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Category: Advertising

What Music Brands Can Learn from David Ogilvy’s Principles of Advertising

Original Mad Men creative David Ogilvy's timeless advice for music brands

Timeless Advice That Will Elevate Your Ad Concepts.

David Ogilvy was one of the original “Madmen” creating brilliant ad campaigns for Rolls-Royce, American Express and IBM. Forty years later, his insights into the creative process can guide and direct any advertising for music brands. 1. Don’t trust a committee for approval. Much of the messy advertising you see … [Read more...]

How Do Music Brands Know When They Need an Ad Agency?

Music brand marketer needs an ad agency

An agency can give your company’s brand meaning, direction and power.

So you’ve been growing your music company from a few people and a couple of products into a full-fledged business. You have some distribution and a core audience. You’ve tried creating and running ads, but it seems like a waste of time and money. Or maybe you’re an established brand with a … [Read more...]

How Music Brands Can Carve Out a Unique Space in a Commodities Marketplace

Wall of guitar string packaging for various brands looks like commodity

The dirtiest word in product marketing: “Commodity”

One of the most daunting challenges for any CMO, Director of Marketing or Product Manager is the marketing of a commodity product. Sand, toothpaste and water—the struggle to differentiate is real, especially in the music manufacturing industry. From capos and picks and reeds to strings, the MI marketplace is … [Read more...]

Six Low-Cost Marketing Tactics for Music Brands

music brand marketing tactics for a handful of change

Advertising without breaking the bank.

Every year at NAMM, I’m always amazed by the number of boutique manufacturer offerings on the floor. There are so many great instrument and accessory builders out there with some really impressive product. Unfortunately, because of limited marketing budgets, many players will never know about some of these products. As a small … [Read more...]

Classic Media Buying Mistakes for Music Brands

musical instrument media buying mistakes can send money down the drain

Lessons in Advertising Planning for Musical Instrument Manufacturers.

The Musical Instrument business is a very niche industry with its own bustling world of publications and opportunities for advertising. Navigating the media landscape and implementing an advertising plan that will best serve a brand’s marketing and promotional needs can be overwhelming, but … [Read more...]

How Music Brands Convert Signature Artists to Ambassadors

paul-mcartney-brand-ambassador-ad

Is your brand ambassador a shill or an advocate?

This much is true. The sun will rise tomorrow, taxes will be due on April 15th and the music industry will always be littered with endorsement ads. From retailers to the pages of magazines the players of tomorrow are under a constant barrage of artist endorsement. But is your brand really saying anything with these … [Read more...]

Five Ways to Make Music Brands Ads Better

Effective ad for Todd the Vinyl Junkie music brand focuses on attitude

By studying the nuances of these five award-winning ads, you will take your marketing from ordinary to outstanding.

1) Powerful graphics make your music brand ads memorable. A talented graphic designer can take an advertising concept and turn it into a visual statement that can’t be ignored. Iconic graphics can be repurposed for t-shirts, websites, brochures, … [Read more...]

Bob Dylan Has Something to Teach Music Brands About Marketing

Lessons from one of our greatest singer/songwriters can help build your brand.

Bob Dylan never set out to become a marketing expert. He’s probably never sat in on a lecture about how to maximize marketing ROI. But the fact is, he probably knows more about creating mystique, selling product and building a core audience than many people in music. After all, he’s … [Read more...]

Five Killer Logo Tips for Music Brands

simplicity makes the Rolling Stones' brand logo powerful and iconic

Establishing a strong music brand identity that will cut through the clutter starts with a well-designed logo.

A memorable logo is critical to selling your music product. Without it, your brand has no personality and will be overlooked. Each of these inspired designs shows a characteristic of great logos. 1) Keep it simple. The Rolling Stones’ tongue and lip … [Read more...]

Five Packaging Lessons for Music Brands

packaging for music brands should convey brand value like Shinola

Let creative package design help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The ability to dominate a retail space with great package design is essential for product survival. Here are five critical packaging guidelines that the music industry can learn from other consumer categories. 1) Always consider where the package will live. The first and most critical … [Read more...]

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Welcome to the show.

Sound Marketing sits at the intersection of music, sales & marketing. We explore how insightful strategy, focused tactics, and organizational change will help manufacturers be heard over all the noise in the musical instrument marketplace.

My name is Doug Nestler, and I’ve spent 40 years—still going strong—in sales & marketing. My resume includes roles in all areas of channel management and distribution, and Sound Marketing is a way to share my expertise with you.

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