How to get endorced by a simble company's?

[BertTheDrummer]

I do not blame drum/cymbal/etc companies for endorsing/sponsoring these hot (popular in terms of views/subs/etc and I guess in looks as well) YouTube musicians. I think I remember a marketing guy say one time that by doing the YouTube thing they get a ton more eyeballs on their product than they would taking out ad campaigns and it ends up costing a fraction of the price.

I would even suspect that the way music is now, YouTube Girl/Guy probably actually gets more people seeing their gear than Famous Musician Girl/Guy. Is Famous Musician Girl/Guy a better player than YouTube Girl/Guy? Well that would probably depend on which person you are talking about but there are plenty of musicians that aren't the best players out there but happen to be in popular bands.

Does seeing some girl in a short shorts or some shirtless guy on You Tube playing Brand X influence someone to buy them? I don't know, maybe. On the other hand does seeing some girl in short shorts some shirtless guy playing Brand X on an ad in Z magazine influence someone to buy them?

I would suspect if the companies didn't get any kind of return out of all of this, they wouldn't do it.

Honestly, what annoys me is the trend of seems to basically be the ladder climbing endorsements. I think we should just basically say what it is, it is sponsorships at this point. It used to be that someone just played Brand A and they liked it, and then they got to the level where they were popular enough and then got an endorsement from Brand A. Now players play Brand A, then get to some kind of level end up getting a basic fake endorsement from Brand Z. After a while they get popular enough they "upgrade" to Brand X, and maybe eventually make it back to Brand A.

 

[beyondbetrayal]

I know SoulTone was doing that along with a few other smaller boutique cymbal/stick/drum companies... Basically endorse anyone that asks... They will give them a discount off of a SUPER inflated MSRP which means the company is still making money, and it was a good marketing strategy at the time. (it's kind of out in the open now)

It locks them in to one company. They brag to all their friends and all their friends start trying. They promote them on social media etc.

I usually avoid looking at the "endorsement" posts for this reason because it doesn't mean much and I hate bursting peoples bubble if it makes them feel good. If a younger drummer is asking advice though I'd warn them that they will probibly say yes, but they will still be paying for the equipment and locked in.

So many people send emails out to every company trying to get some sort of recognition from an endorsement. The community is very small and the AR dudes all know each other. It's a quick way to get blackballed. Those small companies will still say yes and you might even ruin your chances down the road. Don't do that. Heck if your under 25 I recommend NOT getting endorsements and trying every product out there.

For me, once my bands had several CD's, and I had over a million YouTube views etc I already knew what I wanted to play. I have been using Sabian for 20+ years, Axis pedals for 15 years. Los Cabos sticks for as long as I can remember too. It made for an easy choice on who to ask. Plus the reps can see photos and history in your EPK and see that you love their products. I have pictures of me playing 20 years ago on kits with Sabian"SIMBLES" LOL!

One thing to check. Look at the artist list. Do you recognize any of the artists? If not that's a red flag. Especially when there is a TON of artists. Usually the large companies don't hand out endorsements willy nilly. It's the new small ones that use it as a marketing technique. If your band is playing small local gigs with next to no exposure, think to yourself WHY they would give you an endorsement deal. Did you really just BLOW their minds? Are you the next big thing? If it seems to good to be true it is.

If you are touring constantly, have a huge online following, get to play on TV late night shows, or your music is featured internationally chances are you will have more of the exposure they are looking for. Even having a huge Instagram/YouTube following is a start.

At the end of the day, if you never played company X cymbals, why the heck would you take an endorsement deal and have to buy an entire set of cymbals to say you're endorsed... Look at your kit, if that's not the equipment you would want to endorse that's your the first issue.

And yes, YouTube / Insta is a great marketing tool that EVERY company relies on. That's where they post their own videos and releases too. I watch drumming videos all day. And when I want to buy a new drum/cymbal where do I look to hear it online? Let me check out some reviews, let me check out some videos. I don't listen to what they say as much as use my ears on the products, but you get what I am saying.

Lastly, companies offering REAL endorsements don't want a guy looking for a deal, the discount is basically payment for you working your butt off to promote them and send people their way. The funny thing is now that I endorse the companies I do, I break way less stuff and buy less than I ever have. I barely break sticks anymore even and have boxes downstairs. And how many pedals does a dude need.