Three rules for successful product placement in pro audio

Pro audio executive Mike Dias serves up his top tips on how pro audio manufacturers can successfully place products with the finest artists, engineers, and technicians in the business…

The question ‘can manufacturers place product without being skilled at networking’? is at the heart of everything that I do. And as a longtime reader of Headliner, I believe that the answer to this same question is the core strength of the magazine — part of the unspoken DNA that makes every article work. The way that I see it, Headliner is a unique space that connects music lovers with their favorite artists and those same artists with their favorite gear manufacturers. It’s that balance that makes the magazine such an interesting read.

Every issue is a combination of art, people, and technology. And the truth is, it takes all three realms to achieve a balanced ecosystem. Of course, a concert can’t happen without the artist. But it surely can’t happen without the audience — or the sound systems and all of the supporting infrastructure. It takes all three pieces to create the show and if you only focus on one aspect, then you miss the larger picture.

The same is true for marketing and for product placement within the music industry. If you only focus on one aspect, then you miss the larger picture and you will never truly find success. But when you think of your role and what you offer in the context of the holistic ecosystem, then you can start to become highly effective. After securing well over 100 placements with A-list engineers and top-grossing artists around the world, here are my three rules for successful product placement.

RULE #1: KNOW YOUR PLACE

As a product manufacturer, you must realize your place in the hierarchy and within the ecosystem. I know that you think your product outcompetes everyone — and you might even be right about that — but that doesn’t matter. Your product is fungible. And it can be replaced by anything else at any time. Do not take that personally. Simply treat that as a fact so that you can detach emotion from you doing your job. If your product is as great as you think it is, then you might have a chance of success. And if it’s objectively not, then you still have a chance but you’ll be operating under a different set of rules and you’ll be targeting a different echelon of talent.

The key point here is not where and how your product sits relative to all of its peers — that’s the red herring that most manufacturers get hung up on — but that in the bigger picture of artist/audience/infrastructure, your product simply plays a very minor supporting role in the overarching context. It’s just not as important as you think it is. Treat it as such and you can then move on to the next level.

RULE#2: IT’S JUST A TOOL

Once you accept that your product isn’t the main focus of the show, then you can get down to the real marketing and placement work. Ask yourself and your team — but more importantly ask all of your eyes and ears out in the field — who does the product serve? Because nine times out of 10, your product is a tool for the engineer or for a tech, not for the artist. And that distinction changes everything. Most senior managers and company owners want to focus on artists, while it’s the engineers and backline that actually matter. They are the ones that make or break your placement opportunities and they are the ones that are the true decision makers. If your tool works for them and makes their job faster, easier, and better, then you have a great shot at securing that placement.

This is where networking comes into play because these guys and gals — these tastemakers — they are invisible by design. If you don’t already know them, you are not going to find them. You’re not even going to know where to start looking, which is thankfully where the greatest value of Headliner comes into play. Because every month, Headliner takes the time to shine its spotlight on all the unsung heroes of all your favorite tours. You are just as likely to read about the monitor engineer for your favorite concerts as you are to read about the next up-and-coming popstar. Take notes and pay attention. Doing that exercise for a few issues will let you move on to the next level.

RULE #3 IT’S WHO YOU KNOW

Like everything else in life, product placement comes down to who you know. But it’s more nuanced than that. It’s not just who you know, it’s how well you know them. The degree of the relationship matters. Just because you read about Taylor Swift’s sound engineer in the latest edition doesn’t mean that you can just call him up and make things happen. That’s not how life works, and that’s certainly not how deals come together. Relationships take a long time to grow and nurture. Relationships are based on trust and success. And most importantly, they must be mutually beneficial. Sadly that’s the part that’s most often overlooked and misunderstood.

As a manufacturer, you are primed to think about placements from your vantage point. Your manager will always want to know what’s the ROI on that product that you sent out. What will you get from your efforts? But that’s completely the wrong way to think about it and if no one else has ever broken this news to you, then I’m sorry to be so harsh about it. But it will never happen for you. You will never score an actual win with a top artist or with that A-list engineer. Because as I said at the very beginning, they do not need you. And at that level, they have access to whatever they want anyways.

So, if you start to make it difficult for them and when you start to throw up a lot of roadblocks and friction points — like contracts and invoices and loaner program forms and blah, blah, blah - they are going to move where things flow more like water. Or a better way to say it, they are going to call someone they know; someone who makes things easy; someone they have history with and who gets the job done. They’re going to call me or Greg McVeigh and our fellow peers and we’ll deliver and end-run you. And that was your shot that you blew. You won’t get another chance. That’s how this game actually works.

THE PATH FORWARD

If effective product placement is an area that your company struggles with, please share this article with everyone on your team — especially with your manager and with your department head. Either commit to doing placements properly, or stop wasting everyone’s time trying until this issue is resolved internally. Because you can not play if you do not have the right support from all internal team members. And if you are a manager who is reading this and you either do not like what I am saying or do not believe me, please get in touch directly and we can talk through the more subtle elements of this to find a process that works for you and for your company’s goals and aspirations. 

Mike Dias writes and speaks about Why Nobody Likes Networking and What Entertainers Can Teach Executives. He is one of the few global leaders in Trade Show Networking and he helps companies maximize their trade show spend by ensuring that their teams are prepared, ready, and able to create and close opportunities. This column will be an ongoing monthly feature because Mike loves talking shop and is honored to give back to the community. If this article was helpful and useful in any way, please reach out anytime at Mike Dias Speaks and let Mike know about what you want to hear more about next time.