Blog: Brands | Bands | Fans

Chew for tunes Perfetti Van Melle, the company behind confectionary classics such as Mentos, Chupa Chups, SMINT, and Fruit-tella is offering up the chance for you to chew your way to numerous music-related prizes.

Denny's Restaurants in the US are running an Adopt-A-Band programme, whereby the chain sponsors bands to eat for free post-gig and host after parties. Kate Perry is the latest to find herself tucking into the RockStar Menu, a series of treats created by bands (such as Plain White T's and the Eagles Of Death Metal) which include Taking Back Bacon Burger Fries and Plain White Shakes. http://idolator.com www.dennysallnighter.com

Here's how to keep your 'head' in music marketing. Joss Stone is to embellish her acting career (after appearing as a witch in the movie Eragon and a starring role in the latest Cadbury's Flake ad.) Stone is to star in the TV show The Tudors as Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife (one of the few to still have something north of the neck post-divorce). http://blogs.guardian.co.uk

What?: The BT Digital Music Awards 2008 will take place on 1st October at the Roundhouse in London. Artists, music products, and music services can now be entered into one or more of 19 categories designed to cover everything from the latest digital music hardware to the best artist campaigns on digital platforms. The entry deadline is 26th August. From mid-September, fans will be able cast their votes for 12 of the categories. For more info (and a full list of the categories), visit the website below: http://www.btdma.com/nominatio ns/

What?: AARP, the world's largest advocacy organisation for the 50+ community, is launching the Air Guitar For My Guitar campaign which ties in with AARP's sponsorship of Foreigner's Feels Like The First Time tour. The air guitar and lip-synch competition will see entrants attempting to win Mick Jones's autographed custom Gibson guitar

What?: Mohegan Sun, the world's second largest casino, has been utilising classic songs by Toto, Rick James, and The Knack in its recent ad campaigns. The ads opt for the 'new musical' agenda, leveraging the current interest in all things High School Musical- and Mamma Mia!-related.

Word of mouth marketing What?: Confectionary company Wrigley's is integrating its brand with music by inviting three contemporary artists to rework classic chewing gum jingles. R&B singers Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, along with country singer (and Dancing With The Stars regular) Julianne Hough, are all offering up remixes of signature commercial idents.

Pepsi's August sugar rush What?: Pepsi is to "pay tribute to the DJ and DJ culture for contributions to the American musical landscape" during the month of August. The Pepsi DJ Division, an association of the country's best DJs (Quicksilva, Irie, DJ Pharris, etc.), will spearhead a month-long decks-frenzy to honour the "Unsung Heroes Of Music".

Music gets its five a day What?: Music marketing promotes a green lifestyle: UK supermarket Tesco is teaming up with the stage musical version of Dirty Dancing for an in-store promotion to drive watermelon sales. The campaign is inspired by the iconic line "I carried a watermelon" line. Promotional stickers on watermelons will direct consumers to a Dirty Dancing micro-site where they can enter a competition to win a luxury trip for six to see the musical in Chicago.

On the festival circuit What?: Visitors to parks and beaches across the US have found themselves collectively staring at 15,000 giant towels. However, this wasn't early-morning tourists stealing the best spot; this was a marketing effort from Dell to promote its Summer Rocks Sweepstakes.

...and she knows how to brand them What?: Country starlet Taylor Swift, who signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music aged merely 14 and went on to write and record 
a Country No.1 at 17, is to become the Goddess Of Summer as she promotes Gillette's Venus Embrace shaving range.

What?: We will be rummaging around in the BBF garden for champion entrants as we opt for a spot of human snail racing, as part of Glacéau Vitamin Water's Thursday night hydration club. The event also hosted a 'beard appreciation' night, and will offer up laughter therapy as well as the chance to belt out karaoke whilst on helium. Quite simply what is there not to love about all this? www.urbanjunkies.com

What?: If you live in Brazil, you can now get a free Donkey – all thanks to Volkswagen. No, not one of those donkeys, you ass; it's the new album by CSS. VW is cleverly turning the vast online piracy problem to its advantage in Brazil, plus CSS will benefit from actually getting some kick-back in their home market where selling has become a tricky business. http://albumvirtual.trama.uol. com

What?: Samanada, the squeaky set of twins from the UK's Big Brother 8 reality TV show, are teaming up with Sugar Puffs' Honey Monster to release a charity single. The track 'Honey Love' will raise money for the Variety Club Children's Charity. A good cause, but wouldn't the Sugababes or Puff Daddy have been a better fit? Actually Saatchi's homemade Honeyshot girlgroup would have worked perfectly here. www.samandathetwins.com

What?: Fancy getting back to nature in the Brecon Beacons? Well BBF is offering up the chance to enjoy campfires, literature, and late night bars – plus you'll discover the odd band amongst the undergrowth. We have a pair of tickets to give away to this year's sixth annual Green Man Festival

The Chairmen of the Board What?: It's the hottest day of the year here in the UK today (apparently), and we can certainly feel it. Staring out of the window from BBF Towers at the clear blue sky, our minds (and hearts) instinctively turn to the beach. Next week, Europe's largest Surf & Skate music festival – Rip Curl Boardmasters – touches down in the UK.

What?: Visitors to parks and beaches across the US over the weekend found themselves collectively staring at 15,000 giant towels. However, this wasn't early-morning tourists stealing the best spot; this was a marketing effort from Dell to promote its Summer Rocks Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes will offer up 10 pairs of tickets to the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Dell's hometown - one of six music festivals that are part of the Dell Summer Rocks Tour. http://www.delllounge.com/summ errocks/

What?: A new ad for Renualt Megane in Brazil invites you to leap from the humdrum stage of you work life and be carried on the crest of a crowd surfing wave to your car. All to the tune of a pulsating electro beat. "Your five senses prefer a Renault Megane," states the tagline. Touch and sound certainly, as this ad depicts a subtle integration into the rock star lifestyle – but we've been in mosh pits before and we'll pass on the 'smell' aspect, thanks. www.coloribus.com

Breaking free from uniform campaigns What?: Clothing retailers are having music for breakfast: Lenny Kravitz, Avril Lavigne, Plain White T's, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Vanessa Carlton, and Hayden Panettiere are all to promote Kohl's back-to-school clothing campaign which kicked off on 20th July. A Facebook competition offering $10,000, concert tickets, $1,000 in Kohl's gift cards

Be a national Guitar Hero What?: The US Army National Guard is rolling out its Rock Star Hero Challenge recruitment tour bus at various music festivals and other outdoor events in a bid to sign up new recruits. The bus has been fitted with 52" touch-screen displays that allow potential recruits to participate in virtual missions and guitar-based videogames. Visitors will be encouraged to pose in front of eight different 'green screen' images of rock bands (that they can download via the web).