Twitter – Devan's Blog

RE: Marketing Albums in the Digital Age

The marketing blog of Kelsey Ingham has perfectly highlighted the struggles musical artists today are having with regards to engaging fans. No longer can artists, and their promoters build up promotions through print media, and network ads. The advancement of the internet, and the ability to share audio and video across multiple platforms has created a black market for the entertainment industry.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media websites are used to create a vibe prior to the release of media, or productions. Reaching thousands or even millions or people, information can be sent instantly, and promotions can be launched across the world while reducing marketing costs.

As Kelsey notes, there have been many promotions that have failed to engage fans, and end up having virtually no effect. Promotions either are too time consuming, or ineffective in terms of creating a loyal following. Fans nowadays wait online for the release of an album instead of waiting outside their local CD store. Artists release single tracks, or previews albums, but the most popular submissions are cover photos of the albums.

The music industry may now be the most competitive for marketers. Fans and consumers must be enticed to purchase the album through Itunes or other platforms. Costing more than $1 per song, technologically savvy consumers would much rather illegally download their media, and this is the fight that the media industry has undertaken.

Exploiting a Day of Remembrance

Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11. A day of tragedy that will forever be remembered. Until this year, AT&T posted an advertisement of one of their phones capturing a picture of where the towers once stood. Played off as a tribute to the events that occurred, AT&T ultimately used this occasion to reach their potential consumers.

There are so many opportunities for these companies to display advertisements, such as the Super Bowl or on the bus; however, events such as 9/11 should be untouchable. Marketers across the globe must understand the boundaries of exploiting such tragedies, or even particular holidays.

Outrage from the post on Twitter was instantaneous, and AT&T was forced to remove the tweet. The horribly timed tweet may, and should translate to consumers changing their perceptions about the company. Albeit a small act, this is just one example of how companies and their marketing departments must collaborate in order to establish a code of ethics.

The entire idea of companies aiming to maximize profit is in some way related. AT&T and others look to establish long-term relationships with their consumers, and without their consumers being satisfied it is easy for them to turn to other competitors, particularly in highly saturated markets like telecommunication.

Ultimately, there is a time and a place for everything. Rather than trying to exploit the emotions of people on an anniversary of a tragedy, company’s should truly post a tribute. Monday night football or Thursday night commercials are the place and time to place advertisements. Company’s must respect their consumers before their consumers will respect them.