Motorola leverages music as a consumer passion point to launch Moto Buds

New Delhi: In today's dynamic marketing landscape, brands are increasingly recognising the power of authentic storytelling and emotional connection to cut through the noise in the competitive landscape. 

Shivam Ranjan, Head of Marketing for the APAC region at Motorola, shed light on the brand's innovative approach to integrating music into its marketing strategy to drive brand recall and product success.

Branded content is experiencing a surge in popularity, with consumers gravitating towards relatable influencers and authentic brand messaging. Herein, Ranjan emphasised the importance of storytelling that resonates with target audiences, stating, "Consumers seek authenticity and relatability in brand messaging."

The recent "Sound of Perfection" campaign exemplified Motorola's strategic use of music to drive product differentiation and consumer engagement. With the launch of the Moto Buds Plus and Moto Buds, the company sought to capitalise on the growing trend of smartphone entertainment consumption. 

Motorola has collaborated with five music influencers from various genres and regions of India to create the ‘Sound of Perfection’ album. The album features five tracks – one by each artist and one fusion track featuring all five artists called ‘Haq Se’. The album features artists like Mame Khan, Harsh Likhari, Shruti Prakash, Shubhangi Kedar and RK Adithya.

Haq Se | Season Finale:

Sound of Perfection Season 1:  

Ranjan finds efforts toward understanding consumer insights and leveraging local talent are significant to create compelling narratives. "Storytelling is the most important thing... it has to be relatable and driven by strong consumer insight,” he said while highlighting Motorola's storytelling commitment through its collaboration with local talent and influencers like Hrithik Roshan and Babil Khan, who resonate with Indian audiences.

Ranjan explained, "Consumers are consuming a lot of content... and music is definitely one of the largest passion points." Recognising the correlation between audio quality and music enjoyment, as per Ranjan, Motorola has positioned its products as the epitome of sound perfection. This, while also leveraging a partnership with Bose to deliver superior sound quality.

"The campaign's unique approach, featuring diverse Indian musicians and regional sounds, resonated with audiences across the country," Ranjan elaborated. "India is such a diverse country... to bring the whole nation together, we had to take different artists from different genres of music."

When asked about comparisons to Coke Studio, Ranjan acknowledged some similarities but emphasised Motorola's distinct goals. While Coke Studio focuses on celebrating music in general, Motorola's Sound of Perfection campaign is directly tied to a new product launch. Ranjan highlighted the importance of giving artists creative freedom and incorporating regional dialects to authentically represent India's diverse music culture.

In terms of marketing strategy, Ranjan differentiated Motorola’s multi-pronged approach by mentioning the use of catchy jingles in ads, creating a Spotify channel, and targeting consumers across digital platforms and e-commerce channels.