Ineffective Marketing Spending: Lessons from the Music and Food Industries
Marketing is only as good as the connection it makes with an audience. Reflecting on my consumer experience, some campaigns simply fall flat because they focus more on flash over depth, resulting in wasted marketing dollars and lost opportunities. There are two particularly poignant examples that stand out in my mind: Tidal's over-reliance on celebrity endorsements and McDonald's misdirected influencer relationships.
Tidal's Star-Studded Launch:
When Jay-Z launched Tidal back in 2015, the music streaming service was touted as a luxury offering with lossless audio and exclusive content from artists. The launch included an event with music superstars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Madonna, where they signed a declaration of their commitment to Tidal. While that was meant to create buzz, the campaign backfired.
TIDAL CONTINUED...
But focusing on the celebrity involvement circumvented the fundamental question of its audience: Why am I supposed to pay more for this? Besides highlighting unique value propositions-such as funding independent artists or delivering a better tone-deaf privilege came across from this campaign. Disconnection of the elite artists to everyday consumers turned many off, and Tidal never had that emotional connection to build brand equity.
https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/jay-z-launches-tidal-streaming-music-service-1201462769/
McDonald’s and the Travis Scott Meal:
In 2020, McDonald's partnered with rapper Travis Scott on a branded meal. It did gain quite a bit of buzz at first, but that quickly fizzled out. Why? It felt like one of those pop-culture moments, without much substance in terms of trying to foster deeper brand loyalty.
It was all about the social media hype, but there was no real storytelling that connected McDonald's to Travis Scott's brand in a way that was relevant. Consumers bought the meal for the novelty and clout but went back to their usual orders once the hype wore off. The campaign drove sales briefly but did little to improve McDonald's emotional connection with its audience.
Lessons for the Music Industry:
Both examples have at their core the dangers of marketing that chase quick buzz over more organic and impactful engagement. For the music industry, it is simple: authenticity pays dividends. Be it an artist releasing an album or a platform with exclusive content, the campaigns must nurture trust, emotional connect, and cultural relevance.
It means instead of banking on big names or the next big viral moment, music brands should be putting resources behind efforts that create much more depth in audience connection. Authenticity, storytelling, and value proposition are critical for long-lasting brand equity.
