So how do you make FMCG brands interesting in the digital space? What is the reason to go to newtoothpaste.com?

We all buy fizzy drinks, baked beans, toothpaste and washing powder, but they aren’t necessarily the kind of products you’d think about googling to find out more.

Beinggirl.com, which is aimed at a young teen audience, gets around this problem by keeping Proctor and Gamble’s female sanitary products (such as Tampax, Always and Alldays) firmly in the background, but instead provides a forum for teenage girls to find out about and discuss their problems and interests. The site, now available in 21 countries around the world, includes plenty of helpful advice for teenage girls about their bodies, sex and relationships, plus simple beauty tips, fun online games and you guessed it, music.

The music content on the site revolves around providing the latest audio and video clips from the likes of Akon, Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift, Sugababes, Jonas Brothers, Ashlee Simpson and Kate Nash, a pretty good selection of artists for the target audience.

However, there are a number of areas where the site’s music strategy falls down:

  1. Both the audio and video tracks are only 60 second clips
  2. The site doesn’t provide any other additional information about the artists that might keep the users coming back for more
  3. Much of the content on beinggirl seems to take into account local variations in the users needs…except when it came to the music, which isn’t localised at all
  4. There is no opportunity to buy or stream the music, even if you enjoyed it!

Music could have provided a great soundtrack for beinggirl’s visitor. As with many forms of marketing communication, the sonic strategy seems to have been left till last, and is definitely the least effective part of the site.

Four things for Brands to consider when using music in their online communication:

  1. Don’t put the sonic strategy for your website at the bottom of your list of priorities. Music can be a valuable part of the communication, but needs the same level of strategic thinking as any other part of the site
  2. Think about how the visitors to your site currently experience music online, and then look to see if your music strategy adds value or a point of difference to what is easily available elsewhere
  3. Think Local. Make sure you include music from local artists and well as major international acts
  4. Be an Enabler – Help drive sales for the artist. Such action will be seen positively by artist, fan, manager and label, and might be a way to build a relationship with the owners of music which could feature further on the site

Related posts:

  1. Case Study: the sound of Scion
  2. “There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.”
  3. Starbucks: smell the coffee and think small…
  4. The Feelings Mutual
  5. Last.fm+Youtube = the coolest music channel in the world