Bands and touring musicians looking for sweet relief from their touring schedules may soon start dreaming about Sour Patch Kids.
A couple weeks ago, the Mondelez-owned candy brand opened up a house in Brooklyn where touring bands can recover from the rigors of the road. It's called the Brooklyn Patch, and according to Mondelez marketing director Farrah Bezner, the Patch represents a long-term investment in indie music culture.
"We wanted to be able to contribute," Ms. Bezner said, pointing out that the Patch is meant to start long-term relationships with indie music artists and their fans.
"You have to break culture to make culture," she added.
When one gets down to brass tacks, the overall goal is to drive awareness and regard for the Sour Patch Kids brand among a specific demographic.
"Our target consumer," Ms. Bezner said, "is teenagers."
The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house is in a historic landmark building on a quiet street in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn; Ms. Bezner asked that the address be kept private.
This is not Sour Patch Kids' first foray into music-related marketing. Back in 2011, campaign starring the rapper and actor Method Man and led by agency Mother, had a national run. Though Mother remains Sour Patch Kids' agency of record, it has nothing to do with the Patch.
The NUE Agency is serving as lead agency, while the Participation Agency handled its design and experiential elements.
"We want people to feel at home," Ms. Bezner said.
Quid Pro Quo
Nevertheless, there is a quid pro quo associated with staying at
the Patch. Artists who stay at the house are expected to create
some content that Sour Patch Kids can share across a number of
digital channels, which include a Brooklyn Patch-branded Tumblr as
well as the brand's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Ms.
Bezner said it is also exploring the possibility of adding further
amplification partners.
How much content depends on the duration of an artist's stay. "We have kind of a sliding scale," Ms. Bezner said.
An artist who stays in the house for a day or so will only be obligated to create a small number of social-media posts. In the event that an artist stays longer, the output is expected to be more substantial, though the type of content is up to the artist. It doesn't necessarily even need to be musical.
"This is not about us creating a Sour Patch Kids record," she said.