It seems that Canadian rapper Drake can do no wrong these days. The self proclaimed 'leader of the new school' moved 535,000 units of his new 17-track mixtape, If You're Reading This It's Too Late, in 72 hours and the mixtape has set a new US record for most streams from an album in its debut week. So how does a mixtape released with next to no notice and no physical distribution, find itself three days later debuting at No.1 on the US Billboard Album chart and breaking streaming records? Well people, its no miracle - put simply, Drake is a marketing guru....well at least who ever orchestrated this release is.




Let's look more closely at how he pulled it off. Firstly, Drake isn't the first major act to subvert the traditional release model. Ever since Queen Bey did it back in December 2013, artists like J.Cole are dropping their albums with very little fanfare but are experiencing some of the best album sales of their careers. Beyonceing an album onto iTunes is part of the in-vogue style of music marketing, buzz marketing. As the name indicates, its all about creating a buzz over the internet (mainly social media) about the new project, with people sharing the news with their friends via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This form of promotion not only goes way beyond the normal reach of 'paid media' like YouTube ads, it's free (earned media). So basically, the artist sits back and watches as the world goes crazy trying the be the first to be in the know and share the information with everyone and anyone (dance puppets dance!). But the question is, what makes Drake's release different and why was his one so successful?

Drake's decision to rely on earned media to promote his new music is one of the ways he is able to keep fans perpetually guessing and wondering what he is going to do next. It is common place for Drake to put a new song on a random YouTube channel, drop a little tweet and let his dedicated fans do the rest. So when it came to this new project, as always, less was more. Prior to the release of the mixtape, Drake put up an artistic short film titled Jungle on his OVO blog. This video, however, could not be found on his Vevo but was strategically placed on YouTube's understudy, Vimeo. Once again Drake sought to engage his fans in his new campaign by not using the big channels like Vevo to promote the video, nor making a big song and dance about it. Instead people who follow the blog would let their friends know about it who would then in turn let their friends know and so on and so on. While on the surface this all appears to be like the organic spread of information, in reality, Drake was always pulling the strings. This video is what marketers would call content creation or content marketing. Unlike traditional adverts, content creation is all about giving the audience information in an interesting and entertaining way. This media might not be overtly selling something, but people who read or watch it are more likely to engage with it. These are typically blog posts or videos which then inspire the reader to seek out more information about the product or in this case, Drake.

So with his audience fully engaged, the stage was set for the big release (well I guess small release in this case). A few hours later, Drake tweeted a single pic of the hand-scribbled title of the new project and the link to iTunes. This not only got people tweeting like mad but also gave us a lovely picture for us to post later on Instagram (thanks Drake, you're too kind). With Drake staying out of the discussion, he let word-of-mouth spread the news and create the hysteria for him, genius. The basis of the success of this release is Drake's recognition that music audiences are no longer passive by-standers who wait for new music to be presented to them. Instead we actively seek out new music and have greater control over what, when and from whom we choose to hear it.

The use of permission marketing is a popular strategy when it comes to music marketing . I mean, its a blessing that when I am presented with adverts at the start of a YouTube video and I can 'click here to skip ad'. By Drizzy putting the link to the mixtape on his Twitter and Instagram account, he has already got your permission to promote his new music in the fact that you chose to follow him or his followers who re-tweeted or re-posted it. The theory behind this is simply, marketers are much more successful when they communicate with consumers who have already agreed to listen to them. Some people on Twitter might not want to hear about how good the album is from Drake or the record label, but don't mind hearing it from a friend. So, apart from the fact it is not an in your face advert which you have no desire to engage with, the 'Marvin's room' singer is giving us the choice of who we hear it from.

The source of the message directly determines its effectiveness, something Drake is all too well aware of. I for one would rather be told by a peer about new music then have loads of adverts on YouTube or read about it over and over again on the artist's own Twitter feed. Without getting to deep into the physiology behind it, there are three mains reasons for this; One, we tend to trust our friends when it comes to things like music (granted not always) because friendships are normally formed on the commonality between people, for example, music taste. Secondly, although we might not care to admit it, we are motivated to like or buys things in order to be consistent with what are peers doing (come on girls you can't all like those platform shoes?). Finally, the things other people tell us about products (good or bad) are often more influential than the advertising we see. So by using social media as the primary means of promoting his new album, Drake managed to keep the profits, as he would say, 'waayy up' (sorry I couldn't resist), make people more receptive to the message and increase his reach. The shared interests and hobbies people have in their friendship circle means the re-tweets and re-posts are reaching Drake's target audience in a way a traditional print campaign never could.

As you can see Drake is the master of the word-of-mouth campaign and a connoisseur of social media marketing. So people I leave you with this thought, if OctobersVeryOwn could do this with one video, one tweet and one mixtape, whats going happen when he drops his new album, Views from the 6', later this year?.

Last year Fitness First underwent a global rebrand as part of its £225m transformation plan. Changing their trade dress and logo, however, was only the start of an attempt to change consumers perception of the company. An 18 month research project gave the company valuable insights into the health club's shortcomings. The research indicated that competing on prices and deals alone was not going to attract prospect customers or keep existing ones. In the words of David Jones, UK marketing director for Fitness First,“the industry has been a bit too obsessed with membership sales and deals....the plan for us and our brand spend will not be about falling into that trap but will be focused around developing the consumer’s experience from the inside out.” This customer-centric approach was necessary if the brand wanted to stave of the competition from from fast-growing budget chains such as Pure Gym and the Gym Group, and become the No.1 health club company. Working with The Clearing on the rebrand, the brand now want to focus their attention on creating a more interactive, rewarding experience for existing customers rather than concentrating on the attracting new ones.

Apart from the introduction of the new logo, which according to the brand symbolises energy and strength, changes included updating equipment and the launch of a digital programme designed to give the gym goer a 'holistic gym experience.' The digital strategy began with the revamp of the website which not only allows members to  track their personal progress, but communicate with the brand and interact with other customers. Coupled with the launch of a fitness app in the latter part of last year Fitness First is in essence creating a social network which exclusive to its members. With more than 50 per cent of Fitness First UK members accessing the site via mobile devices, the new mobile-friendly website and app reflect the brand's promise to motivate and support members both inside and outside of the gym.

Initially, all these changes were promoted across key commuter media channels in and around central London, before it was rolled out globally at the end of last year. But the nearly a year on, how has the rebrand faired? Has it yielded the results the company so desperately needed?

Let's look at the numbers. In October of last year, membership  numbers had fallen from 916,000 to 873,000, but revenues at rebranded clubs has increased  by 4%. Furthermore, revenue forecasts for next year show 5% growth. Not too shabby but P&L sheet is not everything and with the company whole rebrand centred around the member in good to know whats happening the old customer experience front. 

Well, the company is investing heavily in their customer service. Out of the £86m put aside for this task, £18m will be used in the UK alone. Already the company has trained 10,000 staff over the past 12 months , and is looking to hire up to 400 new staff and 250 personal trainers all in a bid to deliver a more personalised service. And it seems to be working with members staying for longer, with retention up 6%.  Also frequency of workouts – an important metric in an industry where a customer that comes less frequently tends to stop coming at all – is also up 5%.

Now admittedly I am not exactly blown away with these numbers but they are encouraging and indicates that customers are responding positively the rebrand. As strategies go, rebranding is one of the most risky and difficult to pursue. This type of overhaul should only be concerned when all the original brand equity is spent and the customers are disenchanted with the brand. This is exactly the case for Fitness First  who reached an all time low back in 2012 when it was at the precipice of falling into administration. That being said, it was still gamble, a gamble that in my book that will eventually pay off!

After watching the recent TV advert for This Girl Can, I have taken the view that 'This boy also Can' and have been inspired to dust off my running trainers and register my first entry at the gym for 2015. This national campaign is the brainchild of Sports England who want to get women up and down the country doing more exercise, irrespective of sporting ability. My female friends have all said how much they like the adverts or how much more motivated they are to participate in sports as a direct result of seeing the ad. So why is this campaign so successful? Well, without getting too bogged down in all the fancy marketing jargon, I will focus in on two specific marketing communications tools, media advertising and out-of home advertising (TV and posters etc.), to explain why I think the campaign works so well.

Firstly, let's start with the name. Getting the correct brand name or, in this case, campaign title is vital for any marketer who is trying to sell or promote something. So while on the surface This Girl Can might seem very basic, it is also very effective. Not only does it make a great hashtag for social media, it emphasises empowerment and the target market's ability to engage in what is being advertised. Effective brand names should not only be simple and encourage trial of the product or participation, it should also aid in brand awareness. My friends not only picked up the name relatively quickly, but they were also able to recall the name at the drop of a hat.  For example, when I would say "I like that funny advert with all the women sweating in the gym', I would receive an immediate reply of "Oh do you mean, This Girl Can ?" from any female in ear shot. The fact that any girl I spoke to and had seen one of the campaign's touch points (oh that's just any message medium capable of reaching customers), proves that apart from the campaign having a good name, it was also able to reach it's target market, all women!

Like any marketing campaign, after deciding 'what' you are advertising, the next port of call is deciding 'who' you are aiming it at. No prizes for guessing that this campaign is gender specific, but normally marketers would go beyond just demographical segmentation (gender) and go after a specific target group within that segment. So while it would seem that Sports England had made a vital marketing error, their lack of specificity was intentional. This fitness campaign is based on, or positioned on, the idea of being inclusive (well for women at least), so the campaign managers would be happy to hear that my friends who all have different fitness levels, can relate to the campaign. But beyond this, any marcom (marketing communications) campaign needs to be integrated, in other words, what you say in one place needs to match what is said or communicated in another. Simple enough concept I know, but you would be amazed how many companies get it wrong. However, the guys over at Sports England have got IMC down to a T (oh, sorry Integrated Marketing Communications).

Ok, I guess what most you guys saw was the TV advert which ran through most of January, so let's examine that first. The advert works so well because it is entertaining, straight forward, but most importantly, it's relatable. If we are completely honest with ourselves we could all do with losing a bit of weight, especially following the festive period when we had one too many...and then one more! But shifting those love handles is not made any easier when you walk into the gym and have to train next what could only be described as Miss Fitness 2015, or in my case, Mr Muscle 2015. All jokes aside, working out in a public gym can be a very daunting experience. The big difference with this campaign is that because it's aimed at all women, it uses 'real' women of all different shapes, sizes, and abilities to communicate its message. Using  women who don't possess the picture perfect abs, bums or tums, allows the average women to connect with the ad more easily because she can put herself in their shoes. Put simply, she can recognise one of those body shapes when she looks in the bathroom mirror. This idea of using 'real women' for adverts is something which is becoming more popular as our ideals of beauty change over time. With the banning of size 0 on catwalks and natural curves being embraced by both sexes, this advert is more in step with what is now perceived as being 'normal'. Research undertaken by Unilever, showed that many women didn't believe its products worked because the women shown using them were so unrealistic, hence Dove's real-women campaign. Check out the wallpaper, remember it now?

Watching other women of all ages, to use one of the ad's taglines 'sweating like a pig',hair everywhere and with all their jiggly bits on show, is not only more believable it emphasises the "if she can do it why can't I" affect. And apart from the ads being more relatable, they are also pretty funny. Taglines like the one above ' I jiggle therefore I am'  or an image of girl sweating on a exercise bike with 'Damn right I'm hot' plastered across the screen, adds humour to something that that can be seen as quite embarrassing. Marketers will often use humour in order to get their audience's attention, but also to off-set uncomfortable by-products of product use or participation. Some women may have self esteem issues about their bodies or may feel self-conscious working out in public settings. Sports England reduced these anxieties in two ways.  Firstly, and one of the oldest tricks in the book, they highlighted the supposed flaw before anyone else could e.g 'look at this horrible spot on my face'. Then by showing  loads of women embracing these so called 'imperfections', re-enforces the normality of them and reduces the anxiety surrounding them.

Now to get a little bit more technical, but I think you can cope. This also relates to  what sociologists would call the "looking glass self", the process of imagining others' reactions to our behaviour or actions. So rather than just guessing what people think of them when they workout (which is typically negative), this ad allows women to see for themselves. By watching their peers on TV, they can see that "hey its not that bad" and therefore based on their new perception of what other might think when they are working up a sweat up, they are more willing to engage in the activity (see it wasn't that complicated).We are all self-monitors in social environments. By helping to the lower the intensity level of self consciousness in these situations, Sports England have been able to increase female acceptance of their marketing message. Both the campaign's media advertising and out-of home advertising convey the same concrete message to their target audience, but are also prime examples  of what advertising agencies would call effective advertising. Effective advertising satisfies five main conditions:

1. It extends from the marketing strategy: Sports England campaign managers wanted an advert to encourage females of all ages and abilities  to participate in sport..... check!

2.Effective advertising takes the consumer's view: By using real women and accurately portraying what they go through when working up a sweat, the advert connects with its target audience......check!

3.It finds a unique way to break through the clutter: The fast paced, real-life shots used in these ads (not to mention the humorous taglines), does not fail to catch both the tv watcher's and the passer-by's attention....check!

4.Effective advertising never promises more than they can deliver: Far from promising an easy way to lose weight (quite the opposite in fact) the ad depicts the blood, sweat and tears of working out but still makes it seem fun........check!

5.It prevents the creative idea overwhelming the campaigns marketing objectives: Ladies do more exercise.....check!

But I think the most important thing is that the ad sticks. The worst  thing a marketer could do is spend all their time and money making an ad that after two seconds of seeing it you have forgotten what it was about, or worse still, that it exists. But luckily for the marketers over at Sports England their ads are remembered.

This campaign exhibits all the traits of an integrated and well-orchestrated marcom strategy. All the ads speak with a single voice so the message is clear and the hashtag thisgirlcan is a great way to get women involved in the campaign via social media. Nowadays, we as consumers don't just want to sit back and watch marketing campaigns, we like to get involved. This Girl Can campaigners not only want ladies to interact through their social media handles,they also want them to share the fitness stories on the website. This not only re-enforces the core message that any girl 'just like you' can get involved, but also helps to create user-generated 'content' which is a more interesting way for potential participants to learn about the campaign. In short, Sports England's well executed IMC campaign has ensured that the initial marketing objectives of brand awareness and nurturing positive attitudes towards the campaign have been achieved. However, the next step is measuring the success of the campaign in getting more ladies involved in exercise over the next twelve months. I mean it is one thing to say "yeah I should do exercise" its a whole another thing actually doing it.. can I get an Amen!