Brands need a “music strategy at heart” to be successful when teaming with artists says Spotify’s head of branded experiences Jack Milligan
Brands looking to team up with bands and artists need a “music strategy at heart” according to Jack Milligan, head of branded experiences at music streaming site Spotify.
Brands need a “music strategy at heart” to be successful when teaming with artists
Speaking on a panel at Advertising Week Europe, Milligan said that in order for brands to approach a tie-up within the music industry they should have a strategy employed in the long term as opposed to a one-off collaboration. “Brands need to do something that continues so they can get so much more out of it,” he said. “The more the artist gets behind it the more engagement you see.”
Charles Fitzgerald, head of artist partnerships at record label PIAS, who also spoke on the panel, agreed, adding that old brand/artist relationships were previously seen as an “easy route” in, simply bringing an artist on board to endorse the brand. “A strategy is so much more important and coming up with creative, 360 ideas around that strategy. The audience can see though it when it’s not authentic.”
He added that it’s not just about “plastering a face” on a brand and that brands should use the opportunities around live tours to interact with fans and capture data.
When asked if the end of ad supported free content is nigh, Chris Maples VP Europe Spotify, who chaired the event, vehemently disagreed and said that he doesn't see the business model changing.
“The reason that Spotify exists is because of the enormous impact that music piracy had. Since we launched in Sweden music piracy has declined by over 25 per cent.” He said, before adding: “The free model is front and centre of what we do. The free mobile service that we launched in December has had an enormous impact on our customers”.