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In conversation with Campaign, Mish Mayer, head of production and creative at Amazon Music, discusses how the democratisation of creativity has transformed brand-audience relationships, making fan participation essential for brands looking to shape culture.
There has never been a better time to be a fan. Brands are moving away from a top-down dynamic between themselves and consumers and towards creating experiences that appreciate and invite fan participation. In fact, fan-power is such an undeniable force that it now sets the cultural agenda.
That’s according to Amazon Ads’ recent “Ads to Zeitgeist” research, which set out to explore “the trends shaping culture as we know it, and learn how brands can cement their place in the greater zeitgeist.” The democratisation of creativity was one of the report’s key findings, revealing that 62% of consumers agree that advertising sparks their creativity and that advertising should enable creative interactions.
Campaign sat down with Mish Mayer to get her take on how marketers can make the most of the less hierarchical dynamic between brands and their consumers. Mayer says that when partnering with Amazon Music, the dialogue becomes three-way: artist, fan and brand. “We always say that fans and the artists are our customers. We need to please both of them,” says Mayer. “And that's how brands should be thinking about things. I think if brands can amplify, create and show up where fans want to see their artists, then they will become part of the culture.”
Adidas is one example of a brand that was able to successfully infiltrate culture in this way. It partnered with Amazon Music at the UK music festival, Wireless, where Adidas sponsored the livestream, the host was in Adidas clothes and festival-goers took part in spontaneous “fit checks”. “It felt really organic,” says Mayer, “which made it a lovely partnership.”
What's key to brand success is knowing your distribution options and understanding audience behaviour across these channels. “The great thing about Amazon Music is that we distribute in so many different places. You can watch things in app, on Fire TV, on Prime Video, on Twitch. And we know these intrinsically well.” Ads on Prime Video, for example, offer another way brands can drive discovery and engagement within the entertainment environment; enabling fans to discover and experience this content all in one place.
Watch our video with Mayer – produced in partnership with Amazon Ads – for more expert tips on how brands can shape culture. Hint: it’s all about being organic.