usic has a tendency to connect with people on various emotional levels eliciting a myriad of different responses. It is this effect that music has on us humans that make music artistes at-tractive to companies wishing to promote a

new product or pushing a new image. The trouble with this is that popular artistes or popular songs that connect with audiences may not be suitable for promotion of mainstream, family oriented products and companies.

Toeing the line is hard, as Pepsi found out the hard way when they had dropped popular US rapper Ludacris from their ad-vertising slate due to public backlash over the artiste’s musical content. This hasn’t stopped corporate Jamaica from looking over the fence but one artiste has done the opposite by step-ping over the storied fence and planting himself firmly before their eyes. The man in the spotlight is Onaje Bell.

Onaje is unique because where others have gained popular-ity then sought entry into corporate Jamaica; Onaje has done the complete opposite by focusing on making himself cor-porate friendly then using that as a springboard to promote himself. When asked about the wholesome image that he portrays, Onaje was candid. “Its not like I’m playing a role,

it is the role”, says the multitalented son of a former national footballer, “with the type of music that I am sell-ing, corporate is the way to go, the mar-keting relationship established through corporate endorse-ments boosts pres-ence and awareness on a national scale.”

A part-time teacher and budding en-trepreneur whose main product is himself has made a

name as a singer, choreographer, music video and TV com-mercial producer, Onaje’s first call to action was a campaign for multinational telecommunications giant, Claro. Onaje gained national exposure as the campaign gained traction and curiosity about the featured artiste piqued. Claro’s interest in the artiste came as a direct result of his focus on corporate Jamaica, a first for any artiste in the island.

In terms of one product that covers it all, Onaje has his sights set on an agency. “An advertising agency of sorts would be perfect for me as it covers most aspects of my work’, says the artiste, “from creative marketing ideas to production, I love to do it all”. While collaboration between corporate Jamaica and musicians has been constant and will no doubt continue, Onaje Bell has outlined the blueprint for another route to eventual success. A route that is infinitely closer to where the money really is.

Takes and Alternate Route to Successonaje bell

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With the type of music that I am sell-ing, corporate is the way to go, the market-ing relationship established through corporate endorsements boosts presence and awareness on a national scale.

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Who is left standing?Industry MusIcal chaIrs:

hough I had never had the urge to see a perfor-mance of Igor Stravinsky’s seminal ballet piece, “The Rites of Spring”, the little which I knew of it came to mind as I gave the cashier 3 bills to cover my first CD purchase in almost 3 years.

The ballet tells the story of a pagan ritual where a young girl is forced to dance herself to death, a sacrifice intended to appease the god of spring. The parallels between a prehis-toric council of men watching such a scene unfolding while lamenting their misfortune and modern record executives wringing their hands about the state of the industry is an easy one to draw.

Since the internet and its cohort, peer to peer sharing (P2P), allowed millions worldwide to access music at the click of a button, dwindling record sales have been a slow, dance of death watched keenly by executives who wait for a “dues ex machina” that will solve all of their problems. The music industry is now a conundrum of sorts, with ar-tistes reaching more people than their predecessors could have imagined yet they find it a lot harder to make money off this increased exposure. The word “harder” in the pre-vious sentence implies something that record executives don’t let on as much these days; money is being made it just takes quite a bit more work and ingenuity to do so.

“Sales of recorded music fell 6%, digital went up 50%, physical dropped 10% and concert ticket sales grew by 13%”. That excerpt was taken from a 2009 study by UK royalty collecting group, PRS for Music, which found that music industry revenue in the UK actually rose by 4.7% since 2006.

What this means is that it would be foolhardy to deny the impact that digital music has had on the industry but the industry is slowly evolving and adapting to the changing landscape. The aforementioned CD purchase and an un-mentioned concert ticket purchase stemmed from such a

change in the industry. Proliferation of free music may have stemmed the sales of CDs but it has by no means tem-pered the appreciation for music.

People aren’t hardwired to be criminals, if given an option to purchase music the easiest way possible they will, hence the projection that digital sales will surpass physical ones by 2014. Exposure gained from sharing proves invaluable as indicated by the 13% increase in concert revenues in the UK between 2006 and 2009. Then again, record execu-tives may have hard time coming to grips with the facts that their share of tour proceeds isn’t skewed towards their pockets.

Of course, the music industry seems intent on increasing the amount of love lost when they shut down pioneering file sharing service Napster at the turn of the century. Sev-eral countries have instituted restrictions on P2P sharing going so far as to impose a 3 strikes rule where violators are forced off the internet if found guilty of such infringe-ment. South Korea is one such country and digital music sales accounts for over half of music sales last year alone. Ignoring all the expected protests from millions worldwide, the industry might be on to something there.

Anti-establishment feelings towards industry heads are expected but they are just protecting their interests. The problem is that everyone except them sees how going with the flow and adapting to the changes can see the survival of the industry. But by the numbers published by their own bookkeepers, the industry seems to be righting itself de-spite the sky falling on executives’ heads. Apparently grip-ing and bellyaching works or maybe finding the common ground between people’s love for music and the need for profitability is what is necessary.

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The music industry is now a conundrum of sorts, with artistes reaching more people than their predecessors could have imagined yet they find it a lot harder to make money off this increased exposure.

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This week concludes his look at alternative marketing, how its uses are being applied today and more importantly how it can benefit businesses today.

DIGITAL OUT OF HOME ADVERTISINGDigital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising focuses on marketing to consumers ‘on the go’ in public places, in transit, waiting in line at banks, supermarkets, transport centers, restaurants and other locations where crowds gather. Digital signage is extremely cost effective and provides a high return on investment.

This is critical for the small business owner delivering timely and targeted marketing communications to a captive audience, with the goal of stimulating sales. his new marketing solution cap-tures customer attention by placing strategically positioned LCD screens in locations where people must be. Research done on digital signage advertising reveals this is a powerful medium that captures attention and influences purchase decisions.

DOOH has a record of increasing sales and improving productiv-ity. It gives businesses the flexibility to update marketing offers in real time while educating, entertaining and engaging customers.

DOOH is simple to use with low up-front investment. It dynami-cally targets and “narrowcasts” by demographic.

For example, in Jamaica a half page single insertion color ad in either of the two main newspapers costs upwards of $ JMD 100,000. For the same investment you can get advertising in choice locations targeting your demographic for several months. DOOH advertising offers free ‘ad changing’ as a way to encour-age advertisers to change their content frequently. Low cost and fast turn-around times are key benefits of digital advertis-ing. Digital billboards are particularly effective for businesses as an alternative to newspaper, TV, or radio advertising. Businesses now have affordable, and sophisticated targeted marketing tool available at a fraction of the cost.

SOcIAL MEDIA MARkETINGSocial media marketing is promoting your site or business through social media channels like Facebook, Mysapce, Twitter, and oth-ers. Which social media you use will depend on your product and your market demographic. You may consider using social media because:

- It’s natural. Your website gets expo-sure to large groups of people in a spon-taneous way. This differs from paid ad-vertising which has overt commercial overtones.

- It’s valid. Social communities are a great source of web traffic which can be easily controlled through stra-tegic marketing.

- It’s low-costing while generating high returns.

- It complements all your other advertising strategies.

HOW DOES SOcIAL MEDIA HELP YOU MAkE MONEY?Social media websites can be leveraged for links and lead to bet-ter search rankings. This in turn leads to more traffic and sales conversion. Social media has a remarkably low barrier of entry and everyone is invited to the conversation.

VIDEO MARkETING - BY WEBINARThis is one of the most profitable uses of new media. The video marketing method makes millions of dollars by employing a spe-cific psychology and a strategy that lowers resistance and skepti-cism. The first step is to build a mailing list. The list of people is invited to register for a webinar at which information with com-mercial value is given away … registration is FREE. You care-fully ensure that what you give away is SO USEFUL TO THOSE WHO RECEIVE IT THAT THEY FEEL GRATEFUL … the usual skepticism to your sales pitch subsides. No sale can be made in the presence of skepticism, and this format breaks it down! In fact a reciprocal obligation results that’s finally leveraged after resistance evaporates and your offer is accompanied by bonuses. This is one of the most compelling and profitable uses of online digital media.

If you’d like to learn more about these low cost high impact uses of new media, and how you can use them to enhance your business you may contact me at dazan.iml@gmail.com or TEXT “new media” to 574-2444.

On NEW MEDIA Marketing! Part 2how to capItalIze

Dominic Azan

by Dominic Azan

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