A mere week after the biggest advertising day of the year, one might think that brands spent everything they had on the Super Bowl. But some see awards season as a bigger draw, banking on star power to propel their products and brands to bigger sales than a football game.
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards not only will feature music from the likes of Cardi B, Post Malone, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dolly Parton and others (though not Ariana Grande), it has its own brand campaign, as well as advertisers willing to back music’s biggest night.
‘Let’s Hear It’ is the latest campaign for the Recording Academy, the organization that puts on the Grammys. Last year’s campaign, by long-time creative partner TBWA\Chiat\Day, featured outfitted Uber vehicles driving around and essentially ‘playing’ the sounds of New York City. This year, sound waves were again employed, but this time the waves served as graphics to frame the various stars that make us move.
The campaign, according to the Recording Academy, speaks to the all-encompassing power of music. It focuses on music as a sound wave, celebrates the broader community of music fans, and the ability of music to bring people together in a powerful and shared human experience.
“We take our (campaign) approach from a storytelling standpoint… showing the journey to the Grammy stage. Music connects us and empowers us. It really creates a community that binds us together,” recording academy and Grammys chief marketing officer, Evan Greene, told The Drum.
A promo spot for the awards show finds a pulsating waveform, bouncing around artists from last year’s show, including Jay Z and Beyonce, Adele, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae.
Throughout the campaign, fans will notice the sound wave design that will translate to social posts, such as static and video carousels on Facebook and Instagram. Various artists seem to break out of the wave, speaking to the idea of the live music listening experience and music’s ability to transcend the recording, reaching people on a human level.
Greene also said that fans and consumers today want a sense of discovery, to be part of a community. He said that the Recording Academy and the Grammys “empower that idea and amplify it through music” to engage in a broader community.
“On ‘Music’s Biggest Night’, we deliver seemingly impossible performances that align the community of music creators and fans alike around the universal inspiration that only music provides. ‘Let’s Hear It’ is a rallying cry for the voices forming an engaged and empowered music community as excitement for the Grammys continues to build,” Greene said.
Greene acknowledged that, like last year’s in-show acknowledgement of #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement with Kesha and Monae, the Grammys do have to stay in step with what goes on socially, but it’s really about the music, making those musical moments people talk about and creating a great, entertaining show, which he promises will happen again this year. He also noted that the Recording Academy is an organization that works all year to promote music, music makers and its creative pursuits. They have a Grammys museum and even present a music educator award each year to encourage teaching and getting young people interested and involved in music.
The Recording Academy also put out what's it's calling the first 'evolving music video' with artist Ella Mai.
Advertisers during the Grammys and beyond are vital to keeping the Recording Academy thriving, and some of them remain partners throughout the year to keep music at the forefront. See the campaigns below that are attached to the Grammy Awards. Click on the Creative Works boxes and vote for your favorites.
: 'Let's Hear It'
: 'Stay Playful'
: 'Award Show'
: 'GrammyConnect'
