Grey Seeks Song at MIDEM for Pantene Anthem

NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Grey New York, Procter & Gamble's global advertising agency for its Pantene brand, announced today it is inviting delegates attending MIDEM's Annual Conference in Cannes to submit original songs for possible use in the 2011 Pantene advertising campaign and potentially in Pantene's corporate communications, including press events and sponsorship, and even a hit single in its own right.  MIDEM is the world's largest music market and its 2011 Annual Conference is expected to gather nearly 10,000 attendees and 1,300 participants in events from all over the world. The conference will be taking place in Cannes, January 23-26, and all attendees were invited to create and submit their songs by January 19.

"For the fourth year in a row, Grey and the world's premier advertiser Procter & Gamble will converge with the global music industry at large," said Josh Rabinowitz, Grey New York's Senior Vice President/Director of Music. "For musicians and performers, advertising has become one of the best ways to get your music out there along with TV shows and video games.  It's the new A&R, and it's one of the best ways an artist can monetize their creativity."

Last year at MIDEM, P&G's Pantene brand and Grey selected an original instrumental track for Pantene's advertising that was used in several Pantene North American TV Broadcast advertisements.

In 2008, an original song "Shine" was selected at MIDEM written and performed for Pantene by unsigned New York artist Rosi Golan, who since then produced her first album, secured two song placements on prime time TV shows "Come Around" in Ghost Whisperer and "Been A Long Day" in One Tree Hill, did a 6-week national tour in March and secured premier placement on iTunes home page, music page and folk page.  The song ran on ads in as many as 65 countries.  

This year, Pantene returns to MIDEM seeking similar success. Grey and P&G will evaluate submissions and create a Top 20 Playlist, which will be presented at an open listening session for all conference attendees on January 24 in Cannes.   The Pantene listening session is one of five offered to delegates by MIDEM sync, which bills the listening sessions as onsite auditions for major video games, films and TV shows, in addition to advertising, with tangible results.  

The 2011 MIDEM website http://midemgrey.sonicbids.com/ lays out the brand's requirements for the winning song: any genre (rock, r&b, rap) as long as it is instrumental at least 60 seconds in length, makes women feel strong and empowered, feels momentous with uplifting energy and modernity, builds anticipation that leads to something big.  

About Grey

Grey is the advertising network of Grey Group.  Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY).  Grey Famously Effective Since 1917 serves a blue-chip client roster of many of the world's best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Pfizer, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, ETrade, NFL, Boehringer Ingelheim, J.M. Smucker and T.J. Maxx. FAST COMPANY named Grey to "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" list in 2010.  (www.grey.com)

SOURCE Grey