There have been more stages with live music this year than I’ve seen in recent years.
It’s a trend I’m delighted to see more and more at trade shows, conventions and other live events.
The importance of music in marketing is something people tend to forget about. It has the power to move an audience in ways other communicative media simply can’t.
The music fallacy
I grew up playing music in bands with my brothers. When we were young, we invested a lot of money in amplifiers, turntables and the biggest speakers.
I know my kids and their friends have never heard a complete album or playlist on high-fidelity speakers. Millennials experience most music through earbuds.
Because of this, marketers seem to believe that music has become a playlist relegated to the background. However, it represents a huge opportunity in the live event space.
Instead Nielsen found that 91 percent of the U.S. population spends more than 24 hours per week listening to music.
There are certainly leaders in various industries who recognize the power of music and use it in commercials and campaigns to convey their messages.
(Remember those awesome iPod silhouette commercials?)
Most industries, however, aren’t using music as effectively as they could. Some businesses do consider it briefly, defaulting to whatever’s popular at the moment.
Is that really how you want your brand to be known, as a one-hit wonder?
Make it personal
I’m a person who deeply cares about guest experiences. I think about live events holistically, not just as a podium, microphone, PowerPoint or arrangement of chairs.
All event marketers are in a great position to craft a memorable live experience by using music to take their guests and customers on an emotional journey. Whether it’s folk, country, rock, hip-hop or EDM, music can help tell your story, and that can be deeply enriching for a brand.
As an example, my youngest daughter was recently listening to a recent movie soundtrack, and she fell in love with a bunch of classic songs I thought she’d never discover. For her, the music speaks to the spirit and adventure that summer is all about.
We saw the same thing with the movie, “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The movie featured classics like “O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps, and “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone. Those songs are a running theme throughout the movie and irrefutably contributed to its success.
From a corporate standpoint, my company just finished working with a great composer namedf Darren Fung. He scored the soundtrack for a visitor center we’re working on in Banff National Park. It’s emotional and transformative, but most important, it takes guests on an epic journey.
Using music to your advantage
Write down 10 songs that reflect your brand’s image and gather a group of employees to do the same. Brainstorm the crossovers, and you’ll quickly find a whole new world of ways to get your brand message across beyond tweets, blog posts and Instagram photos.
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Find your theme, beat or dance groove to build your company soundtrack.
Don’t just download some session music and slap it on your next live event, commercial or campaign. It sounds generic, and it takes away the emotional connection that can be so powerful for your audience.
TV networks, movie production studios and companies as diverse as Intel and Farmers Insurance have signature melodies or notes we associate with them. That’s not by accident.
Music is one of the most important branding experiences you can create. As you plan your next campaign or event, think about how music might work in marketing your brand.
Eddie Newquist is the chief creative officer at Global Experience Specialists. A version of this article first appeared on Spin Sucks.
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