Live Nation Connects: Brand Marketing Tool Launched In Asia

Live Nation Entertainment announced a partnership with Hong Kong based marketing agency EX-R Consulting to launch Live Nation Connects, a creative and brand marketing agency aiming to connect the world’s leading brands to music fans across Asia. 

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Live Nation Connects will serve brands regionally focusing on China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. The goal is to market the brands to fans in creative ways that add value to their live music experience.  

EX-R’s experience in brand activations combined with Live Nation’s expertise in promoting events and its robust fan data will bring “a unique offering to brands across Asia,” according to Paul Antonio, president of Asia and Middle East at Live Nation. 

Live music is an emotional, collective and multi-sensory experience, concerts and festivals thus lend themselves as ideal testing grounds for creative and experimental marketing campaigns. According to James Dick, SVP, marketing partnerships at Live Nation Asia, “90% of fans believing that brands can enhance the live experience.”

He said fans at live events were “more tuned in, open to their surrounding and ultimately more receptive to brands.”

Live Nation Connects proprietary insights on fan behavior will enable the world’s largest concert promoter to partner more effectively with brands and agencies in areas including strategy and creative, artist relations, original and branded content, experiential events and production, promotions and product design, digital and social media, fanfluencer, fan intelligence and measurement and PR, along with innovation such as VR, emerging technologies and multicasting. 

According to Colleen Yu, founder and principal of EX-R Consulting, the opportunity for meaningful connections between brands and fans was at an all-time high. “Our proven track record working with Live Nation over the recent years provides a solid foundation for Live Nation Connects and we are very proud to be partnering with them to work with agencies and brands across Asia,” said Yu. 

Besides touring some of the world’s biggest names in music in Asia, Live Nation Asia also produces and promotes some of Live Nation’s most successful festival brands in the region, including Creamfields, which has two spin-offs in China, one in Xiamen and one in Hong Kong, or Download Japan. 

T-Mobile, Citi, Hilton, Asics, Remy Martin, Tinder, Hyundai, AB InBev, Smirnoff and more are among Live Nation’s worldwide brands partners. In Asia, the division has marketing partnerships with Budweiser, Pernod Ricard, SingTel, Hilton, Monster Energy, Citi, Amex and Mercedes-Benz. 

Said Antonio: “Live Nation Connects will integrate brands into the Live Nation network seamlessly and authentically with cultural relevance, while leveraging the power of live at scale for brands to connect with the most receptive audience when they’re truly listening.”