Fiat shows faith in Brand Faithless
Fiat and Faithless have set the brand standard with their partnership for the single Feelin’ Good, says Forrester Research analyst Mark Mulligan. “Brands – Converse, Bacardi, etc – commissioning artists to record tracks for ad campaigns is a growing trend, but what Faithless have done here is different,” he points out. “No money actually changed hands, and no Fiat slogans or messaging appear on the video. So how does it work?
“Fiat paid for the video and in return had a Fiat Punto featured in the video. The car actually gets pretty prominent positioning – including extended dashboard footage – but Fiat’s creative agency have worked hard to ensure that it has been done in a creative and non-intrusive manner. (Well, maybe not quite that non-intrusive, but the intent is there and it’s leagues above much other product placement.)
He adds that the partnership represents another step in Faithless’ move to establish a post-record label existence. After leaving BMG, they self-released their latest album The Dance and controversially struck exclusive retail deals with iTunes and supermarket Tesco in the UK.
Forrester’s Music Strategy For Brands report here.
