The 'merchandising' of diana....

[jazzanddianafan]

i realise i am treading on kind of thin ice with this topic...... hence i have kind of hid it here in this section of the forum.... however i have been noticing for some time now that the 'merchandise' portion of the offical DK site is very much lacking in selection and availability of Diana merchandise...

at last look, of the 11 items offered on the site , 5 were listed as 'currently unavailable'.....and in my opinion the selection of 11 items was kind of meager to begin with... i hope that no one involved with the site takes this personally, but it is my opinion that the merchandising of Diana is falling way short of her popularity....

Some might say that DK's jazz roots dicatate a different approach to the merchandising aspect of the business.... but as one of Diana's biggest fans, i would love to see more of a variety and availability....

Is it Maple Music.... is it Diana's management.... is it just me ?.....

[TheViolinSkirt]

I sometimes wonder what goes on with Diana's marketing or lack thereof it would seem. Whatever happened to the "street team" idea?

[scielle]

Oh come on, does anybody actually wear that stuff? Maybe it's just me, but I would never leave the house sporting somebody's face on my shirt, regardless of how much I appreciate their work. I think it's downright creepy. Just like I would never walk around with "Tommy" or "ClubMonaco" or whatever the latest happens to be plastered on my chest.
In my opinion, the less ostentatious the marketing (or perhaps 'merchandising' is a better term here), the better. It turns me off and cheapens the music.
As for the 'street team', I'm glad they did away with that concept. It was just so phony. Perhaps I'm being idealistic here, but the music speaks for itself, doesn't it? And if you appreciate that, you shouldn't need it shoved in your face. (Though I suppose that's sacrilegious, coming from a commerce student...)

[imnoangel1975]

Oh come on, does anybody actually wear that stuff?

Yes. I love my concert t-shirts and I'm not creepy.

Next soap box topic?

[TheViolinSkirt]

Don't confuse "street team" with media hounds. I thought it was going to be some type of organized fan promotion not based on: see how many people you can get to listen to DK, come to a concert, buy a CD, etc. and win an autographed poster. More like, hey I love this artist and I want everyone to have the opportunity to listen to her as well. Unfortunately, the unabrasive, casual approach doesn't usually work out. It's the in your face, spamming, beat-a-dead horse that gains overexposure.

By the way, there's more to marketing than t-shirts. How about a DK journal? Window/bumper stickers? Hey, even I'd take a stab at designing one! Posters, tour books, calendars, iPod cases, jewelery designed by DK, keychains....



Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs the T-shirt. Spaceballs the lunchbox. Spaceballs the coloring book. Spaceballs... the flamethrower! Kids love it. And my favorite, Spaceballs the Doll -- me!
[Pulls string]
Doll: May the Schwartz be with you!

[scielle]

Unfortunately, the unabrasive, casual approach doesn't usually work out. It's the in your face, spamming, beat-a-dead horse that gains overexposure.

I'd have to disagree - personally, nothing turns me off more than this sort of thing. I like to give people credit for being curious enough to research things for themselves. I'm not advocating deliberate obscurity here (although it does generally mean my favourite artists play intimate venues with cheaper tickets ), but if there's one thing I took away after 3 years of business school, it's that the best publicity is the kind you can't buy.
Besides, remember the backlash DK had to deal with after those Chrysler ads, or all the uproar about her cover shots - just imagine the kind of response she would get after a jewelry/ perfume/ handbag line à la J. Lo. I don't think it would win her much musical credibility or critical acclaim. Not a cleaver career move if your aim is to keep it real, IMHO.
Just my 2 cents.

[TheViolinSkirt]

Well, my take is like so...

I don't want to confuse Diana's 'commercialism' with marketing. The stuff I listed for Diana's merchandise might be a good idea to sell on her website. I was actually taking ideas from other artists I listen to, ie. Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, etc. I don't think it's a good idea for Diana to whore herself out ala J-Lo and Celine... Just low-key items on the web. The kind of stuff you wouldn't know was there, except if you were an avid fan. I wouldn't mind the occasional DK song in a commercial not related to DK herself. I thought the Chrysler ad was funny. Not over the top. It was just right. And didn't over expose her to the point where we're turning the channel everytime you hear the opening chords of "I Drove All Night".

Here are the links to the stores of Tori and Sarah:
http://store.tbentgroup.com/
http://www.werkshop.com/cgi-bin/nw/arti ... ion=return

[scielle]

I don't want to confuse Diana's 'commercialism' with marketing.

Yeah, I suppose I'm guilty of that. Kinda hard to differentiate the two these days, though. I see your point; I can understand buying mementos, but items of the Celine perfume ilk are just so painfully overt. And then of course there's Air Celine...
For the record, I thought DK's Chrysler ad was very tastefully done, have nothing against it at all.
And this one's quite nice, too:

And a side-note re. Tori - her album art is always so beautiful; the booklets alone are worth the CD price!

[TheViolinSkirt]

Yeah, I kinda wish Diana would put out CDs like Tori's. That's what I mean whenever I say, I'm probably spoiled by the artists I like to listen to. Both Sarah and Tori have great artwork, and Tori especially releases CDs with 15+ songs and really cool DVD footage, not just an extra video.

[jazzanddianafan]

since i opened this can of worms, let me explain what i mean by 'the merchandising of Diana'... when i go to a concert of a major talent like Diana i usually want some momento of the event.... i have purchased tee shirts and other clothing items - usually not the ones with life sized pictures of the artist - for instance the long sleeved tee shirt offered at the 'look of love' tour.... the signed posters were a nice offering in that they were personalized by DK herself....

my reason for the topic in the first place was mostly just a comment on the fact that over half of the merchandise offered thru her official site is 'currently unavailable' and has been for quite some time.... all but one of the programs and clothing pieces offered thru the site is from tours long past - WILIYE, LOL.... personally, if i am going to buy something like that it will be at the concert, but there have been times that i was interested in some momento of an event and the booth at the venue was so packed, i gave up.... i just think it is unprofessional looking and unworthy of a major talent like DK to have items consistently unavailable .

as far as the commercials and ads that DK has been in goes - i think they have all been done very tastefully. It's important to remember that the music business is a business. the creative process and the personal nature of an artist's talent sometimes seems to be in conflict with the business side of this reality. if you are trying to make your living from your artistry, it has been the downfall of many well known and talented people to minimize and marginalize the business side of the equation.

[TheViolinSkirt]

Here here, Greg!

[scielle]

music business is a business... it has been the downfall of many well known and talented people to minimize and marginalize the business side of the equation

No contest there. But let's not forget the argument applies in reverse too; it has been the downfall of many to forget about the music amidst the overbearing weight of 'The Industry'...

(I'd write more but duty calls. Big currency swap/ option greeks/ NASDAQ index futures hedging presentation tomorrow... wish me luck )

[lukenimbus]

I would like to see some more merchandise too. I went to one of DKs Melbourne shows last week (which was sensational) and was, quite frankly, very disapointed with the range of merchandise.

From memory there was a fitted shirt, mug and all the CDs/DVDs. I would have liked to see a greater range. Some posters would have been nice. Perhaps even a calender or something along those lines in which some of the great photos of DK can be used.

[scielle]

Well guys, it seems your wishes have been answered!
(Hope you got the e-mail...)

[jazzanddianafan]

actually, that email was meant for DKClub members and although most of us here most likely are members, maybe we should not re-post it here.... the contest is open to members only.....

not a big deal, but i don't need any more competition than i already have !!...

[scielle]

Point taken.
Cheers. (And good luck!)