According to marketer Jessica Jane Nel of the University of South Africa, “Musicians are cultural entrepreneurs, operating as human brands.” The goal of musicians is to gain brand recognition and develop themselves into positive brand identities over an extended period of time. This development requires more than merely mounting ad campaigns, which assist the process, but are not end-alls in the realization of this goal. This approach is known as “integrated marketing communications,” or IMC for short, and is a crucial component to the promotional aspect of the marketing mix. IMC is a consumer-centric system of identifying and understanding target consumers in order to establish messages that will create revenue and customer loyalty.
(Image courtesy of Seth Godin)
Brand Awareness
Author Seth Godin wrote a book, The Purple Cow , in which he puts forth the concept that there must be something in a brand that stands out in order for consumers to take notice and to begin desiring the brand’s products. In this book, Godin wrote: “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” And there is certainly no more busy a marketplace than the music industry. Being able to stand out is the first hurdle that needs to be jumped. Next, musicians need to persuade consumers to spend their time and money on the products offered. Potential buyers must first recognize that they have a need, and then realize that only a particular product and brand can satisfy that need. The primary goals of musicians are to capture the attention of audiences, and then to compel them to support specific music. This is most effectively accomplished by convincing consumers that their musical desires can only be met by the products provided by specific brands.
(Image courtesy of Philadelphia International Records)
Give the People What They Want
An integral part of IMC is to give the people what they want, as expressed in that old O’Jay’s song. Understanding consumers’ behavioral patterns, their demographics, their likes and dislikes, and the buyer personas of specific target audiences are all elements necessary in responding to this want. Such knowledge is needed to deliver the right message at the right time and in the right place, utilizing effective communication methods. The objective in this instance is to tap into the consumers decision-making processes, convincing them that they need to purchase a musician’s new album. They must also be persuaded to spend their money on that record, rather than on any of the competitors’ music available in the marketplace. It is important for artists to be able to quickly adapt to new trends and sounds, keeping up with what their audience wants, maintaining the ability to pivot marketing efforts swiftly and effectively.
Brand Loyalty
IMC creates a funnel of sorts, with consumers at the bottom becoming return customers and loyal advocates of the brand. Although it is different from a traditional marketing funnel, the intended results are the same: increased revenue and consumer advocacy. Mallory Willsea compares both methods in her article with mStoner writing, “IMC is a replacement for outdated marketing models and funnels. Think about it — there’s no mention of customers in the four P’s model (price, product, promotion, place). And funnel-based approaches miss the reality that the customer decision-making process is rarely linear.”
One group that uses IMC to create a loyal following is Radiohead. Over the last few decades, they have used marketing research, along with their creative uniqueness, to stay relevant. They have found a way to focus on their fan base without “selling out” to popular trends. According to Dave Kusek in his book, The Future of Music , “If and when musicians can define their niche, truly differentiate themselves, and find efficient ways to reach out to people who are interested in their uniqueness, they can be successful on much smaller volumes reaching far fewer people.” Focusing on their niche market is precisely what Radiohead initially intended to accomplish. Their fans became advocates, evangelizing their music to a broader audience. They maintained an image of loyalty to their fans throughout the years, which resulted in their mainstream notoriety and continued success over almost three decades. Recent strategies include giving their album, “In Rainbows,” to fans for free, and making their entire catalog available to stream, also free of charge, in January of 2020. It is no coincidence that they decided on the latter offering just days after Billboard announced they would factor YouTube streams into their chart rating system.
(Image courtesy of Radiohead via YouTube)
There are many ways musicians might use integrated marketing communications to promote their products and their brands. IMC is a method offering a great deal of depth, and is continually evolving within the many companies that choose to utilize it. Although the technique may be time-consuming, it is typical for the returns to far outweigh the effort extended to achieve them. No matter how in-depth the process, using integrated marketing communications will ensure that the content of the messages communicated to the world by a specific brand will align with, and assist in building, that brand’s identity. Using IMC in this manner will generally result in a product that consumers will want, will purchase, and will continue to support.
For more information on marketing in music, please visit my last post:
UTILIZING ONE-TO-ONE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS TO MARKET MUSIC