Sony and Synergy
The meaning of synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects: ‘the synergy between artist and record company’.
Beyonce and L’Oreal
Beyonce is an American successful singer known for being lead singer of Destiny’s Child. She is currently signed to Sony for her music label but has synergised with companies such as Pepsi and L’Oreal to promote their products or have campaigned for it. In this screenshot Beyoncé is the face of L’Oreal’s advert called L’Oreal true match Marie Claire, which launched in January 2013. In the advert they have emphasised on the fact that they have used an aspirational black, leading female figure such as Beyonce as their cover star. This widens L’Oreal’s target audience as black females or females of colour can relate to the cover stars race and also find their “true match” foundation, which suits the tone of their skin. On the print advert there are facts about the products that may enlighten and intrigue the audience such as “57 ethnic background”, “33 shades-light to dark, warm, neutral or cool”. These facts would appeal to the target audience as they are aware of the various amounts of shades for there skin and are certain they are able to find the correct foundation for themselves.
Usher and MasterCard
Usher is a successful RnB singer been given the title,“King of pop and RnB”. He is currently signed to Sony records but he has synergised with companies such as MasterCard to launch his new credit card to promote his version. In this screenshot Usher is the face of the new master card, with his own signature look to it and his personalised star. Ushers star persona and image, as a music artist is known to be “sexy and hot”. This is due to his target audience being dominantly females from 18 to 40. Usher endorsing MasterCard and given the company the opportunity to branch there product to a wider target audience. On the debit card Ushers close-up is enlarged and top key lightening has been used to accentuate his cheekbones and underneath his eyes to give him more appeal and make him look more sharp and attractive. The background colour being black adds mystery and sophistication to the MasterCard. Black is a colour that connotes sexuality, power and wealth. The targeted audience would take the card seriously due to the background colour, Ushers serious facial expression. Using Usher as the cover star of its product is due to the fact that he is aspinrational and has made a big impact in the music industry and is a current artist that most people can relate to.
"Horizontal integration is the process of a company increasing production of goods or services at the same part of the supply chain. A company may do this via internal expansion, acquisition or merger. The process can lead to monopoly if a company captures the vast majority of the market for that good or service." Katy B is a signed to Sony music and is cross promoting her record labels headphones. Katy B promoting her record labels headphones expands her female target audience across the United Kingdom, as she is a British artist. Taylor Swift is signed to Sony music and is cross promoting her company’s camera. Taylor Swift is recognized as a successful singer globally. This cross promotion expands her target audience internationally and increases Sonys sales as her target audience see that there favorite artist has the product and would feel inspired to purchase it to.
Cross promotion helps Sony appeal to a wider audience because artists used to cross promote such as Taylor Swift promote the product to various people who may not be fans of her music but target audiences of the product being promoted. Cross promotion helps Sony appeal to a wider target audience as it provides Sony with better exposure. By using cross promotion Sony products such as the headphones and camera are advertised better and realistically. Each business is advertising for both its self-artistry and the company at the same time. With cross promotion Sony’s credibility is built.
