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If Facebook was a country it would be as
big as Brazil. With more than 200 million
unique visitors a month, Facebook is theunchallenged giant on the social networkstage. Adding the 125 million monthly
Myspace users and the eight million monthly
users of Twitter, we understand why this new
online continent is of the highest priority forbrands and marketers. The question is how
you get in when traditional advertising is notdoing the job?
Social media services connect people. They
facilitate interaction between people andoffer new forms of engaging in conversations
with more people than ever imagined. Socialnetworking is built up around three elements;
the ability to socialize in an interactive
environment, to engage in conversations
that span almost the entire globe and newforms of expressing identity on a much larger
stage.

The same elements also make up thetraditional cornerstones of music andmusic listening. Music is and has always
been a socialization tool. Music stirs up
conversation. Psychological research also
tells us that music works as a social marker"UUIFTBNFUJNFQFPQMFBSFTQFOEJOH for individuals. Something that lets us define
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But music also drives social media. A survey
from Entertainment Media Research shows

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that 53% of users actively surf social
networking sites to find music, while another
39% have embedded music in their personal
profiles.

Recordings to create Tag Records shows usthat a strategic approach on music can andwill work.

A study by JP Morgan released earlier thisyear shows that sharing and searching for
new music is one of the major reasons (aftermeeting, finding and talking with friends)
why people spend time on these platforms.
As a result music applications are poppingup everywhere. Just take a look at Twitter.
Services such as Blip.fm, Twisten.fm and Wizz
are all focused on using Twitter to find, shareand listen to music.

Music branding, if done right, offers brands
a new way to catch customer attention, andcreate stronger emotional ties. By closely
linking a brand to a certain artist, service orgenre, brands can create positive and strong
brand associations. In the Bacardi/Groove
Armada case the company let the artist tell
the story of the brand through music. Thisway they caught the audiences’ attention,
engaged them in activity and connected tothem on a more emotional level

Without doubt music is a very important fuelin social media relations. But how can brands
benefit from this? People all over the world
are already talking. The question is how
brands can become part of the conversation.

Music and social networks fill the same basic
functions. Brands that connect to music
therefore have the opportunity to unlock
the true marketing potential on the social
network continent.

Music branding is about creating brandassociations and recognition in the mindof consumers. By connecting brands andbands, brands can reach target groups that
previously have been unavailable.

It lets the brand take part in the discussions
and get the attention that traditional
advertising could never do. And in the end,
if done right, it offers a way to turn target
groups from consumers to fans.

Successful music branding initiatives such as
Bacardi’s partnership with dance act Groove
Armada, Red Bull’s Academy and Proctor& Gamble’s joint venture with Def Jam+BLPC-VTFOTLZJTUIF$&0PG)FBSUCFBUT*OUFSOBUJPOBM XXXIFBSUCFBUTGN BCSBOETFOTF
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