There was a time not long ago when “thinking globally” was boardroom gospel. Every marketing idea was an overarching, 30,000-foot strategy designed to attract attention to the world over. But the times have changed (again). Now, instead of setting global strategies that activate locally, the marketing world has identified a clear customer desire for brands to design local strategies that resonate globally.The Gucci store in Soho is a great example. It stocks items exclusively available at this location, all designed by Alessandro Michela, the Creative Director of Gucci responsible for catapulting the brand back to greatness. Alessandro worked at Gucci for nearly 12 years before landing the CD position when the current CEO, Marco Bizzari, arrived in 2015.The way the Wooster St. store is merchandised is brilliant. The hyper-local experience is buoyed by sales associates and management all sporting outfits unique to this location. It takes the “one of one” concept and extends it to the store itself. Purchases here are discrete and completely of an “Empire State of mind,” letting you express your personal brand...while keeping it Gucci.Another prime example of local brand affinity is the craft beer sector. Local brews have become a badge of personal branding honor, unparalleled in most mass market segments. This exemplifies the consumer behavior of buying something that is exclusive to you based on location and authenticity. Whether it’s your hometown or a destination you visit in order to connect with the product, it’s not just about the beer anymore; it’s about being part of the culture of that beer.Make no mistake: the desire for exclusive, hard-to-get items is almost innate. Every schoolkid in history has wished their pair of Jordans was the only one. But the ideology is moving beyond the playground and into the minds of mass-market consumers and corporations alike. As music and culture marketers, we have long understood the ethos of people defining themselves by the artists they listen to, the shows they attend, and the concert tees they wear. Its migration to mainstream purchase considerations is a marketing revolution.
BEATS
Sonic Boom: Why More Brands Are Composing Musical Branding Strategies Once the exclusive domain of major corporations, sonic brand identities today are seeing growing interest as digital media's reach continues to expand. (Marketing Dive)
Coachella 2019 Review: A Festival Built for YouTube Highlights included an audacious set from Childish Gambino, Billie Eilish’s refreshing weirdness, the pop dominance of Ariana Grande, and more. (Pitchfork)
Saturday Night Live Ratings Hit an All-Time Low Following BTS Performance The hashtag #BTSxSNL was trending all Saturday in anticipation of the performance. Despite that, it didn’t translate to record-busting ratings, raising more questions about K-pop’s broader appeal in the U.S. (Digital Music News)
Universal Close To Generating $10M Per Day From Streaming Universal Music Group’s recorded music operation turned over €1.208bn ($1.37bn) in the first three months of 2019 – up 19.2% year-on-year at constant currency. (Music Buisness Worldwide)
The Musical Genre is Dead, Gen Z Killed it The rise of streaming services and Gen Z acts like Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish are heralding the end of emo, rap, and country as we know them. And bringing in something better. (Vice)
iHeartMedia’s IPO May Reveal The Future Of Music Radio iHeartMedia is about to file an IPO that’s meant to pay down its massive debt but could show what the future of music radio in the United States is going to be. The company, which is the largest station group in the country with 848 stations, filed paperwork earlier in the month for the potential offering. (Celebrity Access)
The Beyonce Album Drop Is a Perfect Portrait of the Future of Music Homecoming, the Beyoncé concert film documentary that dropped on Netflix Wednesday, arrived with a little (or not little) surprise in tow: a two-hour, 40-track live album, available for immediate listening on all major music-streaming services. (Rolling Stone)
Beyoncé's Streaming Strategy, ExplainedNetflix, Tidal, and Spotify all serve different roles in Queen Bey's strategic plan. A lot of people were surprised that Beyoncé’s Homecoming documentary went to Netflix. After all, the 37-year-old singer is still a part-owner of Tidal, the exclusive home to Lemonade. Others were also surprised that Homecoming: The Live Album is widely available and not a Tidal exclusive. (Trapital)
Using Spotify’s Podcast AnalyticsIt’s crazy to think how far podcasts have come in the last decade. According to Baer Facts, the percentage of Americans who listen to podcasts has increased every year since 2014. Google Trends, one of the best analytics tools, shows a steady increase in the audio-listening medium since 2013. (Market Brothers Media)
BYTES
Amanda Palmer is a singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, author, director, blogger, and ukulele enthusiast who simultaneously embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art.
Lil Dicky unveiled the absolutely star-studded, possibly not safe for work animated music video for his charity single "Earth" — featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as a human and Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Halsey, Bad Bunny, PSY, Zac Brown, Miley Cyrus, Sia, Snoop Dogg and countless other celebrities as animals pitching in to save Earth.
Customize your Genie to mirror your idealized digital self. With over a million clothing and facial options provided, you can create your Genie to represent yourself however you’d like.
Beyoncé’s historic Coachella set is preserved as a stunning live album that captures an artist at her peak, flexing her catalog and shining a light on the genius of black artists that came before her.
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Rachel Meisner If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!