Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising

Despite criticism by Irish band U2’s manager Paul McGuinness over Radiohead’s method for releasing In Rainbows last October, U2’s lead singer Bono has published an open letter in NME disagreeing and applauding Radiohead for the album and how it was released. McGuinness told the BBC in early June that the method was “a failure and backfired” because “it still resulted in over 60%-70% of listeners acquiring the album through illegal channels.”

Bono’s letter to NME, printed in last week’s issue, takes a sharp left turn from his manager’s opinion, calling Radiohead “courageous and imaginative in trying to figure out some new relationship with their audience.” Bono also remarked how “blessed” he feels “to be around at the same time” as “a sacred talent” like Radiohead. U2 have recently taken steps to reach their audience, joining forces with Live Nation Inc. (NYSE: LYV) in a deal that’ll market their music and concerts with related products from one location.

U2 is still signed to Universal Music Group for the band’s record releases, which may have been one reason McGuinness came out against the method Radiohead used last year. Neverthless, the disagreement between manager and lead singer is insignificant compared to the applaud Radiohead continue to receive from fellow artists. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, a band that was also signed to Universal Music Group, has also come out in support of Radiohead’s method, although he, too, took issue with some aspects of it. Reznor has since released two NIN albums the same way.

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Filed under: Press releases, Products and services, Marketing and advertising, News Corp’B’ (NWS)

English rock band The Verve, famous for the hit single “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the ensuing struggle over the rights to the song (eventually awarded to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards because the song sampled a short snippet of a Rolling Stone song), are set to return in August with a new album — the band’s first since 1997’s Urban Hymns that featured that bitter sweet single. Billboard reported last week that the new album, titled Forth (Billboard cites it incorrectly as Four) will be released on August 18 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United Says.

While the band had not worked together in nine years before reuniting last year to commence work on new music and play a number of festivals, lead singer Richard Ashcroft had enjoyed a semi-successful solo career built on the success that the band had enjoyed in the nineties. He joined Coldplay onstage at Live 8 in 2005 to perform “Bitter Sweet Symphony” to an elated Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and cheering crowds. The first single from Forth, “Love is Noise”, was premiered on British radio June 23 and will be released a couple of weeks before the album. It is currently streaming from the band’s News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) MySpace page.

In the United Kingdom, The Verve are signed to EMI Group and will release Forth via Parlophone, but in the United States, a very special release scheme will be utilized, somewhat similar to Radiohead’s deal in the U.S. for In Rainbows earlier this year. The band has set up a label, On Our Own, and will release the album through a distribution deal with RED Distribution and Megaforce Records. Previously, the band’s albums had been released through EMI’s Virgin Records imprint in the United Says.

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Filed under: Press releases, Products and services, Marketing and advertising, News Corp’B’ (NWS)

English rock band The Verve, famous for the hit single “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the ensuing struggle over the rights to the song (eventually awarded to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards because the song sampled a short snippet of a Rolling Stone song), are set to return in August with a new album — the band’s first since 1997’s Urban Hymns that featured that bitter sweet single. Billboard reported last week that the new album, titled Forth (Billboard cites it incorrectly as Four) will be released on August 18 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States.

While the band had not worked together in nine years before reuniting last year to commence work on new music and play a number of festivals, lead singer Richard Ashcroft had enjoyed a semi-successful solo career built on the success that the band had enjoyed in the nineties. He joined Coldplay onstage at Live 8 in 2005 to perform “Bitter Sweet Symphony” to an elated Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and cheering crowds. The first single from Forth, “Love is Noise”, was premiered on British radio June 23 and will be released a couple of weeks before the album. It is currently streaming from the band’s News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) MySpace page.

In the United Kingdom, The Verve are signed to EMI Group and will release Forth via Parlophone, but in the United Says, a very special release scheme will be utilized, somewhat similar to Radiohead’s deal in the U.S. for In Rainbows earlier this year. The band has set up a label, On Our Own, and will release the album through a distribution deal with RED Distribution and Megaforce Records. Previously, the band’s albums had been released through EMI’s Virgin Records imprint in the United States.

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Filed under: Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL), Marketing and advertising

Conceding that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iPod will be the digital music player of choice for the foreseeable future, online music downloading service Rhapsody is rolling out a $50 million marketing effort to convince iPod users currently using iTunes to make the switch to Rhapsody. Partner sites include Yahoo, Verizon Wireless and iLike, and the downloads will be in the mp3 format so they have the ability to be played on iPods.

Rhapsody is a joint venture of Real Networks and Viacom, so it’s one of the few on the web music providers that has the muscle to compete with Apple. But I doubt that they’ll be able to. In just a few years, Apple has made itself the biggest seller of music in the country, and sales of music downloads grew about 35% in the most recent quarter, according to the company’s 10-Q.

iTunes seems to be pretty entrenched, and I just can’t see anything compelling coming from Rhapsody that would motivate anyone to switch from iTunes. Rhapsody vice president Neil Smith told Reuters that “We’re no longer competing with iPod. We’re embracing it.”

But now they’re competing with iTunes, and consumers seems to have overwhelmingly embraced that. You really have to question Rhapsody’s — and every other also-ran mp3 seller’s — reason for existing.

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Filed under: Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL), Marketing and advertising

Conceding that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iPod will be the digital music player of choice for the foreseeable future, on the internet music downloading service Rhapsody is rolling out a $50 million marketing effort to convince iPod users currently using iTunes to make the switch to Rhapsody. Partner sites include Yahoo, Verizon Wireless and iLike, and the downloads will be in the mp3 format so they can be played on iPods.

Rhapsody is a joint venture of Real Networks and Viacom, so it’s one of the few on the internet music providers that has the muscle to compete with Apple. But I doubt that they’ll be able to. In just a few years, Apple has made itself the biggest seller of music in the country, and sales of music downloads grew about 35% in the most recent quarter, according to the company’s 10-Q.

iTunes seems to be pretty entrenched, and I just can’t see anything compelling coming from Rhapsody that would motivate anyone to switch from iTunes. Rhapsody vice president Neil Smith told Reuters that “We’re no longer competing with iPod. We’re embracing it.”

But now they’re competing with iTunes, and consumers seems to have overwhelmingly embraced that. You really have to question Rhapsody’s — and every other also-ran mp3 seller’s — reason for existing.

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Filed under: Deals, Rumors, Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN), Marketing and advertising, Viacom (VIA), Activision Inc (ATVI)

The Financial Times reported last week that representatives for The Beatles, Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), and MTV Games, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA), are in talks about developing Beatles-themed video game versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band “in a move that could pave the way for a broader licensing of the Fab Four’s catalog.” Even though the final deal would eventually be worth several million dollars, it would have to win over both Apple Corps and the EMI Group, the two companies that oversee the band’s business interests and the master recordings.

The Beatles have been one of the major artists to resist any move into the digital world, but if such a deal were to occur it would likely happen simultaneously with any move by The Beatles into digital stores and the digital market. In the past year and a half, numerous rumors have appeared that cited 2008 as the year that would see the move, including comments made by Olivia Harrison, George Harrison’s widow. Unfortunately, no such appearance by the band into stores like Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes or Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) MP3 Store has happened even with a new management team led by former Sony BMG executive Jeff Jones.

Any deal would send a big shockwave through the music industry and no doubt come with numerous marketing and advertising techniques that have become popular and successful in recent years. Although many Beatles purists and fans might be put off by an iTunes-themed commercial featuring The Beatles and the band’s music, the exposure provided by such a method would increase awareness of the band to younger and newer audiences.

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Filed under: Deals, Rumors, Products and services, Apple Inc (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN), Marketing and advertising, Viacom (VIA), Activision Inc (ATVI)

The Financial Times reported last week that representatives for The Beatles, Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), and MTV Games, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA), are in speaks about developing Beatles-themed video game versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band “in a move that could pave the way for a broader licensing of the Fab Four’s catalog.” Even though the final deal would eventually be worth several million dollars, it would have to win over both Apple Corps and the EMI Group, the two companies that oversee the band’s business interests and the master recordings.

The Beatles have been one of the major artists to resist any move into the digital world, but if such a deal were to occur it would likely happen simultaneously with any move by The Beatles into digital stores and the digital market. In the past year and a half, numerous rumors have appeared that cited 2008 as the year that would see the move, including comments made by Olivia Harrison, George Harrison’s widow. Unfortunately, no such appearance by the band into stores like Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes or Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) MP3 Store has happened even with a new management team led by former Sony BMG executive Jeff Jones.

Any deal would send a massive shockwave through the music industry and no doubt come with numerous marketing and advertising techniques that have become popular and successful in recent years. Although many Beatles purists and fans might be put off by an iTunes-themed commercial featuring The Beatles and the band’s music, the exposure provided by such a method would increase awareness of the band to younger and newer audiences.

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Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Burger King Hldgs (BKC)

Burger King (Burger King Holdings, NYSE:BRC) has made good headway recently by constructing sandwiches large enough to bring down a New York crane and marketing tied to video games and hot movies. Therefore, it would have been the last company I would anticipate to unveil a $190 hamburger.

Actually, the burgers aren’t widely available, yet- only in one location, in West London, and only once a week, by reservation. I suppose the burger, Wagyu beef piled high with white truffles, Pata Negra ham, white wine/shallot mayo, Himalayan rock salt and a soupçon of Iranian saffron. The combo includes Cristal champagne onion straws, a limited edition bottle of Coke, and Cabernet Shiraz wine from Australia .

Emma Hall, who reported on the experience for Ad Age, found the meat ‘not perfect’, due to the health code’s requirement that it be cooked to 165 degrees, but liked the mayo, ham and truffles. Other diners she interviewed were pleased, but mostly not $190 worth of pleased. Personally, for $190 I’d anticipate the King to detail my automobile while I ate.

This mother of all burgers was created as a PR stunt to help recast the BK brand as a higher-quality product, with proceeds benefiting a local charity. The company plans to expand the limited-time program to Spain and Germany. For now, I’ll have to drown my longing in a Whopper, sans truffles, sans saffron, and Cristal-free fries.

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Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Burger King Hldgs (BKC)

Burger King (Burger King Holdings, NYSE:BRC) has made good headway recently by constructing sandwiches huge enough to bring down a New York crane and marketing tied to video games and hot movies. Therefore, it would have been the last company I would expect to unveil a $190 hamburger.

Actually, the burgers aren’t widely available, yet- only in one location, in West London, and only once a week, by reservation. I suppose the burger, Wagyu beef piled high with white truffles, Pata Negra ham, white wine/shallot mayo, Himalayan rock salt and a soupçon of Iranian saffron. The combo includes Cristal champagne onion straws, a limited edition bottle of Coke, and Cabernet Shiraz wine from Australia .

Emma Hall, who reported on the experience for Ad Age, found the meat ‘not perfect’, due to the health code’s requirement that it be cooked to 165 degrees, but liked the mayo, ham and truffles. Other diners she interviewed were pleased, but mostly not $190 worth of pleased. Personally, for $190 I’d anticipate the King to detail my car while I ate.

This mother of all burgers was created as a PR stunt to help recast the BK brand as a higher-quality product, with proceeds benefiting a local charity. The company plans to expand the limited-time program to Spain and Germany. For now, I’ll have to drown my longing in a Whopper, sans truffles, sans saffron, and Cristal-free fries.

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Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Marketing and advertising

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) stated yesterday that it would be changing the logo at its U.S. locations by this fall. The current logo, which is simply the company’s name with red lines above and below it, has been in use since 1992.

Wal-Mart continues to integrate the slogan “Save Money. Live Better” into everything it does. That saying is the retailer’s current tagline, and even the announcement of the logo change mentions this: “This logo update is simply a reflection of the refreshed image of our stores and our renewed sense of purpose of helping people save money so they have the ability to live superior.” If that isn’t a pre-scripted message from the corporate underbelly, I don’t know what is.

It appears that the hyphen will be going away in the company’s name-based logo. The hyphen was replaced a long time ago by the star anyway, so it’s a moot point. According to rumors reported by the WSJ, the new logo will show the retailer’s name in white letters on an orange background, followed by a small starburst. I guess orange is less confrontational than blue? Anyway, the image makeover of the retailer’s logo comes at a good time. Sometimes breaking the mold and starting over can implant a new image in the mind of the consumer, and if all that’s required is a logo change (and the millions of changes on signage it will require), so be it.

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