When it comes to online video, music is the single biggest lost opportunity for brands.
It baffles me how a brand can spend $30,000 to $300,000 on product marketing and consumer outreach
videos, then not spend another 5% for professional music from either established or unknown artists. After all, in 1928, Warner Bros. saw 5000% profit margins from its first “talkies” --
films that were primarily musical in nature. More recently, Apple turned the tech industry on its ear through music.
Music affects people. The Pied Piper is a parable -- but it’s
also grounded in truth. It’s not just mice that respond to music. People do, too.
And brands aren’t forced to license music from well-established artists. Connect the dots:
DOT ONE While it is difficult to assign an exact number, it’s consensus that several million (that’s million) artists and bands are on MySpace.
DOT TWO Even Michelangelo was paid for the Sistine Chapel.
Patronage of the arts is a time-honored tradition -- a tradition brands have the opportunity to carry forward.
Michelangelo took money from the Pope to paint the ceiling of his world’s most important religious real estate. There surely are bands on MySpace that wouldn’t mind moving from
“starving” to “slightly well-fed” artists by having their music in a branded product video.
Finding credible artists without high costs isn’t as daunting as it
might seem:
- Check out the lesser-known artists at music festivals like Outside Lands and Coachella.
- Roam the sidewalks of 6th Street in Austin at SXSW.
- Or simply watch for who’s coming through town at your smaller music venues.
Here’s the best part: pick the right music, and brands have the opportunity to be labeled as
“cool” and “relevant” when the artists make it big. Your brand might even get credit for breaking the band to a wider audience.
Maybe you should pay a little more
attention to that band busking on the street corner or in the farmer’s market.
They could be your ticket to video success.