Vida to connect brands with bands
Vida Marketing has launched new division Bands4Brands, dedicated to bringing musicians to clients with the aim of facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships.
The release:
“Music has always been a part of our DNA. Our music marketing division, Perfect Pitch has been helping musicians and venues for a decade.
“With Bands4Brands, we’re now helping brands to become more a part of their customers’ lives and their everyday conversations via their passion for music… and we’re providing musicians with another channel to market.” – Dave Keogh, Founder & Music Manager
Launching 15 years ago as a Direct and Database Marketing Agency, Vida has continued to reinvent itself in line with changing times and technology, but has always had an affinity with music. Co-Founders Anna Cosio and Dave Keogh worked on the Sony BMG account at a previous agency (Cosio’s data analysis actually credited with helping that label’s bands achieve No. 1 chart status) and in a past life, Keogh was a Licensed Theatrical Agent, Venue Booker, Band Manager and record company Publicist.
The two have always linked their own passions to Vida… whether that be working with causes close to their hearts or for clients involved in the things that make the Founders tick… like music and sport. And while linking brands with music is not a new concept… weaving music into a brand’s identity is a more recent strategy that’s well and truly on the increase.
Smart brands like Bacardi, CBA, Red Bull, HP, TAG, Starbucks, CBA, Uniqlo, Intel, Nescafe and Converse are using music as an emotive force to interactively ENGAGE their customers, in a strategy that is mutually beneficial to both brands and bands.
“It’s no longer a last minute tactic – what music will we put behind the TVC? – but rather a great way for brands to connect to the culture of music”, says Keogh. “What was once an ‘unholy alliance’ between music and advertising is now working to the advantage of both.”
While the agency has its own in-house music expertise via the running of Perfect Pitch for a decade, they’ve also brought in expert Music Directors Lionel Cole (currently starring on The Voice) and Luke Escombe to help ‘curate’ a brand’s sound and write new music as required… as well as Argentinian import Sofia Solari who ran a similar agency in her homeland, creating 360 degree music strategies for clients ranging from local emerging acts through to Ricky Martin!
Bands4Brands even runs a monthly live music venue on Sydney’s North Shore called Eastern Lounge to showcase the acts they’re working with. Initial Bands4Brands music signings include established artists such as the ARIA award-winning Steve Balbi (Rose Tatoo, Noiseworks, Electric Hippies), Peter Northcote (Daryl Braithwaite, Dragon, Jimmy Barnes, Steve Vai, Stevie Wright) and Simon Meli (Ooh La La, The Widowbirds) plus great emerging artists including Genevieve Chadwick, Michelle Martinez, young rock band Cranky Alice, Brisbane’s His Merry Men and Miss Elm and new children’s band Zoo Boyz.
The agency is currently in discussions with several prospective clients ranging from alcohol brands through to Non-Profit Organisations keen to inject music into their brand identities. Expect an announcement soon.
“The response to our initial approaches has been overwhelmingly positive”, says Keogh. “In today’s cluttered marketplace, brands face the challenge of being heard and being noticed more than ever… of staying relevant and maintaining healthy, ongoing customer relationships. People are tiring of traditional advertising and now use technology to actively avoid it. Even when ads. are seen, research shows that less than 8% are recalled. That’s down from 34% in the ‘60s!
“Music is a great point of difference. It’s the great human connector and it generates emotion… which in turn, leads to action. We’re aiming to harness that power for our clients.”
Source: Vida Marketing
