How Aligning With Musical Talent Creates An Authentic Connection To Consumers
Audrey Stiffle | 11.22.24
Here at First Tube, we have continually tapped into the strength of aligning musical talent and brands in order to create deeper connections with consumers. You may ask why this is so meaningful – read on to learn more about the power of an impactful partnership.
Music is inherently emotional, and when a brand partners with an artist, it seamlessly taps into that emotional currency. This collaboration allows brands to reach consumers in a deeper way that feels organic and authentic. In one study, The Social Neuroscience of Music: Understanding the Social Brain through Human Song, research shows that music fosters emotional connection and memories, increasing feelings of being socially bonded through togetherness by 37%. Emotional marketing also has a significant impact, with campaigns that evoke strong emotions driving four times the long-term brand equity and impact compared to those that don’t. Moreover, consumers who feel an emotional connection to a brand are 52% more valuable (Harvard Business Review), making music partnerships a strategic way to build lasting relationships and drive meaningful business outcomes.
To go one step further, artists can be viewed as brands themselves, with a unique voice and fandom. When paired with a traditional brand’s identity and values, the partnership can create a narrative that feels genuine. Let’s take a look at one of our campaigns for CBS’s hit show, Fire Country.
CBS Fire Country was faced with a challenge when launching Season 2 of the show as the Writers Guild of America strike delayed its premiere. How do you engage existing fans, attract new audiences, and maintain excitement around the new season when no new content exists? That’s where First Tube came in.
To address this challenge, we focused on an insight core to the show: the powerful role of music. Country music is deeply intertwined with the show’s rural firefighter theme, featuring artists like Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton, whose music elevates the emotional storytelling.
We created a unique two-part viewing experience, leveraging live performances and watch parties featuring Ashley Cooke, Wade Bowen, and Warren Zeiders. Instead of traditional commercials, we replaced ad breaks with live music performances, creating an immersive experience that kept fans engaged with the show’s essence. Across both experiences, we exceeded all KPI’s, reaching 98 million people consuming 1 million hours of watch party content.
Whether it’s through a campaign, a live performance, or branded content, these partnerships resonate because they feel less like marketing and more like a shared experience. Authenticity is key. Aligning on similar values – like sustainability, empowerment, or creativity – produces a connection between brand and audience, emphasizing the value of shared beliefs, not just consumerism. This in turn fosters loyalty and reaches new audiences for both the artist and the brand.
So why not step outside the traditional norms of advertising and build a unique partnership for your brand or artist that elevates your voice to the next level? To learn more, feel free to reach out to the team here at First Tube.The Social Neuroscience of Music. Greenberg, Decety, Gordon (2021), Harvard Business Review: The New Science of Customer Emotions, Neuro-Insight Power of Audio Post SST Survey
