THE FOLLOWING IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE DITTY BOP'S SUCCESSFUL MARKETING STRATEGY, WITH REFERENCES MADE TO MALCOLM GLADWELL'S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED "THE TIPPING POINT"...
Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett make up the Ditty Bops. They’re not the typical artists you’d expect a major label to sign. They’re quirky—either performing songs in 1920s-style attire, in carrot and artichoke costumes, or in plastic-shopping-bag bikinis. They’re active environmentalists—discarding the tour bus idea for their cross-country 2006 summer tour, opting instead to travel on bicycles. And their music rests completely out of the mainstream music box—a fusion of jazz, cabaret, swing, and ragtime. It comes as no surprise that after releasing two full-length albums with Warner Music, the Ditty Bops ended their contract and self-released an EP, Pack Rat, in early 2007. With or without a major label, the harmony-singing duo has been
successful in creating a compelling artist image and garnering a fair amount of media
buzz and word-of-mouth talk.
The girls originally met each other five years ago while playing in a 1920s cover band together (KCRW). When deciding to form the Ditty Bops, the girls brought along much of the antics they had experimented with while performing in the cover band. For example, their live performances are known to feature multiple costume changes, skits, vaudeville-like theatrics, and even puppet shows. Ditty Bop performances are not meant solely for the performance of songs, but to present a more visual experience.
We spent a lot of class time discussing how we would be creative in constructing our own artist’s marketing campaign. In one class, you asked us if we were fans of music. We looked at you as if you were crazy, wondering why you would be asking us such a question. You proceeded to then ask us if we thought the rest of the population were music fans like us, and if not, how then we would get these people excited about our artists. You encouraged us to stop complaining—whether it be about the majority of people illegally downloading music or the general lethargy the general population had towards music—and just make innovative ideas!
The Ditty Bops have fearlessly taken risks in order to connect with their audience. In fact, for last year’s bicycle tour the girls encouraged their fans to join them in biking from city to city. They even offered discounts at the door to their shows if anyone arrived on a bike (Swartz). By doing this the Ditty Bops were not only promoting environmentally-conscious behavior, but they were also providing an opportunity for fans to feel connected to their music and simultaneously, to a greater cause.
What is intriguing about this tactic is not only that the Ditty Bops were personally inviting their fans to bike with them (though that is certainly unique), but that they weren’t afraid to innovate in regards to the model of live performance. What is amazing about their approach is their ability to take one of the most powerful elements of the concert experience—the communal aspect—and enhance it. By inviting fans to bike to concerts, fans could enjoy the Ditty Bops’ music but also do something positive for the environment together. I could just imagine the feeling of devoted fans biking to their desired venues, just to see the sight of several dozen other devoted fans with their bikes.
What makes the Ditty Bops such a successful act is the strength of their imaging. They make sure to depict themselves as more than musicians. On their website, they take great care to reveal different sides of their personalities. By scanning the website, fans can learn that both members of the Ditty Bops have a love for cooking through looking at their personal recipes. Fans can also learn that the girls have an interest in visual arts by clicking to see Abby’s artwork or the girls’ self-made cartoons. This Business of Artist Management advises managers to assess their artists from all sides—sound, image, songwriting ability, charisma, and personality (Frascogna 83). The authors of the book imply that fans want both good music and a distinct personality. In my opinion, people tend to gravitate towards artists whom they can relate to, whom they feel similar towards, and whom they think values what they do. It is important for managers to flesh out their artist’s image in a way that leaves room for a fan to personally identify.
The Ditty Bops aptly express themselves through their website. They provide content that is very personalized and honest. Their content includes a biography, audio, lyrics, photos, video, art images, live show schedules, a discussion forum, a list of their favorite recipes, a store, links to various websites, and more. It’s not just what they offer on their website, but it’s clearly how it’s offered. For example, audio from their past two albums is available from the “Ditty Bop Jukebox,” which proves to be a memorable graphic (also consistent with their 1920s theme) and a practical way for fans to sample music. Again, the Ditty Bops offer what most artist websites offer, but deliver the content in a clever and personal way. Instead of attaching mere text files with their lyrics, they choose to include hand-written lyrics. Along the same line, instead of providing a strict and professional-sounding biography, each Ditty Bop tells their “story” in a very informal way.
"Record Label Marketing" insists that artists need to give their fans something of value on their website (Hutchison 246). The Ditty Bops’ website truly gives fans an insight into the Ditty Bops, which is something a real fan vaulues. At the same time, it is important to continually deliver valuable content to fans, so that they have a reason to return (246). The Ditty Bops do so by updating their cartoon blog titled “The Environmentalist’s Dilemma.” During their summer 2007 tour, the Ditty Bops offered a blog describing their experiences. During their 2006 cross-country bike tour, they offered a cartoon blog of their “adventures on the road.” While the content here is creative and interesting, I noticed that the blogs do not allow for any posting of comments. I’m surprised to see this since the Ditty Bops seem so interactive in every other way.
The Ditty Bops are masters at creating interesting content. Not only are their musical works interestingly and innovatively composed, but their website is distinctive and absurdly clever. In my opinion, the girls have also created an aura around them that is memorable and distinctive. Author of the best-seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell would call this quality “stickiness.” Gladwell believes that contagious behavior occurs because of a memorable message that spurs action, the influence of certain types of people, and the general environment in which the message is transmitted through (Gladwell 7). The reason why the Ditty Bops sell out concerts and why they have created such a buzz around themselves is because their sound is unique and memorable, but also because their musical message ties into something that is empowering and encourages action.
A friend of mine recently told me that he thought the green movement was the new take on the hippie movement. While I don’t think the “green” movement is as all-encompassing as the hippie movement was in the 60s and 70s, I do understand what he is implying. There is something about this community that is passionate and particularly active. Being tied to such a cause, that encourages—and essentially needs participation in order to be effective—is a key ingredient in the Ditty Bop’s “stickiness” formula.
In today’s music industry, talent and persistence is not enough to cause a word-of-mouth phenomenon. In fact, today’s music environment does not really allow for a truly “sticky” message to be generated and released. While the Ditty Bops’ music and brand is memorable, hearing music these days doesn’t necessarily spur any sort of immediate purchasing action. In previous days, when music was only to be heard from radio, listeners would hear a good song—essentially a “sticky” message—and be driven to buy the product so that they could own it. Today, music is ubiquitous and readily available—internet radio, podcasts, myspace, TV shows, illegal downloading sites, you name it. No one necessarily needs to take out a dollar bill to hear music anymore.
Because the current musical environment doesn’t naturally stimulate a cause of action, the Ditty Bops’ alliance with the green movement could prove to be very beneficial to them—since the green environment is a context of action and activism. The Ditty Bops have already attempted to accumulate sales from their green-minded fan base. On their website store, their latest album’s picture and lyric book is available on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper. This would appeal to fans who wished to purchase some exclusive content, but be environmentally friendly at the same time. Perhaps some fans would even be propelled to purchase the item in order to support what they felt to be a worthy cause. The Ditty Bops also offer artist t-shirts that are “sweatshop free.”
An even more impressive item found in their online store is a tote bag that reads “you and I save the world.” The bag is an organic cotton tote, made in the United States and is “printed without the use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride—an environmentally hazardous plastic material used in screen painting.)” Below the image, the Ditty Bops inform their fans that the tote is a product of their own nonprofit organization titled “You and I Save the World.” Though the Ditty Bops are not reaping in any profit from this item, the product is another way to lure fans to their cause, while perhaps simultaneously strengthening their fans love for the music.
Additionally, the tote bags are inherently marketing mechanisms. While a t-shirt would effectively market the Ditty Bops, the tote bag is an accessory that could be worn numerous times, and could even be worn on a daily basis. Firstly, that means there is a great likelihood that the tote-wearer will explain the product—and hopefully the music of the artists who sold it to them—on a daily basis. Such a word-of-mouth style is called a “referral program”—which is a marketing tactic in which tools are created to help fans refer the artist to their friends (Hutchison 232).
The tote bag makes perfect sense. As a girl, I can say that other girls comment on my clothing or/and other accessories I may be wearing on a very regular basis. This is usually just a way to start conversation. Yet the interesting thing here is that when prompted to answer friends—or even strangers—where the bag was from, the “message” would be quite comprehensive and memorable. Perhaps the friend or stranger could be stirred to check out the Ditty Bops for themselves. Secondly, because a bag could be worn on a daily basis—as opposed to t-shirt—the tote-wearer is inherently reminded of the Ditty Bops on a daily basis. And even if the tote bag becomes less special to the fan as time goes on, she will be reminded of the Ditty Bops each tine a person asks her what bag she’s wearing.
The Ditty Bops’ online store is an effective way of making revenue in a bit of a crazed moment in the music industry, as it is also an effective way to promote a word-of-mouth phenomenon, and a great way to continually connect with fans. What’s missing from this portion of the marketing scheme, and is something I would recommend to the Ditty Bops, is a viral component to their word-of-mouth spreading. There is nothing on their website that a fan could send another fan digitally. Though the videos are from youtube, fans can’t share videos through the Ditty Bops website. Though I feel the tote bag concept is a great approach to word-of-mouth marketing, there definitely needs to be a digital parallel to that idea.
The Ditty Bops are doing a lot of things right. They’ve got their musical craft together, their live performances are creative and interactive, their brand is strong and memorable, and they’ve aligned themselves with an environmental context that is active in nature. My only concern is that perhaps their cause will triumph their music. A lot of their media coverage is centered on their advances as environmentalists or other crazy antics they’ve pulled to better preserve the environment. And sometimes that’s fine—their intriguing story is likely to grab a person’s attention. Perhaps that person will google “Ditty Bops” and happen to listen to some of their music, and then prove to be a devoted fan. No publicity is bad publicity.
Additionally, the “cause marketing” works in this case because the relationship is authentic; the Ditty Bops truly care about the environment and work to preserve it. Essentially, it would be hard to separate their music from their environmentalism because it so closely defines who they are as people.
What we learn from the case study of the Ditty Bops is that a relationship as fluid as this, between artist and cause, is what an up-and-coming artist should strive for. Not every musical artist is meant to be aligned with a cause and not every musical artist may be so passionate about many other disciplines outside of music. However, it is important to recognize that this relationship—the Ditty Bops and the green movement—is natural and that it works. In a music industry environment that seems to perhaps be moving towards a model where an artist is “sponsored” by a corporation, it is important to remember that authenticity is apparent and something artificial is transparently clear in the eyes of the public.
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