Marketing to Teens via Music - Essay Example

Running Head: Marketing to Teens via Music Marketing to Teens via Music [Institute’s Marketing to Teens via Music Background Music, the food for soul, is a far-reaching global phenomenon free from demographic borders. Due to this effect of music, either in form of songs or jingles had been an integral part of marketing, especially for soda brands. Soda brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola had been associated with music for decades but recently music has become a major weapon in between these two competitors. Pepsi and Coca-Cola today have come a long way from just using catching jingles and songs in their ads and hiring pop stars as their spoke person. Today, these two organization are running a full fledge music campaign that is specially focused on the young consumers. Apart from hiring most successful pop stars as ambassadors, these organizations have also ventured in to partnership with organizations like Twitter, Amazon, Billboard (with Pepsi), Spotify, YouTube, I-tunes (with Coca Cola). Sponsoring talent hunt shows, signing deals with music labels to help launch new artist and brand albums are the major acts that took place in the recent years (Dyson, 2012). This newfound interest towards music to attract teens by these organization and their steps for achievement of these targets are the reason leading to analyses of this situation. Key Issues The key issues, this case write up tends to address is: Why use music as the means of marketing? What is the reason for teens being the targeted audience? What does the company plans to achieve through this marketing strategy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of brand association with new artists? What would be the consumer perspective on companies’ emphasis on using new music and artist in their ads? Analysis Long Term Results of Investing in Teen Market It is a general perception that believes that youngsters are our future, and thus proper investments should be made in them so that the society can have a bright and strong future. This notion is usually associated while planning budget and developing strategies for teens by the government. However, in recent times, it seems as if soda brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have adopted this strategy to make the future of their company brighter and stronger. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2008 “teenagers and young adults consume more sugar drinks than other age groups” (NCHS Data Brief, 2011), this data coupled with the soda brand estimated that “By 2020, one-third of the worlds population, or 2.5 billion people, will be younger than 18. And in the next 10 years, teens in the U.S. will number 31 million” (NCHS Data Brief, 2011). All of this factual data and estimation is enough for these soda brands to target teenagers as their main audience. Recently, Coca-Cola revealed its 2020 vision as per which the company aims to “increase its revenue to $200 billion and increase its serving to 3 billion by 2020”. All of these endeavours by these giant soda brands to target teens are to achieve its long-term strategic plans of success (Zmuda, 2011). These brands are aware that a habit developed in early teens will form the part of a person’s personality almost to the life of that individual. Therefore, if a teenager develops their soda brand as his habit than almost in 90% of the case, the company will be free from incurring marketing expense on that individual and his peers after they cross the threshold of 19 years. Therefore, these tactics of focusing teens as their target audience is actually a very long-term benefit bearing strategy, which will help these organizations to achieve their targets. Advantages and Disadvantages of Associating Brand with Emerging Musical Groups Associating the brand with top-notch individuals of sports, music, and movies who possess mass appeal and huge fan following had been the marketing strategy of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. This had always been a sure shot success formula. Even today, both the brands are at constant war to contract the most popular possible star as their brand representative. For Pepsi, it is Beyonce as their global brand ambassador than Coke has contracted Taylor Swift for its brand of Diet Coke. However, recently with the change in consumer culture, these two organizations have also changed their marketing strategy tactics (NCHS Data Brief, 2011). The horizon of their focus is much broader now. Apart from hiring the most successful pop star as brand ambassador, they are also associating themselves with emerging musical brands. Advantages This new strategy of marketing has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages. The main marketing advantage this approach brings to the brand is that supporting budding musical talent by associating the brand name with emerging musical groups will come out as a gesture of goodwill and giving back to the society. The consumer base loyalty for the brand will increase, as the consumer will feel proud that their soda brand is giving back to the society by supporting the young and emerging talent in the society. Another advantage is that the music industry is evolving; with such huge investments, these brands almost have control over the success of a music artist. Associating the brand with a musical group with a high potential of success will make the soda brand a key partner in the success story of that musical group (NCHS Data Brief, 2011). Ultimately, in a consumer mind, musical group will always be associated with that particular soda brand thus resulting in a long-term marketing tool. Collaboration with mediums like social media websites to promote songs and jingles by new artists and influencing the consumers to interact and play their part in these campaigns is very advantageous, as these steps make the soda brand not just a brand of carbonated sweet beverage but also a part of a consumer life, an element of his life moments. Disadvantages The major disadvantage associated with the use of this strategy to emphasize on using new talent in ads is that consumer interaction is a major reason for the success of this strategy. Elimination of the element of consumer interaction with the brand will result in this marketing plan being not very fruitful. Enchasing the association with an emerging musical group is a long-term plan and is a very risky venture in regards of short term and immediate benefits because sometimes a musical group is an immediate hit and sometimes it needs time for its fan base to grow. This aspect can work as a disadvantage for the company especially if the company wishes to have positive results immediately. Another disadvantage would be that ardent fans of famous music stars might not be all time willing to give chance to new and emerging talent. On basis of personal opinion, this is a good marketing strategy. Primarily because it is beneficial not only to the multi-nation organization like Coca-Cola and Pepsi but also to the society as it supports the society by encouraging and motivating the musical talent of the society. It provides the young musicians to dream for a better future and associate their soda brand as a means of achieving that bright future (Hampp, 2012). As teens are the targeted audience for these companies, it is a well-known fact that teens are always open and welcoming to new and better changes in their passion for music and very rarely rejects any talented musical artist or group. This makes the chance of failure minimal if the music and the artist are good. Consumer Perspective on Using Emerging Music Talent The recent marketing technique of brand like Coca-Cola and Pepsi is their emphasis on using emerging music artist in their ad campaigns. A consumer on a superficial level might believe that these organizations are pursuing this strategy because these new music bands and artists are more budget friendly than the artist that are already a brand in themselves. However, a closer look in to the details of these companies strategy for this marketing concept will remove this miscomprehension of the consumer. According to the annual filling of Coca-Cola financial statements with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission, Coca Cola spent “$ 2.9 billion on global advertisement expense in 2010 that was a 4.5% increase from 2009” (Zmuda, 2011). According to the research firm IEG, “Coca-Cola and Pepsi spent $ 240 and $ 330 million on sports and entertainment programs sponsorship” (Hampp, 2012). The provided financial data is enough for consumers to realize that the amount of money these companies are injecting in boosting new talent is no cost saving strategy. Therefore, a consumer will have to analyze this marketing strategy in a different light, in an emotional light. Inspection of this strategy in an emotional aspect would reveal that this marketing strategy is actually a way for these organizations to connect with the feelings of its consumers. For brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, established decades ago, advertisements are not the means to create brand awareness but the means to strength brand loyalty. Coca-Cola campaigns like song “Can You Feel it” which features Coca-Cola signature 5 note melody by an emerging UK band “One Night Only” is one of the examples interacting with consumers where the youngsters can upload their video enjoying coke if they want themselves to be a part of interactive video of the song. Coca-Cola collaborated with Taio Cruz who will work with various artists based on the selection of teens on various markets sponsoring music talent hunt shows such as American Idol by Coke and X-Factor by Pepsi, where audience votes are one of the major methods to select the winner. These are all examples of boosting the emerging talent while connecting with the consumers of the soda (Hampp, 2012). These consumer interactive strategies to boost emerging talent evoke the feeling of brand ownership and loyalty in the consumer. Using new talent provides the product consumer with the feeling of pride for its brand for providing platform to new talent. All in all, this marketing strategy is another great way for the soda brands to build goodwill in its consumer base and make a consumer feel proud of his favorite soda. Conclusion These soda brand companies are moving in the right direction in regards of their marketing strategy for their targeted audience, the teens. Music indeed is the passion of teens and of the best medium to convey any message or grab attention of the teens. The companies being a business concern are making these modern marketing efforts to achieve their basic aim of brand leadership and profitability. However, the companies should not completely ignore the ethical and social responsibilities associated with them in this race to achieve their aim. Companies are very right to market their soda brand as a style statement and make their product a part of happy moments of its consumer’s life. Nevertheless, their marketing campaigns should be free from misleading concepts that convey the message that drinking soda can make you happy or a soda can become the reason for its consumer happiness and contentment in life. A sweetened carbonated beverage is an unhealthy drink and should in no way be promoted contrary to it. References Dyson, S. (2012). “Cola Brands Rearm with Music.” WIPO Magazine. Retrieved on March 09, 2013: www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2012/05/article_0007.html Hampp, A. (2012). “The Cola Wars: How Pepsi and Coke Are Battling In the Music Space.” Billboard Biz. Retrieved on March 09, 2013: http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/branding/1097416/the-cola-wars-how-pepsi-and-coke-are-battling-in-the-music-space. NCHS Data Brief. (2011). “Consumption of Sugar Drinks in the United States, 2005–2008.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on March 09, 2013: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db71.htm. Zmuda, N. (2011). “Coca-Cola Launches Global Music Effort to Connect With Teens.” Ad Age Global. Retrieved on March 09, 2013: http://adage.com/article/global-news/coca-cola-launches-global-music-effort-connect-teens/149204/ Read More