WMX's Award-Winning Content Helps Brands Authentically Connect to Fans
To create impactful campaigns for brands, WMX, Warner Music Group's creative content division, taps into its parent company's deep catalog of artists and utilizes the broad reach of its trend-setting media brands to distribute bespoke content across platforms, delivering culture-defining moments for its clients. The goal is to create engaging content that draws consumers to brands in an authentic and engaging way.
"Successful branded content does not need to have an overt call to action," said Amy Matoian Ninomiya, Senior Research Director, WMX. "Aligning a brand with a specific theme, talent or topic that resonates with the target audience can be just as effective for a brand."
WMX has already been honored for its success in the branded content space with several awards and nominations across the industry, including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&ADs, Webbys and OMMAs as well as Digiday Content Marketing and ThinkLA awards.
"These awards have proven our ability to create high-quality custom content that cuts through the noise in a meaningful way," said J. Lucy Wallace Tauber, Creative Director, WMX. "Creative awards can help an agency recruit top talent, and that talent in turn can impact the quality of service your campaign receives."
WMX's owned-and-operated properties include UPROXX, HipHopDX, Songkick and Cover Nation, which altogether reach more than 269 million monthly unique visitors, garner nearly 57 billion monthly video views and seen by more than 130 million monthly viewers across social media.
To build campaigns for brands like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, T-Mobile, Instagram, TracFone and Trojan, WMX first turns inward.
"The internal creative studio team -- in partnership with our research, strategy and account management teams -- develops award-winning branded content concepts guided by cultural insights and proprietary audience information that elevate our brand partners and entertain our audiences," said Kurt Campbell-Anderson, Head of Studio, at WMX. "The content we create is aligned with cultural moments and trends, created by influential directors and producers. We leverage our direct access to Warner Music Group artists and taste makers from our vast networks to provide solutions and incite dialogue around the issues that matter most to the next generation."
For example, for their Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand campaign, WMX partnered with pop punk band Meet Me @ the Altar to create a fresh and interactive music video to the group's song "Wake Up," set in the colorful "Cinnaverse" that featured the cereal and "Cinnamojis." WMX selected Meet Me @ the Altar for the campaign because of their music, style and energy as well as their appeal among a young, diverse audience.
The campaign was featured on UPROXX and splashed across social media, including on the band's own YouTube channel.
In partnership with Instagram, WMX worked with creative director Nico Poalillo to produce "The New Normalists." The campaign featured three diverse creators -- a dancer, a fashion designer and a violinist -- and told each of their stories in short, beautifully produced videos.
"Instagram was looking for a way to connect with Gen Z," said Campbell-Anderson. "[Some] 92% of our audience agrees that UPROXX keeps them in the know about all things culture. So, we leveraged this cultural authority, paired with our award-winning content studio and unparalleled scale, to show the world that Instagram is where we push culture forward."
The New Normalists campaign went on to be a Webby Award Honoree in the Diversity & Inclusion category.
WMX also launched a campaign with T-Mobile called "Way Out Live" that took a few of its musical artists and set them in remote and beautiful locations to perform a live show. The campaign's goal was to prove the power of T-Mobile and its ability to reach even the most remote locations with 5G.
And for Tracfone, which looks to attract thrifty Millennials, WMX engaged with its artists -- including Nashville-based singer/songwriter Morgan Evans -- to create an interview series called "On Repeat," in which musicians discussed their own DIY approaches to style and fashion.
Authentically tapping into its artists' diverse passion points helps WMX connect artists, brands and fans, said Stefanie Polsinelli, Vice President of Global Sales Marketing & Brand Strategy. "We're able to tell a story through the lens of the artist, while also leveraging our publishers' trusted editorial voices to connect and engage on a deeper level."
"We create content that prioritizes the audience's experience, while also working hand in hand with our brand partners to ensure that we are adhering to brand guidelines, integrating product in an organic way, thematically aligning with brand pillars and working with talent that is an accurate reflection of the brand's goals," said Tauber.
Campbell-Anderson added, "Our access to talent, ownership of a dynamic media ecosystem covering a wide range of genres and audiences, an in-house production studio and robust creative team enable us to provide significant promotional platforms for brands, while also remaining authentic to all of our brands' voices."
Paige Albiniak contributed to this article.
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