They consider themselves a brand, the Black Eyed Peas band leader will.i.am says about the group. They’re the pushers of products like Coors, Levi’s, Honda, Apple, Verizon, Pepsi in exchange for video budgets, underwritten tours, and exposure. On their current tour, BlackBerry delivers text messages sent from audience members, that are seen on two huge stage screens, as will.i.am performs them via freestyle rap.
“I consider us a brand. A brand always has stylized decks, from colors to fonts. Here’s our demographic. Here’s the reach. Here’s the potential. Here’s how the consumer will benefit from the collaboration.”
If will.i.am wasn’t in music, “He’d be the best ad executive on Madison Avenue,” says Randy Phillips, president and CEO of the concert promoter AEG Live, who says he plans to have will.i.am deliver a seminar to AEG’s global marketing team. “I’ve never seen anyone more astute at dealing with sponsors’ and companies’ needs and understanding their brands.” Fresh off of a tech meeting stint with about 20 Silicon Valley companies, will.i.am injected “Google” into a song and sent shout-outs to the fellow geeks in the audience”All the technology lovers make some noise!”
It used to be record sales that drove success to a band, but Black Eyed Peas has made their music about corporate connections and brand recognition. Just last month, they held a concert in Times Square to promote Samsung’s new line of 3-D televisions that led to a link-up with James Cameron, who was also there to endorse the 3-D televisions. Talks of a feature film collaboration are in now in the works.
image: Pepsi/Getty Images
source: WSJ