And the winner is... Arcade Fire?!

http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Yes, Arcade Fire won Album of the Year at this year's Grammy Awards

As a Canadian it does not come to too much of a shock to me that this band from Montreal was able to walk away with this award having seen them a number of times in concert now.  I don't even think this surprised many other artists because since the release of their first album (Funeral) they have received praise for their talent from the likes of David Bowie and Coldplay to name a few.  However, judging by some of the twitter posts from music fans in the US this has blind-sided many, including Barbara Streisand as she announced the winner.

Let's take a look at the competition that the Arcade Fire was up against, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum.  Part of Lady Gaga's act includes a level of theatrics and shock value in her performance that for some may distract from her music (maybe even alienate) while Eminem at times is controversial with some his lyrics that could also have the same effect. As for Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum, they are both talented and popular but there is nothing to point to of distinction for Album of the Year.

Which brings us back to the Arcade Fire.  The piece here to note is not just their music but how they released it to their fans.  Upon the release of The Suburbs they partnered with Google to do an online video for their song the wilderness downton.  To see it click here. It brings a customized user experience for their video demonstrating the capabilities of HTML5 code in the Chrome Browser.  This was truly innovative and most importantly extremely relevant.  They did this at the time when many in the digital world were unsure as to the capabilities of HTML5 when there was all of this talk regarding the demise of Flash.  Ultimately, this brought their music to many and the big win was the earned media generated from the tweeting and posting of what users experienced and saw, while at the same time getting to sample Arcade Fire's newest single.  Many of the users included Internet Developers, Marketers, and Techies who by nature are highly connected online.

There is BIG insight here for marketers to note.  When we are trying to reach our customers it can be tempting to shock/interrupt with a stunt to get their attention for your product.  The problem with this is that you will find yourself constantly trying to one-up yourself and your competition to keep their attention.  If you take a moment, scan the environment and come up with value and relevance to your customers that can enhance the experience your customer has with your product, who knows... maybe you might even win a Grammy.