Back in May we brought you the story South Korean pop-Idol Lee Hyo Lee who was paid by Samsung to cleverly sing lyrics that helped promote new products. We were quite amused and speculated that dropping product names could become a real skill. Well, good news, it's coming here:
Corporations want consumers to assume that rappers name-dropping hamburgers, cell phones or cars wrote the brands into their lyrics because they love them not because they were paid, said William Chipps, senior editor with IEG Sponsorship Report.
"It has to be organic," Chipps said. "It can't be blatant."
"Organic" is subjective. Robert "T-Mo" Barnett, a member of the once widely popular Atlanta rap group Goodie Mob, is working with Maven on a deal to promote a brand. Maven gave him the name of the product, and he wrote it into the lyrics of the single he is planning to release this year. T-Mo's contract with the company has not yet been signed, and Maven would not identify the brand. How much the company pays him for mentioning the brand depends on the radio popularity of the single.
T-Mo was in the studio recently and laid down the song, which he is calling "What's Happening."
"I was vibing," the rapper said. "It just came natural. I heard a good beat, and I just flowed with it. It was nothing I had to really force.
"I am helping them brand their company and at the same time they are helping me," he said. "I got a brand new baby boy, and I'm trying to feed him right now. I want to be smart about every move I make so I can maximize my earnings."
This seems to us a good move for both the entertainment industry and for the artists. After all, rappers have been mentioning name brands in their music for a long time...this is essentially free advertising. It's time they got back some of that money they were brining in for these companies.
Comments