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Dino's 'Essential' Tunes Enter Crowded Marketplace
06/20/2004 6:30 AM, Reuters
Ed Christman
When you're releasing a
greatest-hits album for an artist whose work has been compiled
dozens of times by any number of labels in the last 15 years,
how do you distinguish your package from the rest?
If the artist is Dean Martin , and you're Capitol Records
and corporate sibling EMI Music Marketing, the answer is to put
together a compilation -- "Dino: The Essential Dean Martin" --
that provides more greatest hits than any other single CD.
You also design packaging with timeless images and include
liner notes that frame his place in history. Then you drive
your message home with a marketing campaign that draws from all
the unique ingredients that made Martin one of the
quintessential entertainers of the 20th century.
"What makes this (release) different is that it is a very
complete set that is spanning his entire career, from his early
Capitol years through his Reprise era," EMI Music Marketing VP
of product development and marketing Herb Agner says.
EMI Recorded Music has licensed his Reprise catalog since
1998 through a deal with the Dean Martin Family Trust.
Capitol's 30-song collection arrived June 1, right in time
for Martin's June 7 birthday. (Martin, who died in 1995, would
have been 87.) The label also positioned the set in front of
Father's Day (June 20), making it a natural gift item.
In its first week, the album scanned 32,000 units,
according to Nielsen SoundScan, enough to be the Hot Shot Debut
at No. 28 on The Billboard 200.
TOLL-FREE ON TV
To ensure that strong debut, EMI Music Marketing launched
its sales efforts in May with a direct-response TV campaign. It
filmed 60-, 90- and 120-second commercials featuring a
toll-free number. They air on CNN, the History Channel, Bravo
and MSNBC, among other cable networks, as well as a host of
local shows.
While direct-response TV is the linchpin of the Martin
marketing effort, EMI Music Marketing product manager John Owen
calls its campaign a "very comprehensive multimedia plan."
That plan is meant to reflect Martin's multiple talents. In
addition to earning renown as a vocalist, Martin was a film and
TV superstar. He was known to millions as a member of "the Rat
Pack," which also included Frank Sinatra , Sammy Davis Jr.,
Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop .
Besides its TV commercials, EMI Music Marketing is enjoying
the visibility of Martin's Hollywood career. Turner Classics
programed a daylong Martin film festival to celebrate his
birthday, airing three of his movies in a row. Leading up to
the date, the network ran a five-minute news piece that
highlighted the film festival and the new album.
Also, songs on the album can be heard in a couple of
current TV commercials. "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" is in a
Nissan ad, and "Just in Time" is playing in a Marriott Hotel
ad.
Owen says the company is promoting the album on oldies,
news/talk and sports stations in the top 30 markets. Such
magazines as People, Vanity Fair, Details, Playboy and AARP
have committed to coverage as well.
AARP reaches retirees, who are part of the target audience
for the album. "Our focus demo is 35-plus," Owen says, "and (to
reach them) we will do an extensive print advertising campaign.
While younger demographics have discovered Martin through the
cocktail/lounge music phenomenon, the label doesn't plan to
chase them actively.
Meanwhile, the album will come out internationally Sept. 6.
Since the packaging is the same worldwide, the track listing
includes some of Martin's biggest hits from key markets outside
the United States, such as "Under the Bridges of Paris," "Let
Me Go Lover," "Mambo Italiano."
Reuters/Billboard
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