Social Media Portal interview with Evan Greene at The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs)

Profiled - Evan Greene, CMO at The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs)

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your role at The GRAMMYs?

Evan Greene (EG): I'm the CMO, The Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs).  I oversee the Marketing Group, which is responsible for marketing/brand strategy, PR, sponsorship, digital media strategy and social media for music?s biggest brand.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about The GRAMMYs (for the few that don?t know), what is it and what does it do?

EG: Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Known for the GRAMMY Awards ? the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music ? The Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy?s mission is recognize musical excellence, advocate for the well-being of music makers and ensures music remains an indelible part of our culture.

SMP: And what?s different now?

EG: The music industry and the marketplace in general have both shifted considerably, and the traditional methods of connecting with our audience no longer apply. We pride ourselves on being on the leading edge of marketing and social media, and it is more challenging than ever to maintain credibility and relevance.

SMP: Who are your target audience and why?

EG: Music fans of all ages. Music is universal, and as music?s most prestigious brand, the GRAMMY, appeals to consumers across all demographic segments and all levels of music consumption.

SMP: How did you initially attract users to your website, and how do you do it now?

EG: Initially, consumers came to our site during GRAMMY Season simply because we are the GRAMMYs. However, that is no longer enough, so we need to be far more strategic. We have completely rebuilt grammy.com, we consistently post new, refreshed video from our original content programs and we drive engagement through aggressive social media efforts across our multiple platforms & channels.

SMP: What other digital assets are important to The GRAMMYs and how are they managed?

EG: Our video and photo content, as well as our social platforms ? Facebook, Twitter, getglue, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare during GRAMMY Season. Additionally, at key points throughout the year, we also empower teams of bloggers to help tell our story.

SMP: You?ve just finished up the latest GRAMMYs, what role did social media have to play in this years event, and why?

EG: Social media continues to play an important role in our marketing communication, and certainly had an effect this year. During the weeks prior to the GRAMMYs, we increased our Twitter followers by 51K+ to over 420K, and our Facebook likes by 100K+ to over 625K. Further, our GRAMMY ratings in the 18-34 demo continue to trend upward year over year, and we believe this is directly impacted by social media.

SMP: Can you explain and why how this was successful (providing any statistics if you can)?

EG: Monitoring key words and hashtags yielded 13.8MM+ GRAMMY-related social comments, surpassing the Super Bowl by over 1MM, and firmly establishing the 54th GRAMMY Awards as the largest social media event in history. Additionally, 40MM viewers tuned-in to the show, leading to our second largest audience ever (up 47%), besting the Oscars for the first time. Further, viewership among the 18-34 demo was up 27%!

SMP: What has been the increase in the use of social media at The GRAMMYs?

EG: GRAMMY Social media has evolved over the past several years from an ?experiment? to something that is at the very core of much of our marketing/communication strategy. Rather than build creative and figure out how to make it ?social,? our concepts often begin with the idea of being ?sharable?, and we then overlay both above and below the line media to provide the right amount of amplification and visibility.

SMP: How much do you predict this may grow (or not) in 2012?

EG: Social is part of our DNA, and will continue to play an ever-increasing role at The Academy. We are becoming more strategic, and beyond driving the music conversation forward, we intend to get better at listening and monitoring in order to gain a more effective real-time gauge of our effectiveness.

SMP: How is social media managed at The GRAMMYs (in-house, an agency etc?)

EG: Given the importance of the GRAMMY brand to The Academy, we are fiercely protective of our marketing & communications strategy. Therefore, we manage all our social media planning, strategy and execution in-house.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far?

EG: It is all a learning process. We sometimes find certain approaches that don?t achieve the desired result, but that provides an opportunity to modify our approach in order to build better, more robust engagement with our audience.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

EG: The most gratifying result is seeing the transformation from a conservative brand with a push-only strategy, to a forward-looking, cutting-edge brand engaged in a respectful, organic two-way conversation with our social ecosystem. Seeing this translate to growing audience and engagement among the 18-34 demographic re-enforces the fact we are on the right path.

SMP: What impact do you think social media has on music and vice versa?

EG: There is an unmistakeable intersection between social media and music, and the two are inextricably linked. Music is growing, and reaching more people as a result of social media, and social media is enhanced and made more robust by the addition of music.

SMP: The GRAMMYs is an established brand, but what do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities ahead?

EG: Our biggest challenge is finding ways to remain relevant, and to continually break through the clutter during GRAMMY Season as well as throughout the year. It is critical for us to stay ahead of the curve, and continue an appropriate, respectful, often innovative conversation!

SMP: What are the next moves for The GRAMMYs throughout 2012?

EG: To continue to seek innovation. To enhance our listening capabilities so we can have more effective conversations. To carry on a relevant music dialogue across more platforms, thus reaching more music fans.

SMP: What?s the next big step for social media and networks in general and what impact does this have for the GRAMMYs?

EG: It is impossible to predict the direction the market will head, but social TV is becoming increasingly important, and consumers have shown to have an aggressive appetite for wanting to share engaging experiences with friends.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media throughout 2012 and how are you preparing for it?

EG: Social TV and the second (and third) screen experience are here to stay, and will become more important as social is more seamlessly and efficiently integrated.

SMP: Is there any major social media news at The GRAMMYs your audience should know about?

EG: We are constantly seeking new innovation, and new ways to connect. However, there is nothing we are prepared to announce at this point.

SMP: Best way to contact you (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn Twitter, YouTube etc)?

Twitter @hopeandchange



SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

EG: Balance bar and an apple prior to my bike ride into work. I often ride 20 miles each way to and from work.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

EG: Donated to March of Dimes.

SMP: How many hours to you work a week?

EG: Approximately 60

SMP: If you weren?t working at The Grammys what would you be doing?

EG: Skiing and skydiving. Daily!

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

EG: Brianhead Utah with my family.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

EG: Check emails and review daily news (marketing, digital, social media news)

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

EG: The power to fly!

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