Guvera is about to launch in Australia. After a year of hype and bold claims of ‘the biggest change to media in history’, it will be interesting to see what they have to offer. The basic premise is that consumers can download music within brand channels so the brand pays for the cost of the download and the consumer is exposed to the brand.
The site’s holding page states “Your music downloads paid for by brands” and then “Many thanks to the leading brands that are paying for your downloads” with a bunch of logos including Johnson & Johnson, McDonalds and Bacardi among others.
I can’t help thinking that the whole concept is just a bit naff. If the average 18 year old music fan had written the copy it would more likely read “Your music downloads paid for by dumb brands desperately trying to be cool”.
The brands participating are like the dorky kid at school who bought the cool kids lunch in an attempt to be invited into their gang. The gang accepted whilst sniggering behind their back, the whole action just proving how much of a loser the kid really was.
Good marketing should stand out, grab and hold your attention. It should be unexpected and creative. The concept of buying consumers music in exchange for them seeing your advertising message seems to be missing the point and not really trying. It’s saying to the consumer “Hey, we’re not creative enough to stand out so we just paid these guys to give you some free stuff…please love us for it!”.
I like that concepts like this and Spotify are having a go at saving the recorded music business. I just don’t believe the Guvera model is the answer. To change behaviour and create the revolution Guvera promises you have to make the experience faster, easier and better than illegal downloading. You have to understand the motivations behind why users download illegally in the first place. To me Guvera does neither.
The irony of naming a blatantly commercial global brand driven service after Che Guevara, the marxist revolutionary is not lost on me either. The essence of the countercultural icons life mission was a desire to create the consciousness of a new man driven by moral rather than material incentives. I’m sure Che’s turning in his grave!
5 Comments
Tom Kelshaw 17 December 2009, 7:32am
@Neil: Interested to hear what you thought of the “ease” of the download process and the integration of branding throughout the entire experience in your beta trial?
The signup form solicited a few laughs: XBox/PS3 is a “favourite sport”, “capella” is a music option and “Africa”, “UK & Europe” are favourite countries. What if I love France & Spain but detest the UK? HOW WILL YOU MARKET TO ME THEN?
Tweets that mention Guvera: counterculture revolut 17 December 2009, 8:03am
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Ben 17 December 2009, 1:50pm
personally I think the sign up process treats users like idiots ... the questions are clunky and so obviously pointed.
as tom pointed out, some of the selections are a bit hrm as well.
all that aside - the idea of brands paying for music and generating some sort of positive ROI is something I cannot even begin to grasp. Neil’s analogy of it being akin to the unpopular but rich kid at school trying to buy mates is pretty apt.
Can’t see consumer joe making the connection between free Nickleback downloads and McDonalds paying for this. The premise that the interruption ad model is broken is incorrect and horrendously cliched.
That said the Melb rep is a ripper bloke and I hope I’m wrong for his sake.
mick 18 December 2009, 3:11pm
I take it the author has used the website prior to writing this? If the technology is such a dud, it is certainly intriguing that 2 of the “big 4” have already signed up, who account for roughly 40% of music sold around the world.
I agree with above statement that joe average will probably not make any connection between music and specific brands, but I’m also fairly sure that if consumers could be reasonably sure that an artist is getting some form of remuneration from something the consumer is getting free, most would be keen to support it.
Neil Ackland 19 December 2009, 11:49am
Mick,
Thanks for commenting.
I have not used the site and my commentary was not on the technology itself, more the insights that are behind the thinking. Guvera states that the old ad model of interruption no longer works. I dis-agree. It also says that this will be the ‘biggest change to media in history’. Again I dis-agree.
That 2 of the big 4 have signed up just means that Guvera has signed over substantial advance payments. Labels have seen many of these type of supposed game changers over the years and they are wise enough to take the cheque from the VC’s behind it before the funds dry up. What have they got to lose?