As a challenger brand, you have your work cut out for you. On any given day, you’re competing for market share with larger, more established companies that have bigger budgets and name value than you. You’re looking for some way, any way, that you can stand out from your competition.
Cue music – the ultimate way to get noticed.
Music isn’t typically thought about as a major part of advertising. But while music does play a background role most of the time, it’s a significant part of your marketing. And when it’s used correctly, it can truly be the missing piece of your advertising puzzle.
Total Recall
Unlike other methods of advertising – print ads, website banners, etc – music has the ability to stick around in someone’s head and influence people to think and feel a certain way. While people might not know exactly what piece of music you use in your ads, they’ll remember how that music made them feel, and that feeling can be highly influential on their view of your business as a whole.
A Blank Slate
Your competition, having been established for some time, already has a general template for their advertising. You, on the other hand, do not. So while the other businesses in your industry have either generic advertising or materials that people have generally seen before, you have the ability to create something totally different. Something with the ability to actually influence people.
Be Younger
The establishment has a lot of advantages, to be sure. But one major disadvantage is that their set-in-stone branding can be difficult to tweak. Additionally, larger companies may be reluctant to change, preferring to stick to what works. This comes across as alienating to younger people, who want businesses to cater directly to them.
However, you can easily position yourself as a company that prioritizes Millennials by using music that speaks to them. This is a great attribute for a challenger brand to have, especially since Millennials have proven that they’ll go to great lengths to support brands with which they feel an affinity.
Unique Partnerships
Being a challenger brand also means being on the ground floor in other ways as well. This gives you a unique perspective into what moves people. Your competition may have big budgets to include licensed songs in their advertisements. But you can more than make up for that by working with local emerging artists to tell your story. It’s a win-win that will help you curry favor with niche markets while helping deserving artists gain exposure.
Residual Advertising
Music is everywhere. And if the music you use in your advertising happens to be heard elsewhere – or even if something like it is heard – people will automatically think about your ad. It’s a reminder that no other medium can provide. And depending on the music you use and the type of advertising you employ, this can become a highly beneficial perk.
