Running Head: QRT2 E-­‐Business Task 1 of 3

QRT2 – E-Business Task 1 of 3: Spazmatic Streamlining - Online Expansion Through Consolidation Jennifer Whitus Western Governor’s University

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Table of Contents

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1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…….3 2. Viability of Products and Services………………………………………………….……..5 3. Assessment of Current Online Competition………………………………………………7 4. Online Marketing Strategies……………………………………………………………..14 5. Social Media Integration………………………………………………………….….…..21 6. References…………………………………………………………………………….….25

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Spazmatic Simplification – Online Expansion Through Consolidation

Introduction A band billed as a local group called The Spazmatics played a Superbowl Gala in 2011 and thrilled the crowd at Billy Bob’s Dance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas (Star-Telegram, 2011). The new wave cover band performed well-known hits from the 80s and 90s while portraying “nerds” – members wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses with tape holding the nose bridges together, they wore their pants too short, ties unkempt and neck braces. They were quintessential throwback “nerds” made famous in the classic film Revenge of the Nerds (Kanew, 1984), complete with grating laughs, social awkwardness and sexual repression – all played for comedic effect. The band’s nostalgic playlist includes hits from such acts as Billy Idol, David Bowie, Cindy Lauper, Duran Duran, The Cars, and Madonna (Perfect World Entertainment, 1992). I was fortunate enough to be there at the Superbowl Gala, and really enjoyed the performance of The Spazmatics. The group was billed as a “local” band and performing just before the gala’s headlining act. I was struck by the talent of the musicians, charmed by the “nerd” theme, amused by the comedy elements, and made nostalgic by the song selections. I actually wondered, since they were “local,” why I hadn’t heard of them – I’ve liked in the area for more than a decade and fairly active within the local music scene. I used my smart phone on the spot to look them up and find out where and when I could see another performance. An online Google search for The Spazmatics confused me – it returned a bewildering number of responses indicating different touring areas, different website domain names and different redundant social media. I couldn’t understand why a single band would make different

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pages for different areas of the country. After all, larger bands famous the world over, like Maroon 5, generally have one concise site that encompasses a worldwide fan base, worldwide tours and a global marketplace for music and merchandise (Universal Music Group). I was intrigued enough to investigate further. It turns out there is no single band known as “The Spazmatics.” There are several groups, all with the same general playlist and nerd personas, which operate in various geographical areas of the United States. Online research revealed that the bands, tours and bookings are organized through a Las Vegas enterprise called Perfect World Entertainment. The company has its own site, as well as several additional sites for each of the many bands they represent, all of which are replicated in different parts of the country. Some of the bands, like The Spazmatics, are cover bands replicated in disparate areas of the nation. But, as a fan of the band myself, all of the different sites for the different incarnations of The Spazmatics struck me as a bit deceptive – with no uniformity to the different Spazmatics domain name, what may actually be simple disorganization seemed a bit like deceptiveness – almost as though they don’t want the Spazmatics fans in Texas to know that the band exists elsewhere. It is therefore for the sake of being more upfront, being more organized, more focused and more engaging that I propose an online reorganization and re-launch for The Spazmatics online business. This plan is designed to simultaneously grow fan base for the entire enterprise, decrease online efforts and provide new elements to modify and strengthen the bands’ brand.

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A1: Viability of Products and Services While the various websites for the different incarnations of The Spazmatics all seem to be appropriate – all are tied to the “nerd” theme, all are fun, interactive and dynamic in the promotion of live appearances while offering sales of music, merchandise and bookings – but I believe that the multiplicity of sites grouped by location can be confusing, disorganized and labor-intensive for users. I understand why Perfect Entertainment might not choose to promote the fact that The Spazmatics are a musical equivalent of a retail chain, that the musicians are cast and selected and auditioned rather than coming together on their own organically – the music industry has endured controversy for decades when fans perceive that musical acts are inorganically put together for appearance and marketing purposes rather than for quality of music (Wikimedia Foundation, 2003). But in the global marketplace, especially in the music business where fans tend to be especially passionate, online transparency is usually the best course of action (Stokes, 2013). As lighthearted and fun as the performances of The Spazmatics are, it could be most appropriate to actually poke fun of the prefabricated “boy bands” so pervasive in the pop music industry, and incorporate those elements into their shows and into their online presence. By streamlining all of the various Spazmatic groups into one site, Perfect World Entertainment would have less online domains to manage, more control over interaction and avoid the possibility of confusing and alienating their audience. They could consolidate shopping platforms and have less complicated sales analytics. Most recognizable bands have a single site to encompass all of their endeavors – tour information, selling of products, fan interaction.

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Consolidation of sites and upfront information about the brand could also make management of social media simpler and could help build audiences outside of the segmented areas. In fact, streamlining all of the sites and social media into one master platform could imbue that platform with far more uses and effectiveness. Hosting all of the bands under one online umbrella could allow for self-mocking about being a “chain” of entertainers, thereby providing another level of humor and enjoyment while strengthening the jocular brand. That, along with the online efficacy of representing all of the bands under a unified front, would lead to a more efficient, stronger online presence. After all, sometimes less is truly more.

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A2: Current Online Competition

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Discounting the other national touring cover bands represented by the same company, Perfect World Entertainment, there are few bands who utilize the same music format and same business model as The Spazmatics. To determine direct competition, I considered the following parameters: • • • • No major recording label assignation Multi-state shows or national tours Cover bands focusing on music from the 1980s and 1990s Some sort of novelty, thematic or comedic element to the performances

Considering these criteria, bands in direct competition include: • • • Atomic Blondie Money for Nothing Sharp Dressed Men

Categorical competitors – those who don’t incorporate some sort of thematic element aside from their music selection, don’t have more than one group under the same name and performance style, are limited to a single geographical location or those who focus on a different era of songs, include: • • • • Metal Elvis Yesterday Pure Zeppelin Poison Cherry

Below is a table outlining the factors in determining direct and categorical competition:

QRT2 E-­‐Business Task 1 of 3 Band Name

National Booking Multi-state Availability

8 Simultaneous Touring Groups Yes

Comedic/Thematic Throwback Element Music

The Spazmatics Atomic Blondie SharpDressed Men Metal Elvis Poison Cherry

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes Yes

Yes Yes

Yes No

Yes No

No No

Outside of Atomic Blondie and Sharp Dressed Men, The Spazmatics have no real discernable direct competition outside of the Perfect World “family” of thematic nostalgia cover bands. Atomic Blondie doesn’t have its own website – all information about the band is subcategorized in the website of its management company. Atomic Blondie actually shares its social media accounts with another cover band called Money for Nothing, a more straightforward 1980s cover band. Here is a treatment of positives and negatives for the bands to be compared. For the purposes of brevity, the “visuals” category refers to photo and video driven sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Instagram and Photobucket.

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For The Spazmatics, Website Positives Include: • • • The site is fun, interactive, colorful, dynamic, and exciting in appearance. It is in keeping with the “nerd” theme and showcases both the band and its fans. There is a good sales element for buying recordings of the band’s covers and buying merchandise. • Despite the fan-centric look, the business side is well-represented – booking information for venue managers and fans seeking home entertainment is prominently displayed but not overwhelming or distracting from the “fun” of the site. This balance seems very appropriate for performance artists.

Website Negatives for The Spazmatics: There are too many sites and the domain names do not match. For example, The Spazmatics in Los Angeles can be found at www.Spazmatics-LA.com, while Cleveland’s group is located online at www.ClevelandSpazmatics.com. Even if the band were to maintain the practice of keeping separate websites for each location, they should at least use the same format for the domain names, all hosted at www.Spazmatics-(location).com or www.(location)Spazmatics.com. On some of the branch sites for The Spazmatics, there are no blogs, which is another missed opportunity, especially since so much of the bands’ brand is focused on the nerd persona. This persona could be greatly exploited through blogging. There are also no iconic links to social media, only text encouraging online visitors to “Like us on Facebook” and “Follow us on Twitter.” Businesses who utilize social media should make it as easy as possible for site visitors to jump to social media through use of the well-known social media buttons (shown below).

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Most web-savvy consumers recognize the icons below as (in order) Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Flickr, Share and RSS. (Nabers, 2008)

Social Media Positives for The Spazmatics: The bands, in all of their incarnations, are well-represented. They have Facebook pages, Twitter handles, videos on YouTube and pictures on the photo sites. There is a mix of professional and fan photos, and the same mix carries over onto YouTube.

Social Media Negatives for The Spazmatics: There are too many Facebook pages and several Spazmatic Twitter handles – it can be confusing. There is no branded YouTube channel, all of the videos are free-floating. There are also no dedicated albums or photostreams for the band(s). They are missing out on a big branding opportunity by utilizing only free-form visuals. There is also no apparent involvement with the bulletin board site Pinterest or any of the aggregated/bookmarking sites such as Reddit.

Website Positives for Atomic Blondie Include: • Good branding – the visual style of the site matches the 1980’s look and feel of the band itself.

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Clear information on appearances and booking information.

On the Negative Side of the Atomic Blondie Website: • There is a flagrant lack of fan engagement – no outlet for feedback, no direct links or buttons for social media. • There are no songs or merchandise for sale, no other ways to make money other than through live performances. • There are no blogs, no real opportunity for a discourse with fans.

On Atomic Blondie’s Social Media, Considering Facebook and Twitter, Counted Among Positive Attributes are: • • They allow fans and followers to post comments, photos and videos. They have strong photo content.

Atomic Blondie’s Website Negatives Include: The most obvious negative for Atomic Blondie’s social media is the fact that they share a Facebook and Twitter account with another band (the band that “shares” Atomic Blondie’s social media shares has the same management company). The band’s social media should showcase it and it alone – sharing with another band could confuse visitors, and potentially alienate followers if social media activity is skewed toward the other band. I saw no evidence of Atomic Blondie on any aggregating social media sites.

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The Positives for Atomic Blondie’s Visual Sites, Such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instragram and Flickr: • • The videos and photos posted are of good quality with regard to audio and video. The pictures and videos make clear the band’s music genre and comedic style.

The Negative Side for Atomic Blondie’s Visual Presence Their participation on these sites is so meager – there was only one video on YouTube and it was stand-alone (not part of a dedicated channel). No videos could be found on Vimeo. The photos resulting from an online were also “free-standing” - not grouped into albums on any of the major photo sharing sites.

Sharp Dressed Men Website Positives Include: The site is full of pertinent information regarding appearances, booking information and extensive song list. Website negatives for Sharp Dressed Men include a lack of the visual appeal usually associated with performance artists. There isn’t any fan engagement. The site seems to exist solely for venue managers and not really for fans.

Social Media Positives for Sharp Dressed Men: Facebook and Twitter are represented and have up-to-date information with regards to appearances. As for the social media negatives, Sharp Dressed Men offers little fan engagementno photos from shows, no blogs, no bookmarking, no interaction. Only tour date information and booking details for venue managers.

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Visual site positives for Sharp Dressed Men: The video and photos on Facebook are professionally shot and stylish. Negatives for Sharp Dressed Men’s visual presence include a lack of videos or photos found outside of their Facebook page.

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A3: Online Marketing Suggestions and Strategies While there is some interactivity with fans, most obviously in the posting of the occasional photo of fan/band interaction on Facebook, I believe that it is not currently sufficient. Albums of fan/band photo albums should be available online so that fans can easily find photos of themselves and their friends enjoying the shows. Photo sharing sites and Pinterest boards could also be very useful for showcasing fan photos under The Spazmatics unified online presence. The video presence is also sparse. There is no YouTube Channel for any of The Spazmatic bands. Since their performance style is such a big part of their value proposition and uniqueness, this is a grave oversight. People should be able to see them perform. There should be a strong, heavily-branded video channel on both YouTube and Vimeo with playlists for professional videos of single-song performances that would be generated by the band and/or Perfect World, as well as a platform for fans to upload their own amateur videos. On Twitter, there are five different handles, all called “The Spazmatics.” Each of the five, again, are in a different geographical area, which can cause confusion and frustration for those trying to attend a live show. Consolidating Twitter accounts would be of great help for promoting live performances for all of the bands, and cities/locations could be highlighted through hashtags, and people might be likely to “tell their friends” in those other cities about performances, or use the touring calendar to assist them in travel plans – a fan who’s only seen The Spazmatics in Los Angeles may be innately curious about seeing the Cleveland version during an Ohio visit. There were no blogs for the Spazmatics online. Blogs would be a strong way for the bands to showcase their unique “nerd” theme, share stories from tours or anecdotes from

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performances and talk about changes to their playlists. It would also serve as an opportunity to engage fans in conversation on their home page. The Spazmatics do have a wide social media presence, but it is very under-developed and scattered. They should focus their social media campaign, be transparent about the inorganic nature of the bands’ formations, and spread their social media efforts across more platforms and, in doing so, reach a wider (and, thanks to the cheeky frankness about their multiplicity, a more informed and entertained) audience.

Marketing Suggestions and Strategies for the Website: 1. Consolidate all of the bands in all of the areas across the country into one website, www.TheSpazmatics.com. On the home page, each incarnation of the group could have its own tab or link directing the website visitor to the band geographically closest to each visitor or venue manager. Website hosting should be transferred to hosts that are specifically geared towards the music industry that can manage mp3 catalog, downloading and sales, shopping cart solution and online merchandise stores, along with the usual corporate email, domain name, blog capability, calendars, audio/visual streaming and management tools – many encompass the entire online ecommerce storefront suite specifically tailored for musicians. Potential hosts to be considered that offer all of these musician-focused attributes include RockHost.com, HostingBands.com and RockWebHosting.com. These sites not only offer several functionalities relevant to the music industry, but they are geared towards Business to Consumer (B2C) marketing, which would be fans and potential audience, along with

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Business to Business (B2B) marketing, which would include venue managers who would visit the site to book the bands into appearances. 2. Promote the fact that there are several versions of The Spazmatics grouped by geographical location. List the tour dates, booking information and song lists for each group separately under the differing location tabs. Arrange the links in such a way that it is easy for visitors to quickly click back and forth between the bands – after all, a Spazmatics fan in Las Vegas may have a visit to Los Angeles planned for the near future and might be interested in where and when “The Spazmatics L.A.” are performing. 3. Encourage fan interaction by enabling posting for each location tab. Let site visitors upload their own photos from Spazmatic shows, their own amateur videos of performances, and homemade memes onto the location tabs. Let them comment on the performances they’ve seen and would like to see and engage with those who comment negatively. It is important for online reputation management to let site visitors have their say – good, bad and indifferent (Stokes, 2013). 4. Localize the merchandise for each, utilizing the city, state or region name along with the band name on all T-shirts and other branded band paraphernalia. Use not only each location name on band merchandise, but an iconic visual for each – for example, the famous “Hollywood” sign for the Los Angeles Spazmatics, the recognizable “bean” statue for Chicago’s Spazmatics, and so forth. Not only has localization of online products been shown to be effective (Mueller & Taylor, 2013), but again, it could help generate Spazamatic audiences for out-of-town travelers.

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5. Secure ASCAP (which stands for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) rights – those rights allow “covers” of previously released music to be performed and used for commercial purposes (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, 2012) - and enable online music purchases for downloading of songs. Price point can be guided by iTunes and other mp3-purchasing sites, and the song purchase information should indicate which Spazmatics group is performing. A site visitor who wants to buy the Texas Spazmatics version of the song “Tainted Love” may be curious to hear what the Cleveland band sounds like performing the same song and pay to download the other version as well. 6. On the home page, embed a professionally-produced video showcasing a switch between bands seamlessly performing one song. The song can switch between bands line by line to showcase both the bands’ consistency and differences to humorous effect. On each location tab, feature a video of that location’s incarnation alone. 7. Be sure to include The Spazmatics logo on every page, indicating the location of the appropriate location group when applicable. Also use the previously-displayed, highly-recognizable social media icons as a direct link to the various social media accounts. 8. Incorporate a blog. The blogs can be separated by location. Band members can blog about their tours, unusual things that happen during shows, let readers know about songs being added to their repertoires. The blogs could also allow for playful banter between the various band members.

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There are two vastly different target audiences: music fans and venue managers. The fans will be targeted as primary consumers – they will be the ones to buy concert tickets from the linked venue sites, purchase and download music from the website and buy merchandise online. They will be targeted by the “Business to Consumer” (commonly referred to as “B2C”) marketing strategies. The secondary consumer is the venue manager, who use the site to book appearances for the bands. Along with payment for the performances, venues and The Spazmatics’ web site will be able to use the site to cross promote, link to each others’ sites and both sites will be able to link to ticket sellers. These venues will be targeted using “Business to Business” (also known as “B2B”) marketing.

B2C Online Marketing Strategies: 1. Consolidate the email marketing lists from the existing, disparate web sites. Send out a polished, dynamic email to these existing subscribers announcing the new and improved web site, revealing the presence of other, geographically foreign versions of The Spazmatics in other areas of the country, invite the readers to check out the photos and videos of the bands from around the country, compare and contrast the different groups, and compare and contrast the different incarnations through the new interactive functionalities. 2. For new visitors, Pay Per Click ads (also known as “PPC” ads) will be utilized. PPCs are a quick and inexpensive way to appeal to internet users, many of who begin their online activities by using search engines and often have search engines as their home

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pages (Stokes, 2013). These ads direct people to the new, all-encompassing home page. Pay Per Click ads are so called because the advertiser isn’t charged until a web user actually clicks on it. Google will be the target site of PPC ads, since it remains the most-used site in the country (eBizMBA, 2013). The PPC will feature a few select keywords and key phrases including: • • • • • • Retro Pop New Wave Music Cover Bands 80s Hits 90s Hits Live bands

3. There are many online radio stations popular with music lovers. Several of them, including AOLRadio, Spotify and 377Music, feature channels that play cover bands. In addition to submitting all Spazmatic songs to the radio stations, banner ads promoting the new Spazmatics site should be purchased to appear on these nostalgic online radio stations. These online banner ads are visual in nature but offer very limited space – common banner ad sizes include one inch tall by six inches wide (the size referred to as “leaderboard”), two to three inches square or six inches tall by one inch wide (known as “skyscrapers”) (Designers Toolbox, 2013). A “skyscraper” banner ad would nicely abut the Internet radio playlists and direct listeners to the new Spazmatics site. The ads would feature photos of the band to promote the unusual, playful “nerd” theme and name a few of the artists’ whose songs The Spazmatics perform to generate further interest.

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As all of the Spazmatic groups have been touring various parts of the country for several years, there already exists a comprehensive contact list of venue managers inside the existing (albeit inadequate) email system. With the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities of the new hosting site, band managers Perfect World Entertainment should reach out to all venue managers to let them know of the relaunched web site and the new, easier methods for booking the bands into live performances. The email should also promote the new video/photo galleries so that venue managers, who previously had not hired the bands, will literally get to see what they’ve been missing. Adding the transparent, multi-faceted aspect of The Spazmatics’ home page could increase not only the inherent fun of the bands’ brand, it could increase the amount of merchandise in the online store and increase downloaded music purchases. Links within the blogs and mentions by fan responses would also enrich the content and strengthen Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (Stokes, 2013).

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A4: Social Media Integration

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A strong social media presence is vitally important to those in the entertainment industry. Without an active fan base to support the entertainers, those performers will not be profitable as performers. While the basics for The Spazmatics are there – Facebook page, Twitter accounts, some presence on the visually-driven social media sites – as previously indicated they are disjointed, inconsistent and have an element of obfuscation about the segmented nature of the multiple Spazmatics groups. Consolidation, transparency and increased engagement are the keys to this proposed social media integration plan.

Social Media Suggestions and Strategies: 1. Streamline all of the various Facebook pages for The Spazmatics into one lone Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/TheSpazmatics. No more individual Facebook pages for each band. Like the website, each location’s performers can have their own tab. Tab functions are simple to create in Facebook (Demand Media, Inc., 1999). Create albums of professional photos, and albums for photos that fans have taken themselves. Host videos professionally produced, but encourage fans to post their amateur videos as well. Engage visitors by pitting the bands against one another – ask users in Texas why their Spazmatics are superior to the Spazmatics in Chicago. 2. Encourage interaction through Facebook wall posts. Ask visitors to upload their own “nerd” photos to see how they compare with the “nerds” in the bands. Import all of these Consumer Generated Media (CGM) into a dedicated album entitled “Spaz Out,” or some other name that’s in keeping with The Spazmatics’ brand.

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3. Open branded accounts on photo sharing sites, Flickr, Photobucket and Instagram using simply “The Spazmatics” as the account name (no different accounts depending on location). Have photostreams and feeds for professional photographs of the band, along with dedicated areas for fans to upload their own photos. Encourage fans to not only share their photos from Spazmatic performances, but to show off their own “Spaz Style” by taking photos of themselves dressed in nerdy, Spazmatic fashion. 4. Build a dedicated YouTube channel that showcases The Spazmatics’ logo and utilizes an 80s and/or 90s music theme. Upload professionally-made videos of single songs, and title them in such a manner as to indicate which Spazmatics group is featured. Along with the professionally-created music videos, have the band poke fun at its own prefabricated origins by recreating famous “boy band” dances, such as the iconic routine performed by the pop group Backstreet Boys in their hit music video “Bye Bye Bye.” Use camcorders to create and upload staged audition videos for the various members, including, perhaps, some musicians who are “too cool” or even “too nerdy” to join The Spazmatics. Host online “play-offs” so that site visitors can vote for which band performed which song the best. Along with the all-encompassing channel, group all the videos into playlists segregated by location. This will help organize videos by band and make the experience smoother for both fans and venue managers interested in booking The Spazmatics. 5. Create a unified Twitter account to promote appearances. Use tweets to announce where, when and which band will be playing, along with random humorous thoughts, new songs added to the repertoire, and to recount remarkable occurrences during shows. Bands and band members could also tweet each other in fun, humorous ways

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– wagers, jokes or goading challenges that could further build a sense of levity. Make use of Twitter’s hashtags to better enable keyword searches and categorical organization (Twitter, 2013). Hashtag the tweets according to band and location, such as #SpazmaticsLA, and by band name, #Spazmatics. Also make use of hashtags through song titles and popular terms of the 80s and 90s, such as #NewWave, #80sRock, #90sRock, #1980sHits and so on. 6. Add Pinterest to the social media presence for The Spazmatics. This online pinboard platform would allow for a different board to coordinate with each location. There could also be separate boards for professional photos, fan photos and memes. 7. Integrate all of the separate social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. can also be linked so that one post goes out simultaneously on the various platforms. Therefore, when playlists are updated, merchandise or song downloads are added, new content is uploaded to the sites or tour appearances change, the posts will go out across the multiple sites. The sites should also promote each other – The Spazmatics Twitter handle should appear on Facebook, the Facebook page on the Twitter profile, etc. Integration ensures no followers or fans miss out on anything, and they create less work. Social media oversight platforms such as HootSuite or CrowdFactory will make social media integration and management simple yet wide-reaching (Quinn Street, Inc., 2013). 8. While many social media users consider MySpace “passé,” the site has recently undergone a repurposing and re-launch (Ad Age, 1994-2013). In June, www.MySpace.com – the social networking site largely replaced by Facebook prior

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to 2010 - rebranded itself as the social media site of choice for “musicians, artists and creative types” (Specific Media, 2013). 9. Post photos and videos on Reddit or some other aggregating site. It would act as another forum for the bands to engage fans and strengthen their brand – the band “nerds” could complain of bullying for negative votes and comments, while touting Revenge of the Nerds (Kanew, 1984)-inspired gloating for positive votes and feedback. Social media expansion and integration, focused online marketing and adding a new “prefabricated” element to the brand should enable The Spazmatics to present themselves in a more engaging, exciting and entertaining way. And, with the demand for American music in high demand internationally (ABC News, 2012), this sort of brand enhancement along with added sales elements could propel a group(s) like The Spazmatics from the national marketplace to the global marketplace.

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References

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