JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ... AND WHY HE IS THE MARKETING KING!
I must admit, I am a HUGE Justin Timberlake fan! Not only am I impressed by his musical talent, but I am equally impressed with his marketing game. When it comes to leaving the scene and resurfacing with new music, he & his marketing team run like a well-oiled machine. The strategy runs the gamut! I’ve envied his ability to manage the hype around his product launch—whether album downloads, ticket sales or YouTube views—using a mixed bag of marketing tactics to drive both awareness and revenue.
Let's take a look at his new album, Man of the Woods, which released on February 2, 2018. Although the album release accumulated mixed reactions from fans and industry insiders alike, success quickly came — topping the Billboard 200 chart, while racking up sales upwards of $100 million USD for his upcoming tour. Timberlake has done well to amp up the hype — teasing tracks here and there to close out 2017, email campaigns, a social media blitz, brand partnerships with Nike, retail partnerships with giants like Target, a NYC pop-up shop with merchandise dedicated to his latest album, not to mention performing at Super Bowl LII in a pair of Air Jordan 3 "JTH".
Justin and his team have executed a new marketing playbook that has changed the way brands are developed and products are released in the connected and digital age. We all can learn a thing or two from the way he runs his campaign, especially in the B2B marketing space - believe it or not! It is all about the teasers, timing, branding & partnerships!
Teasers
Before releasing any new music – we were teased with that pre-launch buzz. It’s important for branding and especially crucial for understanding what’s going to engage your target audience. The JT marketing machine released singles each week just prior to his album release (and right before his Super Bowl performance) using his dedicated social media following to distribute the content.
Emails were also sent, narrowing down on a more targeted segment of his audience – first introducing the album, but then secondly, introducing his first single. The importance of audience segmentation is key. The traditional approach of "spray and pray" is no longer valid; you have to know your audience and push out messaging they actually care about. This in turn, increases the chances of achieving a higher ROI.
From a business standpoint, knowing what to say and when to say it is key for tracking performance.
When to send out an email campaign?
When to push out content? What time/day do you receive the most engagement on your social networks?
Where online or offline is your target audience?
Timing
Having the first come back performance at Super Bowl LII was huge! It had been 14 years since his last Super Bowl performance & it was the most anticipated. The brand power involved with the Super Bowl halftime show is massive and it includes major brands like Pepsi and Nike. Let's start with mentioning that Pepsi is the sponsor.
The Pepsi arrangement is not a typical endorsement. Pepsi's halftime sponsorship deal is with the NFL. The NFL owns the contract with the performing artist, but Pepsi gets input. Still, Pepsi—which is in its sixth year sponsoring the show—typically uses the performer as a key part of its marketing leading up to the game.
During the time leading up to the Super Bowl, JT's Facebook page had been updated with heavy Pepsi branding; remember that Pepsi is the sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The star spoke about the performance in an interview during "Sunday Night Football" on NBC. He tweeted the news to his more than 65 million Twitter followers by sharing a video that included Jimmy Fallon, who also tweeted it.
After performing new singles like "Filthy" and older classics like "Sexyback" and "Cry Me A River" at the Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 4) -- and following that up with a live debut of "Supplies" and "Say Something" with Chris Stapleton on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon hours later -- JT announced a bunch of new tour dates for this summer and fall. The performances produced multiple viral video hits that resulted in millions of impressions worldwide, making the JT brand the subject of conversation from both fans and haters. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon grabbed a 5.7 in metered markets, up 4% from the last post-Super Bowl Tonight Show in 2015. It is now the third highest-rated Fallon episode. Talk about timing & results!
The halftime show offered over 110 million viewers a clear look at Timberlake’s limited edition Air Jordan 3 sneakers, the first release from the artist’s series of Tinker Hatfield collaborations. The sneakers were so well framed that Apex Marketing Group, a consultancy specializing in estimating the value of TV appearances for products, estimates that the exposure alone was worth about $2.86 million USD in advertising costs. Compared to the over $5 million USD Super Bowl commercial cost, Nike achieved huge cost savings.
Branding
JT definitely came out with a completely new look and sound for this album. In doing so, the thematic branding colors & woodsy images are carried through to his on-stage presence, website as well as his social media accounts. January 2, he announced the release date for his new album, Man of the Woods, with a 60-second trailer. On the surface, it was woodsy and rugged. There were cornfields, flannel, and he dramatically waded in water—a completely different aesthetic than we’d seen from the singer who crafted an aesthetic of futuristic R&B funk. However, the visual marketing tactic failed to fully deliver because the actual sound of the music was different than the Americana (synonym for "Country") look he tried so hard to portray. However, the connection was visually successful between all forms of media. Brand consistency is key to always helping your target audience identify “who” you and further sustain that emotional loyalty to that image.
Another successful marketing tactic is the idea of the pop-up shop. Justin Timberlake extended to his NYC fans an invitation to a pop-up storefront. According to Timberlake’s Instagram account, there would be a “custom, collaborative product for every song on the album”— Man of the Woods.
Heron Preston, known mostly for his Kanye West / Yeezy designs, designed the tour clothes (T-shirts, hoodies) for the “Man of the Woods” collection which could also be found at the NYC pop-up. At the pop-up, fans also found flannel from Levi’s, bandannas and strongboxes from Best Made Co., sunglasses from Warby Parker and beard wash & beard butter from Maestro’s Classic. Not-yet-released sample colorways of resurrected Nike Air Jordans 3s—created in collaboration with the legendary sneaker designer Tinker Hatfield and corresponding to the fifth track, “Higher, Higher,” on the album -- were displayed behind glass.
Partnerships
Alongside with pre-launch buzz and great timing, JT partnered up retail powerhouses like Target to promote his album release. “Target’s guests love Justin Timberlake—in fact, he’s one of our top selling music artists of all time,” said Mark Tritton, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Target. “We’re already seeing a lot of excitement for Justin’s album, and our guests will be thrilled to know they can find a number of exclusives—just for them—at Target starting Feb. 2." The "only-at-Target" version included exclusive cover art, a bonus poster, and a digital download of the full album.
Customers can also pick up an LP record of the album—which comes in a limited-edition translucent orange vinyl, along with a digital download of the full album. How cool is that?
Finding a company that complements your skill set, products and/or services will help broaden your reach. You don’t have to partner with immensely large brands or companies but tap into partnerships that will further help increase leads and sales to your business. Be strategic and cohesive with all your messaging – this will help tie in brand consistency with good timing. JT's marketing team is masterful at this.
B2B Marketing
There is a lesson here for B2B marketers who are looking to launch new products or services in a big way. JT has proven that the old way of doing things will not be competitive in the connected economy. Businesses need to embrace a new marketing playbook that leverages social channels and new content tactics to drive market awareness and convert demand into revenue.
Drive feature “micro-launches” prior to full product announcement. Consider breaking down each launch to a series of micro-launches that point towards to the full announcement. A practical application of this could be a feature per month before a major product announcement at the end of the quarter. Doing so will keep your brand relevant, while you hint towards a compelling event to come. Leverage social media to create the viral distribution channels that help build the hype cycle. Be sure to make the call-to-action clear during the major launch, which if done correctly, gives context to the build up.
Make partner marketing core to each launch. Experiment with different tactics to create dynamic content you’re your audience will consume and share. Leverage partners and customers to help drive clicks, views, and downloads of content. Asking partners to share news grew engagement exponentially. It is imperative that all links track back to your marketing automation systems and can be attributed on a program-basis to the sales pipeline, otherwise you’re flying blind.