I just spent a jam-packed 24 hours in Chicago attending Billboard’s Music and Advertising conference, which Billboard fortuitously timed to coincide with the announcement of Topspin’s Sponsored Spin program. Favorite anecdotes from my day in Chicago were Zac Brown and Ram truck discussing their Letters for Lyrics campaign whereby Zac sends a free CD to anyone who writes a letter to an American soldier serving overseas and David Banner telling musicians in the audience how God spoke to him and told him “Wherever there is sound, there is money.” All of this was music to my ears and I thank Billboard for providing me with an excellent springboard from which to launch Topspin for Brands.
On the eve of the conference, we launched the first phase of MAZDA2 Presents Mayer Hawthorne with an email for media widget.
The e4m is a perfect marketing tool for brands and bands alike as it helps build an email list of interested consumers who have opted in to hear from both the brand and the band. Brands can utilize the metrics available in Topspin’s dashboard (e.g. geolocation of fan, identification of fans’ Twitter and Facebook names as well as number of followers/friends, and insight into the specific offers to which fans responded) to devise targeted, compelling marketing messages. Stay tuned for a series of Topspin-powered streaming videos to come from MAZDA2 Presents Mayer Hawthorne over the next 2 months as Mayer tours the US with MAZDA2.
We have also launched a Hint Water-branded streaming player on Comcast.com, in conjunction with Topspin artists: The Static Jacks, Theft, Jennifer Knapp, Anberlin, Garrison Starr, and John Carpenter.
Among the benefits of utilizing Topspin tools to create online ad campaigns are the viral nature of our widgets (as fans are able to easily share the widgets on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and the extended reach of our widgets that are embedded in our partner sites, such as Comcast. As I hit the road to educate the ad agency world about the unprecedented opportunity for brand engagement and consumer interaction that Topspin can bring to their campaigns, I am also speaking with the biggest music discovery sites about including our branded widgets in their well-trafficked sites.
BC Powder’s sponsorship of the Trace Adkins tour incorporated the inclusion of cards containing promo codes in the packages of their headache powders (the best hangover cure ever, I am told). Topspin built a promo code redemption widget that BC Powder embedded in their website, enabling consumers to download Trace Adkins “Shake It Up” for free. A little gift from Trace and BC Powder, tying offline and online promotions.
Topspin also offers branding in our check out flow: valuable real estate reaching consumers at the point of purchase. We adapted our purchase flow to make the Paul McCartney Good Evening, New York album available exclusively to American Express cardholders for the first two weeks after its release.
Topspin for Brands is open for business. Use our tools or let us build a campaign for you. Details about our integrated sponsorship packages can be found here: Topspin Sponsorship Package (PDF). Contact me, jdalessandro at topspinmedia dot com, for more details.
Jan D’Alessandro
Topspin
“David Banner telling musicians in the audience how God spoke to him and told him “Wherever there is sound, there is money.”
To me, that sounds straight up crazy.
And quoting him makes you guys sound crazy too.
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Pleasure working with you guys on this – many more deals to come! http://comcastdigital.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/digital-music-and-marketing/