Overview
Apple Music has become one of the biggest music streaming services on the planet. The successor to iTunes, Apple Music not only helps musicians looking to reach larger audiences, but also fashion brands looking to expand their presence.
That is why over the past few months, a number of fashion brands partnered with Apple to drive targeted traffic to their business.
We want to explore how fashion brands are connecting with Apple to market their business. It is a great example of how businesses can use emerging technologies to market their business.
Why is Apple Music Important?
Apple Music is less than 2 years old, and already has 30 million paid subscribers. These paid subscribers can use Apple Music on a regular basis to access music from their favorite bands and artists.
While this article focuses on how Apple music works with the fashion industry, it is an insight into how retailers in the future can connect with younger generations of internet users. Apple’s built-in brand status with millennials makes it easier for them to provide future ad and other marketing services.
The fashion industry is a natural test for Apple to develop future relationships with marketers interested in learning more.
How does it work?
According to a recent article from Econsultancy, a number of fashion designers created partnerships with Apple Music to display their brand on the music streaming site.
For example, British fashion company Farfetch now has a dedicated channel on Apple Music with the ability to create their own curated playlists and behind the behind the scenes photo shoot insights.
The Farfetch designers create a number of themes relating to their particular style. Things like “Songs from the Shoot” and #TuneTuesdays provide insight to fans on how the Farfetch design team sees the world and fashion.
At the same time, their presence on Apple Music is part of their larger branding and content marketing strategy. This is another way to connect with fans, and infuse their fashion with personality.
Furthermore, having channels on Apple Music allows them to connect their celebrity endorsements without being gimmicky. Every business can have a celebrity do a commercial or YouTube video.
However, incorporating the music naturally with the fashion brand is a way to do this without being particularly annoying to fans. This is the benefit of Apple loaning its name, millions of devoted followers, and credibility to larger fashion brands like Burberry and Farfetch.
Remember, Apple is the brand that causes lines for the opening of their new phones. People waited hours to pay $500 for an iPhone release. That can be an invaluable connection for a fashion company.
Understanding the Collaboration Between Fashion and Apple Music
1. Music and Fashion work together
Whether its musicians fronting ad campaigns or designing their own clothes, the two industries have a long, natural association to each other that benefits both brands.
The same goes for the fashion and lifestyle sectors, since many clothing brands value content marketing strategies. One great content marketing strategy involves creating relevant audio content for your market. This is very possible to do when they recreate playlists on Apple Music for their fans.
2. Endorsements
Often celebrity endorsements appear gimmicky. However, by working directly with Apple, Farfetch receives a silent endorsement from the tech giant that can be invaluable for consumers looking at Farfetch as a reliable fashion brand to purchase their wares.
Furthermore, having an endorsement from an Adele or Usher on Apple Music seems less invasive, since the celebrities are in their zone of influence.
This means brands can have two levels of celebrity endorsements: one from the platform itself and the other from the superstars who can now promote a brand.
3. Increased Brand Awareness
Speaking of branding, the large global audience, offers huge opportunity to fashion brand is an increase in exposure and brand awareness.
After all, companies like Farfetch already have a significant investment in social media and content creation already. This enhances their brand, because as we stated earlier it provides them with a larger audience to share information.
Furthermore, we have discussed in the past how it is good to be well-rounded in your marketing approach when possible. Audio marketing is often neglected by fashion brands who focus more on the visual aspect of their marketing on sites like Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram.
However, having an audio component allows them to get more mobile exposure, since the vast majority of Apple Music listeners use their mobile devices to connect with the software.
This means they can market younger users on the go on a new platform with little competition.
Final Thoughts
Apple Music provides a great opportunity to fashion brands looking to increase their brand awareness from the new platform. However, as Apple Music expands it could expand their marketing opportunities to other consumer brands.
Therefore, take the lessons listed above as a guide to help you improve your marketing on Apple Music in the future.
If you have any questions about how to use Apple Music for your business in the future, contact us at Shout for more information.
