Harmonic AWE panel explores band and brand partnerships

During Advertising Week Europe, Propeller assisted with the PR for a panel discussion chaired by Mike Mathieson, CEO of specialist entertainment marketing company Harmonic, on the role brand partnerships increasingly play within the music industry.

Propeller arranged for the talk panellists to be interviewed prior to the session by Brand Republic, Newsroom Daily, YouTube and Shots Magazine amongst others.

Jamal Edwards, CEO of SB.TV, who was due to accept an MBE at Buckingham Palace the following day provided valuable insights into the relationship between brands and the music industry today, particularly for the latest generation of artists. He said that in order for a brand to be successfully received by his viewers, it needs to be seen as part of the performer’s lifestyle.

Mike Mathieson’s company Harmonic helped create the Advertising Week Europe Microsoft wrap party featuring Rudimental and also arranged for the band to perform a ‘gig in the sky’ for Virgin Atlantic. He discussed with the panel how the music industry has undergone radical transformation as consumption models have shifted through the decline of physical and digital sales and the rise of streamed and subscription models. The talk explored how brands are percolating every element of the music industry to create greater saliency, credibility and reach. In 2014 the music industry passed the £100M mark of brand investment in music.

All signs seem to point to ever-greater collaborations between bands and brands in the coming years.

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