Undiscovered Artists and Bands to Star in McDonald’s Ads
OAK BROOK, Ill. (RestaurantNewsRelease.com) Today, McDonald’s announced an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming music artists to launch their careers on a national stage– an upcoming McDonald’s commercial. The program is in conjunction with Artists & Brands, a company created in partnership with Grammy Award-Winning Producer Rodney Jerkins.
“Music has always been an integral element to McDonald’s brand and our marketing,” said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, vice president and chief creative officer, McDonald’s USA. “Through our new relationship with Artists & Brands, we are energizing our musical heritage by creating unique opportunities for bright new artists to showcase their talents in our brand communication.”
A Golden Opportunity
Undiscovered artists can upload their original music to the Artists & Brands Web site (www.artistsandbrands.com) where McDonald’s marketing executives and the Artists & Brands team – helmed by Jerkins, music and marketing executive Ira Antelis and music attorney Daryl Jones – will review and select artists that truly shine for McDonald’s. Once an artist is selected, Artists & Brands will produce a track for a McDonald’s database of commercial-ready songs, as well as two additional singles that will be available for $.99 on www.artistsandbrands.com.
The site also serves as the hub for new and emerging artist bios, video profiles and “behind-the-scenes” footage from recording sessions, including I.B. Fokuz, a Chicago native who was the first artist selected by the Artists & Brands team. His original song, “Got It In the Bag,” is featured in “Woofer,” a McDonald’s commercial.
Beginning in June, Rodney Jerkins will select an “Artist of the Month,” who will be featured on www.artistsandbrands.com and receive industry counsel directly from Jerkins.
“As a music producer, I’m always interested in innovative ways to introduce new artists and their music. McDonald’s has an enormous and instant reach and I’m excited to work with them as they continue to bring their brand to life through music,” said Jerkins.
About Rodney Jerkins
In the short span of 15 years Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Rodney Jerkins has established himself as the preeminent purveyor of #1 globally pervasive hits for the likes of Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Destiny’s Child, Toni Braxton, Brandy, N’Sync and The Backstreet Boys. Having sold nearly 200 million records, Jerkins is the most widely regarded producer working in music today.
About I.B. Fokuz
Hailing from the Southside of Chicago, I.B. Fokuz is a multi-talented emcee/producer that has been crafting his sound for more than 10 years. Over the last four years I.B. Fokuz has created a big buzz on the underground scene of Chicago with his group Jyroscope and has made some serious strides in the last year including a performance at South by Southwest and a feature in the Chicago Tribune. Now entering the first quarter of 2010, I.B. is the first artist to sign with Artist & Brands, a company that has a partnership with the international, multi-billion dollar corporation McDonald’s. I.B. became the winner of the Artist & Brands search for a hip-hop recording artist whose music will be featured in a national McDonald’s TV commercial. His song “Got it in the Bag” beat out hundreds of entries. I.B. Fokuz proves to not only be his stage name, but the key to his predicted success.
Quote from I.B. Fokuz: “My music is my passion, and to be able to work with a company like McDonald’s to share my passion with the world on such a grand scale is truly amazing,” said Artists & Brands artist I.B. Fokuz. “As an artist, I know first hand how difficult it is sometimes just to be heard. I feel that with this opportunity I’m one step closer to making my dreams a reality.”
About McDonald’s
McDonald’s USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the 11,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter (@McDonalds) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on our business, promotions and products.
©2010 McDonald’s, McDonald’s Corp., and Artists & Brands are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.