Music is universal and brands are capitalising on this – and no I’m not talking about the type of music brands choose to put over their online content. Brands are creating music! Youtube, Spotify and Apple music are seen to be three of the largest online music streaming platforms in the market, offering “free-mium” models which opens up an unlimited selection of songs and podcasts for consumers. I use it everyday and I’m sure most of you do to, so it makes sense brands have jumped into this market.
Oakley in their latest instalment of their “One obsession” campaign, have released a spoken word/ jazz song with lyrics written in collaboration with several Oakley athletes including snowboarder Chloe Kim and cycler Mark Cavendish just to name a couple. The song aims to be an ode to all athletes who put their social lives aside to work on their craft, and that its “okay in the name of obsession”. The music video was released on Youtube and has amounted over 24 million views with the song even being released on Spotify.
Within a digital marketing context, I think its both refreshing and genius. Its a genuine act of brand disruption with underlying strategic prowess. The share-ability of music, and the universality of its message is something that encourages virality. People often remember the soundtrack behind a memorable ad, such as the Cadbury Gorilla Phil Collins rendition, so I think it reinforces the brands image and salience in the mind of a consumer by providing that often missed auditory branding.
What are your thoughts, do you think brands producing music is the next marketing trend?
The Frame 