EMI Music UK and Zip Television join forces to bring emotional branding to interactivity

Today, EMI Music UK and Zip Television announce a new partnership that will bring emotional branding to interactive TV campaigns. The partnership will offer brands an opportunity to create content-rich, emotionally engaging iTV campaigns, utilising the huge range of EMI Music UK’s music portfolio. It will also offer a further means for consumers to access directly and download official music tracks when they press red.

Danny Van Emden, Digital Media Director at EMI Music UK, comments, “The partnership with Zip Television is part of our ongoing strategy to extend our relationship with consumers innovatively; taking it beyond traditional outlets and further into digital channels. For brands, this partnership provides a means to communicate more effectively with viewers, reaching them on a greater personal level. Music is the glue that provides emotional engagement with a brand: driving registration; reinforcing brand loyalty; building attitudinal communities; and providing consumers with additional value.”

Music is a fundamental element in delivering greater viewer engagement and making brand content more ‘sticky’. Guy Abbott, Business Development Director at Zip Television, explains: “While music is an established element in emotionally engaging viewers in above-the-line advertising, we are yet to maximise the potential within interactive campaigns. The success of our Honda Diesel ‘Hate Something Change Something’ iTV campaign, which featured the TV ad’s theme tune, shows how effective music is in the interactive space.”

Guy Abbott continues, “The partnership will allow brands to move from response-driven content to creating content-rich campaigns that engage viewers and deepen their brand experience.”

The partnership is an integral part of EMI Music UK’s strategy in developing iTV platforms to promote its artists and nurture interactivity with consumers. Last month, EMI Music UK label, Virgin Records, was the first UK record label to launch an iTV campaign to promote The Chemical Brothers’ album, ‘Push the Button’.

EMI Music UK and Zip Television expect to announce plans for the first campaign shortly.

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Editors notes

About EMI Music – Digital Media Division

EMI Music was the first major record company to establish a dedicated Digital Media division in 1998. The division, headed up by Danny Van Emden, the Digital Media Director, is responsible for the digital activity of EMI Music UK and Ireland and its individual music labels. In addition, each of EMI Music’s record labels - EMI Records, Innocent, Parlophone, Virgin and the catalogue division - has a Digital Media Manager responsible for developing artist specific new media opportunities, promotions and web presence.

The Digital Media division develops many of the company’s digital cross-marketing and artist promotions; providing exclusive content; managing data capture and eCRM systems; and monetising EMI Music’s assets across the digital media. The division is also responsible for the EMI Music aggregate site, www.the-raft.com, which has been running for 11 years and won multiple awards.

With in house skills in journalism, programming, photography, SEO and design, the team are able to generate the right mix of copywriting and creativity to exploit a range of commercial opportunities. Working with EMI’s Commercial Digital team, Digital Media has worked with retail, brand, online and mobile organisations. This year alone, the division has agreed a number of crucial deals with high profile partners including OD2, i-Tunes, mycokemusic, Napster, Orange and Vodafone Live.

Websites developed for well-known artists include Kylie.com, Kelis.co.uk, thethrills.com, nerduk.com, thedivinecomedy.com, doves.net and jamelia.com. The team is also responsible for creating artists’ web shops, selling physical products and exclusive merchandise, as well as developing mobile shops and download platforms.

EMI Music UK is part of The EMI Group, one of the largest music companies in the world and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

www.emimusic.co.uk

About Zip Television
Zip Television is a specialist independent interactive television company.

The company’s aim is to help shape the future of interactive television by developing new products and services that benefit its clients and support the growth of this new industry.

Zip TV has a detailed working knowledge of the iTV landscape in the UK working closely with the major broadcasters and digital platforms. The team’s skills are founded on years of interactive media and creative experience combined with data planning and analysis.

The Zip TV channel is an initiative based on a consortium of advertisers representing 40% of the TV advertising market. These advertisers are taking an active role in the development of this industry as well as share insight and learning to exploit the brand opportunities that this new medium provides.

Members include Honda, Orange, Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, BT, COI, and Gillette.

www.ziptelevision.com

Contact:
Anna Vickerstaff
immediate future Ltd.
0845 408 2031
pressoffice@immediatefuture.co.uk