Client: Jesse Gelber, Composer
Jesse Gelber is a ground-breaking Indie celebrity in the underground Jazz scene of NYC. This is the story of the branding development project he hired me to manage, from conception through production.
Jesse’s Target Consumers as they relate to the Photo Treatments:
Jesse’s Jazz music has a retro quality which we decided was best reflected in Greytones over Color
When Jesse and I met at a performance venue, he told me about the album he was recording, and his needs for a promotional package that reflected his Hip, Jazzy-Grunge style and communicated his multiple proficiencies as a teacher, composer, club performer, and event bandleader. We determined that my consultation services might provide the marketing strategy that could achieve these goals.
In our first consultation, we discussed critical elements of his personality and performance in relation to the promotional photos and website he had been using. Once he explained which pieces he wanted to improve, and the goals for his business, we drew up a preliminary agreement.
My first step was to draft a Creative Brief on Jesse’s brand…a crucial step to any marketing plan. Questions included:
- Personality and Branding
- Why are we Advertising?
- How will we Achieve this?
- Who is the Target?
- What is the Main Idea of our Promotion?
- What are the Product Truths?
Through answering these questions and others, we determined that Jesse’s income came from specific groups that had to be targeted independently: target event planners, academia, club owners, and talent agents. We contracted a marketing plan—and Jesse approved the fashion cutouts I selected—then we began outsourcing to freelancers.
Using the Creative Brief, I communicated the objectives of Jesse’s marketing campaign to the Fashion Stylist we hired. He went to Jesse’s home for a fashion/grooming consultation, selected pieces of Jesse’s wardrobe to keep or tailor, and shopped with Jesse across multiple boroughs. The pieces they chose captured the essence of Hip, Jazzy-Grunge without breaking Jesse’s budget.
Jesse and I then contracted a Fashion Photographer, with whom I shared our Creative Brief. We scheduled a photography shoot that involved both the Stylist and myself as Producer, addressing various target consumers of Jesse’s brand with each change of clothing, lighting, and location. The product was an amazingly diverse range of photos that Jesse could use to specifically target his four groups of consumers: target event planners, academia, club owners, and talent agents.
Jesse is currently working with a Graphic Designer to design a CD cover, promotional posters, and a website. There are plans to promote his new CD on MySpace and perhaps, in the future, to produce a music video as a buzz marketing piece for distribution on his website and on YouTube.
