April 17, 2009
There is a rare occurrence that I hope for -- a perfect moment. It's the one where the song combines with an amazing concept and images to create a sum even better than the individual parts.
April 16, 2009
In a time when we live our media lives huddled around web browsers and staring at our phones, what is the relevance of broadcast radio to marketers?
April 14, 2009
For its WaMu rebranding campaign in Calfornia, JPMorgan Chase was looking for a tidal wave of optimism; with an "Instant Karma!" cover, they got it, care of Peter Murphy, Bauhaus' "godfather of goth."
April 14, 2009
Hasidic musicians, once part of a booming industry, are now finding two of their last stable revenue streams -- live music and brand sponsorships -- threatened by conservative religious leaders, according to a piece in Haaretz today.
April 10, 2009
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. It's everything; your brand, your customers, your fans and your die-hards depend on it. If it's weakened, your competitors will prey on it.
April 09, 2009
Chilli, formerly of R&B group TLC, has had a difficult time getting off the ground as a solo performer, but L'Oreal and Coca-Cola's Dasani have picked her up as their spokeswoman in a campaign that will be shared by the two brands.
April 08, 2009
Al-Qaida and an affiliated group are dipping their toes into the rap game in a new recruitment video.
April 07, 2009
Polyester and lycra have never seemed all that rad to me, but apparently Cotton Inc. decided its chosen fabric needed to step up its game, and the brand sent its famous jingle to rock-star rehab. The industry organization has enlisted Miranda Lambert, Jazmine Sullivan and Zooey Deschanel to spin the song in TV ads, which began airing Sunday.
April 02, 2009
As the traditional record business continues to struggle and figure out how to fix itself, the role of brands in music continues to be debated. Why?
April 01, 2009
Visa's newest ad features the song "Super Freak" by Rick James, and I can't imagine what you were up to in the early '80s if you've gotten yourself worked up about this one. Nevertheless, it is fairly bizarre.
March 31, 2009
According to a new report by Heartbeats International, 76% of marketers said they're using music in their advertising, but only three out of 10 are spending more than 5% of their budgets on it.
March 30, 2009
We found other things to be offended by in Diet Coke's ad featuring Duffy -- okay, just one big thing -- but safety concerns had never crossed our minds. Now the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has reportedly taken issue with the depiction of the blond starlet riding her bike around with a helmet or reflectors. Seriously.
March 30, 2009
Here, via Boing Boing, is a testament to the grit of the jingle singers of yesteryear.
March 30, 2009
Ostensibly to promote his inclusion in Details' recent list of mavericks, Steve Stoute appeared on MSNBC last week to chat for a few minutes about how hip-hop has entered the mainstream and, of course, the future of Chris Brown's career.
March 25, 2009
Apparently, hip-hop producer/stylista Pharrell was starving one morning at an airport in Paris and decided to give the employees a song-and-dance routine to get them to open up shop for him.
March 24, 2009
If you're like me, you may be wondering how the hell Hootie frontdude Darius Rucker is currently reigning over the Hot Country Songs chart with the song "It Won't Be Like This For Long." Here's a good explanation: a Burger King ad from 2005, where he parodies the folk classic "Rock Candy Mountain" in an explicitly countrified fashion
March 20, 2009
Athleticwear company K-Swiss has, along with agency agency Perfect Fools, signed up a number of celebrities to tell stories, perform and otherwise be themselves for a new campaign centered around a microsite called K-Space.
March 18, 2009
Based on the fact that I'm a month behind on this hilariously baffling video remix, Quaker Oats must be pretty close to remaking it into an ad by now.
March 17, 2009
In 2006, the U.S. Border Patrol hired Elevacion, a boutique Hispanic shop in Washington, to craft a series of tunes describing the horrors of crossing the Mexican-American border, according to the Washington Post, who published a story about the campaign Sunday.
March 16, 2009
Sex shop Liberator has begun a monthly contest for aspiring songwriters called Liberator Music, and they're looking for material that conveys "intimacy and passion around love and relationships."
