Fireworks Music - Private Labeling
Terry Breen, senior editor for sales publications at Dartnell Corporation
MAKE YOUR MESSAGE "MUSIC TO THEIR EARS"
Making a good impression is more important than ever. And, says Chicago musician/entrepreneur Keith Hooper, the best way to do this is with music specifically, the music in the 15 recordings on his Fireworks Music record label. Companies buy the recordings which appear in CD or cassette format and range in style from pop to jazz to classical and have them customized with their logo and a brief message. Then they give them away as gifts.
"Every time corporate listeners play a Fireworks Music recording, they associate the music with a positive image of the sponsoring company," says Hooper. "A recording is an ad that repeats itself for a long time, unlike print and broadcast ads. As a result, it has more impact‹even though it's very inexpensive." One title, Christmas Jazz, a bright array of holiday tunes, is popular with Hilton Hotels, Chicago jazz station WNUA, and Wasatch Advisors, a Salt Lake City money manager.
Other companies, including the New York based investment firm Vontobel USA, have offered a classical title, Finale Con Gioia, as winter holiday gifts. Meanwhile, automaker BMW has given a high energy jazz offering called Implosion to those test driving its cars, and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers has used another jazz title, Intimate Partners, as a guest room amenity.
"Our recordings are great gifts for any type of business," says Hooper. "Wine may give you a headache, chocolate may give you cavities, and flowers wilt. But music touches the emotions‹and a tape or CD really lasts. When, for instance, the Sheraton Chicago guests take Intimate Partners home and listen to it, they remember the great time they had and, presumably, want to stay at the hotel again on their next trip to Chicago. And if their friends like the music, the hotel gets even more exposure."
Another Fireworks title, Backyard Monsters, makes money besides serving a promotional role. The album, which blends animal and nature sounds with synthesizer and oboe, began as a soundtrack for an exhibit of robotic insects at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. But it's become a big seller in the museum's gift shop‹mainly with children. "A store can do this with any of our titles," says Hooper. 'And it can easily promote an album on its sound system. If a CD costs a store $7 per unit for 500 units, and it sells them for that, it's free airspace advertising, because the store gets its money back and the store's name is on the CD. But if it sells them for more, its advertising budget is a moneymaker!"
Whether as moneymakers or gifts, Hooper offers albums for every holiday and every corporate image from serene baroque music to bouncy Beatles tunes. And Fireworks customers find a type of marketing magic in the music. "The response to Finale Con Gioia was the best we've ever had from a Christmas gift," says Vontobel USA's Peter Newell. "Clients viewed it as a 'classy gift from a classy organization' that had a very personal quality." Observes Wasatch Advisors' Jim Milligan: "Our clients say the CDs show an 'extra effort to give them something different' as a gift instead of just a fruit basket or a bucket of popcorn."
Music, however, isn't all that Hooper offers. Whenever possible, he links his recordings with other elements, from special print materials to live music performances. One of his most creative projects occurred during the 1994 Christmas season. Hilton Hotels sent out Christmas Jazz CDs to 250 customers along with an invitation to a party at which a Hooper led combo performed the music live indoors while the CD played over the speakers of a skating rink next door. And currently, as part of a multimedia package for companies in the automotive field, Hooper is designing a children's coloring book to accompany the Backyard Monsters.
"Finally, Fireworks Music is becoming the 21st Century marketing firm I've always envisioned," says Hooper, explaining that his business got off to a start in 1985 with Romantic Offering, a classical album he produced to sell at performances at Chicago's Park Hyatt Hotel of a duo in which he played oboe. Soon, an album per year was growing out of his performing repertoire, and he was using them to promote his work both as a musician and as a financial consultant for a major brokerage firm. "As I used my albums as calling cards, I discovered that, in marketing terms, music is a great emotional rallying point," says Hooper.
"Conventional marketing materials provide a visual impression of what you sell, but music adds a powerful audio impression. Music can reduce stress, enhance creativity and encourage customers to build a better rapport with you. All this enhances your image as a good friend and business partner."
Here's how to contact Fireworks Music