Linking a brand to popular music is one of the fastest ways to stamp it with an identity, and lend it clout with a particular demographic.

When it comes to music-related sponsorships, the opportunities are every bit as diverse as the range of pop genres. Just consider two recent – and sharply contrasting – examples: condom maker Durex Canada’s sponsorship of a tour by Canadian rock band Wide Mouth Mason, and Country Crock margarine’s association with country singer Beverley Mahood.

The first seems an obvious fit: after all, the term ‘rock-and-roll’ originated as a synonym for sex.

Wide Mouth Mason is by no means the first band to endorse safer sex. But they are the first to actually sign a deal with Durex. ‘This is groundbreaking,’ says Sonya Agnew, director of marketing for Durex Canada.

Agnew says it was the band that actually came forward with the idea of working together to promote safer sex to their fans. As sponsor of Wide Mouth Mason’s current Play It Safe Tour, which includes performances in several all-age venues, Durex will have the opportunity to reach a wide range of young Canadians.

For the tour, Durex is providing the band with a bright pink tour bus, which will feature the group’s name, along with the Durex logo and the large cartoon sperm – ‘the Lonely Sperm,’ Agnew calls it – that has appeared in some of the brand’s recent advertising creative. In addition, Durex mascot Richard the Condom will be on hand at a number of venues to distribute samples to fans.

The decision to link the Durex brand to Wide Mouth Mason was a no-brainer, Agnew says. The group was already involved in promoting safer sex (it has done public service announcements for MuchMusic, as well as recording some radio spots), and its fans are the Durex target demographic.

It also didn’t hurt that the three band members come across as respectable, responsible guys, Agnew says. ‘I don’t think we’d use Marilyn Manson.’

Indeed, image is everything when it comes to sponsorship of musical acts. That’s what sold Lipton on using Kitchener, Ont. singer Beverley Mahood to promote its Country Crock margarine.

Mahood’s image – friendly, down-to-earth and wholesome – fits well with the brand’s identity, says Natasha Jacob, brand manager for Country Crock.

According to Jacob, the company was looking for a promotion that would bring excitement to the brand. So Toronto’s Opticom Promotion Group developed the ‘Taste of Light Country’ program to tie in the idea of country-style taste with the ‘diet’ image of Country Crock’s light margarine. (While Country Crock has full-fat churn-style margarine, its reduced-calorie product accounts for 70% of sales.)

‘The country music listener is a very good fit,’ she says, adding that the audience mirrors the diet-conscious demographic of Country Crock: mothers who enjoy a $50,000-plus household income, and who spend $250 a week on groceries.

With heavy competition in the category, Jacob says, it was important for the brand to move beyond its emphasis on taste and health, to focus more on lifestyle.

The promotion kicked off in mid-January at all major grocery retailers across Canada (save Quebec). On the consumer side, it includes a free mail-in CD offer (the five-song CD, created specifically for Country Crock, includes four tracks unavailable anywhere else) and the chance to win a trip for four to the Nashville Fan Fair (where country music fans can meet the stars face-to-face).

In addition to the CD giveaway, Opticom has organized a series of in-store appearances by Mahood. The agency has also set up a deal with nine country radio stations across Canada, whereby – in exchange for organizing giveaways of CDs and Country Crock gift baskets – each station will have its call letters featured regionally on in-store danglers and mail-in forms.

‘It’s a really integrated promotion,’ says Andrea Cuthbert, account manager with Opticom. She adds that the stations have shown a good deal of imagination with the giveaways – one even going so far as to mount a ‘Truth or Crock’ country music trivia contest.

So far, Jacob says, the promotion has proven successful.

Over the four weeks ending Jan. 30, the Country Crock brand’s national grocery banner tonnage grew from a 2.8 share to 3.1, while its primary competitor, Parkay, lost 1.8 share points. Although these numbers are small, they’re significant, Jacob says. ‘That doesn’t just happen.’

The program runs until mid-April. Jacob says she expects 8,000-10,000 CDs in all to be given away.

The next step remains to be determined. But as Jacob points out, the goal for Country Crock is to develop the brand identity over the long term – so further tie-ins with country music performers are entirely conceivable.

Also in this report:

* The risks and rewards of celebrity endorsements: There’s no doubt that the use of a high-profile athlete or entertainer can boost awareness of a brand. The trick is to make sure it’s being noticed for the right reasons p.31

* Workshops on the rise: In a bid to keep sponsors committed, properties are going the extra mile, organizing education and information sessions to help corporate partners get the most for their money p.33

* What’s in a name? Plenty, if you’re hoping to acquire the rights to brand a facility p.35