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Entertainment Marketing: Movies, TV, Music and Gaming Technology Ministry of Sound

Brand partners key to Ministry of Sound's growth says new brand and events head Andrew Akuffo

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

January 30, 2017 | 3 min read

Ministry of Sound is on a commercial rush to recruit brand partners to help bolster its image in the eyes of younger listeners that perhaps might not know about the iconic club’s deep-rooted ties to dance music.

Ministry of Sound

Ministry of Sound

The legacy brand has been around since 1991, generations of dance lovers have passed through its gates, but is pursuing a new growth strategy following the sale of Ministry of Sound Recordings to Sony Music last year.

To do so, it has hired Andrew Akuffo to the newly created position of brand and events director, where he is taking the necessary steps to initiate commercial investment but only with relevant brands.

On its hunt for relevant brand input, Akuffo said: “The next big focus is brand partners, only through a lens where we are adding value for the listeners and the brands. It’s great coming into a company where the brands want to talk to us.

Following the sale of its iconic label and producer of its respected compilation albums to Sony Music UK amid annually declining CD sales, Ministry of Sound continues to operate under the same name, fresh off the back of a rebrand in 2016 aimed at refreshing the company's core appeal to a new audience. Furthermore, Akuffo told The Drum he is intent on re-establishing Ministry of Sound as a leading voice in the industry.

Now, displaced but not entirely disparate from the record label, the focus is on the 400 events running outside of the Elephant and Castle-based Ministry of Sound club. Akuffo underlined an upcoming 'Rave Ship' on the Mediterranean and a slew of unique opportunities in the Balkans where “there’s a strong fanaticism around dance”.

"It’s an exciting time to be at Ministry of Sound. Twenty-five years is a long time to be at the top of your game and it’s now my job to help ensure the continued success of the brand by pushing boundaries and offering our partners the best experiences and stories to tell. We will keep creating the moments that our audience truly lives for.”

Entertainment Marketing: Movies, TV, Music and Gaming Technology Ministry of Sound

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