Bono, lead singer of U2 and world social leader, might be the best marketing mind out there. This week he unveiled a digital music service, yet unnamed, which will serve to raise money for AIDS relief in Africa, and provide exclusive tracks from a star-studded rolodex of rock stars and up-and-coming bands. For a $5 monthly fee, users will receive three exclusive mp3’s each week, and other, more visual content that accompanies each track. Think of it as iTunes with a conscience.
Leveraging celebrity to create community seems to be Bono’s forte in the last few years, and it’s working. From a marketing standpoint, it follows along closely with Seth Godin’s Five Easy Pieces of effective marketing, by using a product in trying to create interaction and connection among customers. The end result being the creation of a community of what Godin calls, “A band of brothers” or a “tribe” of people who want to belong to a community, and use a product or a cause to rally behind. Really, what (Red) has created is a new Social Media Application.
Chided in the past for spending millions of dollars to raise a million dollars, (Red) has come up with a plan that puts real money into solutions for the AIDS epidemic. Plus, with artists already on board like Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello, as well as promises for “Crackerjack Surprises” each month with the service, even this music snob can wrap his arms around it. Plus, supporting the efforts to distribute more effective and available drugs to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa is a long overdue, and necessary venture.
-Ben
The music business is known for supporting causes with events like the Live Aid and Live Earth concerts, which generate lots of money and publicity for a relatively short time. But the nonprofit organization that arranges for companies to contribute a share of profits on certain products to fight AIDS in Africa, is starting a digital music service for that purpose, and it plans to operate for the long haul. The new venture has already arranged to release new songs from U2, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Emmylou Harris and Cab for Cutie.
Comment by Andria on July 5, 2008 at 2:38 am