Harmonize branding and performance: Leverage marketing to amplify concert impact

In the realm of concert experiences, few have achieved the iconic status of Taylor Swift's Eras tour. With millions in virtual queues, crashing ticketing servers, and billions in revenue, the tour has set mind-boggling benchmarks. While Taylor's music, on-stage presence, and scintillating productions are noteworthy, the tour's success is also a result of comprehensive branding and marketing efforts that have captivated audiences worldwide.

This article explores how brand building and marketing can elevate concert experiences, maximize reach, foster audience connection, and amplify impact.

Concert marketers devising strategies must tackle the constantly evolving consumer preferences and digital platforms landscape. A guiding framework for designing effective strategies can help marketers navigate these challenges. In this article, we explore one such framework.

This proprietary framework is grounded in ease of understanding, implementation, and measurement. We begin by working on a content strategy integrated with cohesive storytelling, deployed through distribution channels, and amplified through advertising and impactful collaborations to achieve goals such as creating awareness, building engagement, or selling concert tickets or merchandise.

Now, let us study each of these components in detail.

Content

Crafting a compelling content strategy is foundational to engaging audiences and communities. A content strategy is a combination of three components:

Identity
Tailoring content to reflect the essence of the music and artist being showcased is paramount. This can vary widely from a rock band to a classical virtuoso. Marketers must canvas their content with distinct personality, attributes, and tones derived from the central identity. A good example is Nucleya, a popular Indian DJ, who uses his Instagram handle to showcase his energetic style, reflecting his musical identity.

Formats
Experimentation is key. From Instagram stories to YouTube shorts, experiments allow marketers to study each format’s effectiveness and optimize content plans. By analyzing key metrics such as reach, impressions, engagement, and clicks, marketers can continuously refine their approach and maximize their content’s impact. A great case study is Indian music composer and singer Prateek Kuhad’s YouTube channel.

Funnelling
All content needs to fit into the marketing funnel of awareness, engagement, and conversion. Marketers must position their content elements across this funnel, with each piece having a clear goal, such as making people aware of the concert, engaging them with interesting details, or convincing them to buy tickets.

This approach helps marketers determine specific goals for each content piece and align them with consumer journeys effectively.

Storytelling

Storytelling is the glue that binds disparate content elements into a cohesive narrative. Marketers building a content strategy must understand effective storytelling techniques and weave a compelling tale that resonates with audiences. Resources such as "Building a Story Brand" by Donald Miller and "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath offer valuable insights into storytelling techniques.

Distribution

Identifying the most effective distribution channels is essential for maximizing reach and engagement. Concert marketers must strategically leverage platforms that offer geographical and cultural relevance to their target demographic.

Digital
Platforms like Instagram and YouTube offer unparalleled opportunities for engaging with music enthusiasts and growing communities. Marketers should identify the channels that offer the best cultural connection with intended audiences and build distribution on those channels. Social media management tools like SproutSocial or social analytics platforms like Social Blade can help identify ideal channels, analyze distribution data, and optimize campaigns around core metrics.

Non-digital
According to Dentsu’s Digital Advertising Report 2024, Indian advertisers spent approximately Rs 22,644 crores, or 24.3% of their 2023 advertising spends, on print, radio, OOH, and cinema. Given these numbers, marketers must not overlook the potential of non-digital mediums. However, since these mediums operate at the intersection of distribution and advertising, we shall discuss them in the next section.

Advertising

Effective advertising serves as a catalyst for expanding audience reach, reinforcing brand awareness, and driving ticket sales. Marketers must navigate the complexities of the advertising landscape.

Digital advertising
Digital advertising, or performance marketing, mainly encompasses paid social and digital media campaigns. Performance campaigns work only when marketers are proficient in key aspects such as setting up ad campaigns, defining audience targeting, testing multiple ad creatives and copy options, and optimizing campaigns to achieve desired results without overspending. Numerous well-structured Udemy courses can help marketers acquire these skills.

Traditional advertising
Traditional advertising, including television, print, radio, and OOH, still works effectively in certain demographics and markets, such as semi-urban centers or tier 2 and 3 cities. Radio and ambient advertising, such as brand kiosks in high-footfall locations, are highly effective due to the inherent localization they offer. However, traditional channels, when deployed strategically, can complement digital efforts and enhance overall brand visibility.

Collaborations

Collaborations with influencers, brands, and media outlets are a great way to amplify visibility and drive commercial success. Numerous artist management firms and music labels have used such collaborations to build massive concert experiences. Concert organizers can explore strategic partnerships that align with their objectives and resonate with their target audience.

Influencer integration
Leveraging influencer marketing can significantly extend the reach and impact of a campaign. It is critical to identify influencers whose demographics and interests align with the event’s target audience. Popular influencer marketing and intelligence platforms like HypeAuditor or CreatorIQ can help build and execute successful influencer campaigns.

Brand sponsorships
Strategic partnerships with brands offer opportunities for mutual benefit, with sponsors providing financial support in exchange for brand presence within marketing collateral and venue branding. Partner brands also help extend core communication to their own audiences, giving additional thrust to the marketer’s efforts.

As mentioned at the beginning, bringing these individual components together is crucial. Focused content creation and powerful storytelling, deployed through strategic distribution, advertising innovation, and collaborative partnerships, will help concert organizers and marketers achieve their end goals.

In conclusion, branding and marketing initiatives represent a solid opportunity for amplifying the reach and impact of concert experiences. A guiding framework like the one suggested above can make the job easier, if not completely straightforward.

(Our guest author is Nikhil Soni, Group Manager, Shiv Nadar Foundation and HCL)