If Black Eyed Peas band member will, larn weren't in music, "He'd be the best ad executive on Madison Avenue," says Randy Phillips. president and CEO of the concert promoter AEG Live. "I've never seen anyone more astute at dealing With sponsors' and companies' needs and understanding their brands. " The Black Eyed Peas have been able to move beyond their status as a high-energy band into the world of corporate sponsorship without missing a beat
Marketers love the Black Eyed Peas for the diverse ethnicity of the bands members, writes the Walt Street Journal. The band's corporate backers include Coors, Levis. Honda. Apple, Verizon, and Pepsi. The advertisement featuring the groupx song "Hey Mama" and dancing silhouettes that was used to help launch Apple's iTunes store gained almost iconic status.
What makes this group of musi.aans such an effective set of spokespeople? Part of the appeal is the groupS global fan base and the Peas' fetching party anthems, with powerful dance beats, crazy special effects, and repetitive hooks that are integrated into numerous party mixes. As one critic noted, the band achieves the nearly impossible—making both kids and their parents feel cool at the same time.
Beyond the glitz and glitter of the shows, the group gives careful thought to rts marketing. Oftentimes, will.iam pitches concepts to corporate sponsors himself, using "decks" that sum up the Peas' package, frequently in PowerPoint form. He reports, "l consider us a brand. A brand always has stylized decks, from colors to fonts Heref our demographic. Here's the reach. Here' the potential. HereS how the consumer will benefit from the collaboratjon-"
There was a time when rock and roll was nearly synonymous with rebellion. Bands with corporate tics would be viewed as sellouts. For some companies, such a move would seem too risky, especially if the band' fans felt betrayed. Over the years, music has become less threatening, as Baby Boomers near retirement age.
The economics of music have also changed. Downloading and prating CDs is commonplace. Bands can no longer count on record sales to make money. Many younger bands now look for othersources of income and publicity. The Peas were among the fastest learners of the industryS new math. Even now. however, the band hears complaints that they are merely shills. "You have to take the criticism, and sometimes it hurts a lot," says band member Stacy Ferguson, who is also known as Fergie.
Currently, many top-name musicians and groups have corporate sponsors. Cooperative advertisements promote the brand, the band. and often a tour. The Rolling Stones began the movement when the groupS "Tattoo You" tour was sponsored by Jovan Musk cologne. Even groups that at first resolutely avoided corporate tieins, such as 112, have changed. 1.12 developed a relationship with Apple that included commercials featunng the song "Vertigo. " The band helped with BlackSerry commercials and had a sponsored our W'th the brand.
The Bleck Eyed Peas continues to expand its corporate connections„ A concert in Times Square that promoted Samsung's new line Of 3-D televisions led to a meeting With Avatar director James Cameron, who agreed to direct a feature film about the Peas. The 3-D film incorporates concerts, travel footage, and narrative themes about technology, dreams, and the brain.
According to will.i am, all Corporate partnerships are equally important. The band lends its musc at relativety small charges in exchange for exposure. "It wasn't. about the check," says former manager Seth Friedman.
The efforts have paid off The Black Eyed Peas have performed at an NFL season-kickoff show, New Year's Eve in Times Square, the Grammys, Victoria's Secret fashion show, and the season opener for the Oprah Winfrey Show, for which they summoned a flash mob of synchronzed dancers to downtown Chicago. As will.i_am puts it, "l get the credit from the brands They know. I used to work with the marketing people and the agencies, now I work with the CEOs Of these companies."
Question: What types Of brands or products are best suited to endorsements by the Eyed Peas? By rock bands in general? What about country music artists? What about hiphop artists ?