The recent Arcade Fire and Google marketing campaign uses a strategy that they called “open source experimentation,” which uses the demand for Arcade Fire’s new track and album, “Reflektor” by engaging the user through interactivity using their mobile device throughout the video. Google employees are known to be a big fan of AF and as their new album has been recently released, the timing of their marketing partnership was perfectly planned out.
What I love about marketing is that the sky is the limit in terms of potential. Aside from Google being a big name corporation, they do a good job in maintaining the brand image and the perspective of unique and tech-savviness in their marketing; from the small things like changing the Google graphic on the homepage to above-the-line promotions. The same can be said for AF as their differentiation comes from their art and indie-induced consumer perspective. According to the Globe and Mail, much of the idea of this campaign was established by the band itself, which is why the genuine vibe and the uniqueness is still very evident. I think some of the most effective ways of promotional marketing has been through partnerships; it brings in a bigger loyal customer base, draws in a bigger reach in attention, expands the associations of the product, and in this case is able to combine the perks of technology with music.
Although market research would show that the common citizen in North America is likely to listen to ‘popular music’ or what is classified as the Top-40s, the fact that Google associated themselves with a personal preference rather than one that adheres to the public shows their genuine personality even as a large scale business.
