Grouplove is an American indie rock band I encountered after attending a concert last September. They opened for Two Door Cinema Club, another indie rock band that has seen rising popularity in the indie music scene. Grouplove’s cheery disposition and uplifting beats in their debut album ironically titled, “Never Trust a Happy Song,” is exactly what you would imagine listening to on a summer road trip. I was immediately enthralled and have since been following them around the Bay Area.

When I was home visiting family in sunny central California for the holidays, I overheard “Tongue Tied,” a single from Grouplove’s album, on TV. I skipped over to the screen to find their song was being used as the soundtrack for an Apple iPod Touch TV commercial, “Share the Fun” (say hello to the charts, Grouplove)! Apparently I wasn’t the only one who found their beats contagious and their lyrics catchy.

Apple is known for putting bands on the map (Feist – 1234, Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl, and The Ting Tings – Shut Up and Let Me Go, to name a few) after featuring them in their ads. They’re also known for having lighthearted and uplifting branding, particularly in their TV spots. Their ads usually include attractive individuals dancing and smiling while energetically using their Apple products to the sounds of catchy tunes.

Okay, hold the phone, what does this have to do with email marketing and businesses like yours? There are two important (but happy) takeaways from this encounter with Apple and Grouplove:  

1. Consistent branding is key – Grouplove’s sound is consistent and the songs on their album are complementary. They can easily be described as happy, uplifting and upbeat. People can’t talk about you if they aren’t able to concisely describe your business. And, they won’t recognize or recall you if your branding is all over the place. Someone at Apple heard Grouplove somewhere and it clearly stuck with them and it’s definitely paying off for the band (Tongue Tied has been listed for 3 weeks on the US Singles Top 100). Establish yourself with a consistent logo, coloration, slogan and yes, we have to say it … company name. And, keep your branding consistent on your website, emails, publications and across all of your social marketing platforms.

Email Tip – You can input your company name and upload your company logo in your VerticalResponse account (under the “Account” tab) to be included as the default in your email messages.

2. Get clever with your slogan – Make it easy for customers, potential customers and even employees to remember you and be able to recall and explain exactly what you do. Apple features catchy upbeat songs in their ads and these songs undoubtedly become stuck in our heads. As we happily hum the songs of Apple commercials past, we then think of Apple and all of the products showcased in their commercials. Great, now we all just need to run out and find an indie band to feature in our multi-million dollar TV spot, right? Not quite, but what you can do is make sure to include a contagious tagline or slogan in all of your communications (email, social media, print, online etc.) and branding which indicates exactly what you do.

Email Tip – Need a place to include your slogan or tagline? Incorporate it into your logo, place it in the pre-header of your email or use it as the alt text for your images.

Happy Branding!

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