The importance of an innovative marketing campaign to assist the distribution of an artist’s product cannot be overlooked. In an industry that is not only extremely competitive but full of an abundance of creative minds also, a marketing campaign that grasps the mind of its intended audience and resonates with them is vital. Whether a music marketing campaign comes solely from a promoter, or via the assistance of a creative brand agency, it must be perfect or it simply will not cut it.
The Stone Roses
After a long hiatus that had The Stone Roses’ hard-core fan base drooling over the concept of potential new music, the band’s marketing team didn’t have to go over the top to lure people into listening to their new songs. Since the UK, (especially Manchester) had a pre-conceived familiarity with the band’s iconography – Lemons – it would have been foolish to create a campaign that was cryptic and enigmatic. Alas, the lemon posters! In 2015, a multitude of posters was pinned up around Manchester, alongside other major UK cities, containing nothing but a lemon on a white background. It would be easy for a non-fan to walk past one of these images and carry on with their day, but the band was not seeking new fans. They had already obtained cult status. Generating a hype amongst their pre-existing fans was their priority – and the posters worked! Within a matter of hours, thousands of people were sharing images of the posters online, leading to a mass discussion; are ‘The Roses’ truly back? And they were! The band soon released 2 new singles, accompanied by 4 dates at The Etihad in their hometown of Manchester, much to the pleasure of thousands of eagerly anticipating fans.
Eminem
After dominating modern hip-hop for the best part of 2 decades and everything it has to offer, a complex, highly expensive marketing campaign was far from obligatory for his latest album ‘Kamikaze’. After several months of controversy surrounding the ability of the mid-40s rapper, (especially following the critic-slated album Revival) the majority of music listeners were beginning to doubt if he would be returning soon. If a campaign was to be released that would force-feed listeners into listening to his new music, it would not take a genius to figure out that most listeners would immediately reject the concept. However, ‘Em’ had other ideas. How about releasing an album with zero promotion whatsoever? In August 2018, Eminem and his team quite literally bombarded the world by dropping a new album, much to everyone’s surprise. The lack of promotion for the album didn’t give listeners time to doubt the album in their own head, somewhat forcing them to listen straight away. It clearly worked, as the album is now regarded as his best work in over a decade.
The 1975
Once labeled as the worst British band, it is not just their music that has resulted in The 1975 now being regarded as the world’s biggest band. It is their innovative, one-of-a-kind marketing strategies that have propelled them to their immortal status. Every time the band is due to release a new album, each band member deletes their social media platform. The first time this was done, fans were confused and left wondering if their favorite band had in fact split up. However, that was not the case. 3 albums later and their world-spanning fan base completely lose their cool when the social media accounts go down – but for all the right reasons! They know the countdown for new music is officially on. No promotion needed. No money needed. Absolute genius. Something as simple as going off social media for a few days can be more influential than millions of pounds spent. If you want any advice on how to market yourself as a band, The 1975 is what you seek.
Once labeled as the worst British band, it is not just their music that has resulted in The 1975 now being regarded as the world’s biggest band. It is their innovative, one-of-a-kind marketing strategies that have propelled them to their immortal status. Every time the band is due to release a new album, each band member deletes their social media platform. The first time this was done, fans were confused and left wondering if their favorite band had in fact split up. However, that was not the case. 3 albums later and their world-spanning fan base completely lose their cool when the social media accounts go down – but for all the right reasons! They know the countdown for new music is officially on. No promotion needed. No money needed. Absolute genius. Something as simple as going off social media for a few days can be more influential than millions of pounds spent. If you want any advice on how to market yourself as a band, The 1975 is what you seek.
