fans of both the band and airline resulting in impressive results of 103M social media impressions, 7627% increase in Facebook views and 1B media impressions.   

This partnership really underscores what experiential really means and a true testament to the importance of connecting costumers to what is important in their lives. 

3.    Artists can Profit

A brand partnership can be lucrative for an artist.  

In today’s digital era, a brand can help diversify an artist’s revenue stream by handling costs for an album release, tour or PR stunts that labels don’t have the resources to fund.   

In addition, brands can give the emerging artist a platform to gain exposure and be an integral part of their journey. Converse opened its Brooklyn-based Rubber Tracks Studio to give emerging artist a place to record their music at no cost.  A simple, but powerful mission of giving back to the community and investing in young artist.  As Converse gives everyone a chance to shine is a story that garners mad respect in the Music Community.    

4.    Reward Your Loyal Customers

Brands can use the artist to reward their loyal customers through unique live music experiences that can include meet and greets and/or free concert tickets, forging lasting memories. Citi Bank stands out in this cluttered category by offering “hero moments,” unique, exclusive experiences to their cardholders that only Citi can provide.   

Citi cardholders could use their Citi Thank You ® card to purchase a VIP experience to see Billy Joel.  An unbelievable experience that was curated by New York City – based MAC Presents, Citi’s lead experiential agency since 2013.  

Jennifer Breithaupt, global head of entertainment marketing at Citi sums it up beautifully, “Entertainment drives loyalty and people talking positively about brands, and that’s important for us, it spurs this full circle of people feeling good about you, talking about you with others… those people are creating a brand recommendation and then recommending you to others.”  A true win-win partnership for the brand, artist and customer, 

5.    Content Creation

Successful collaboration between an artist and brand can result in unique and shareable content. Utilizing the artist as the original storytellers can help generate compelling content.  

No band is better known for their crazy and creative videos then OK Go.  This LA – based rock band best known for, “Upside Down & Inside Out” video which was shot in an actual plane, in the sky and get this…at zero gravity.  Insane, but incredibly engaging.   

A few really smart brands (Chevy, Google and Morton Salt) were drawn to the growing popularity and quirkiness of OK Go and since have produced some engaging digital content.  Most recently Morton Salt sponsored OK Go’s One Moment video. 

For brands, partnering with the right artist can deliver excitement and “buzz” and ultimately result in standing-out among consumers.  For artist, it allows an innovative avenue to generate more revenue.  

Together artists and brands can use the benefits of music to connect to personal passions points of fans and consumers resulting in a harmonious partnership for all involved.