2. Objectives
The main objective of this project is to create a successful album launch. As well as this, the marketing and PR
campaign should successfully manage the message through the correct methods of communication.
Our key target market will be thrash metal fans around the world. We already have a large following in
Scandinavia and want to avoid distancing ourselves from our roots, whilst also having an ambition to expand
the fan base in North America and China due there being an unexploited market in this country.
We are confident in our sound and our loyal and notorious fan base, and this leads us to believe we can push
past the 400,000 mark and hopefully hit half a million, though this would still be a far cry from our glory days in
1992 with the double-platinum selling album ‘Thrash For Gold’.
We believe we would be successful in the re-ignition of our band if on the back of a sell-out tour the band got
invited to appear on the primetime US TV show ‘The Late Show’. This would in turn help push our album up the
US Billboard charts and finally conquer a market that we struggled to in our early days.
Another success would be the band remaining friends after the fallout in 1996 in which bassist Teemu Tainio
accused lead singer Jaap Stam of cheating him out of royalties. Because of this issue the band are still not as
close as they once were, and we as their label fear any small issue could lead to them separating once more.
3. Band Profile
Name: Attila
Age: 49-53
Previous releases: Thrash in the Attic (1984) Taking Out The Thrash (1988), Thrash For
Gold (1992), Thrashed Potato (1996)
Genre: Thrash Metal
Style: Thrashcore
Contemporaries: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax
4. Audience
The bands audience consists largely of Scandinavian fans they gained throughout the 80’s and 90’s. The age of
the bands fans range from as low as 18 and as high as 65. For the most part, the bands younger fans have
learnt about them via a cult following that began in 2011 when fans first started to campaign for the band to
return.
The groups fans are notorious for referring to themselves as the ‘Huns’, a play on the name Attila, in reference
former leader of the Hunnic empire, Attila The Hun.
Thrash Metal fans are drawn to Attila because of their incredibly fast-paced, high intensity sound. Attila’s
spectacular stage shows have been a significant corner-stone of their success, with many fans seeing the songs
as merely the sideshow to the pyrotechnics.
The fans are renowned for in-gig violence with police being a constant figure at the bands gigs since there were
serious troubles during the bands UK tour in 1993.
Attila fans tend to also enjoy listening to other bands that are included within the Thrash Metal genre like
Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer.
5. SMART Targets
S - A successful album launch is a specific aim for the band. Due to past successes, the band are aiming for no less than 400,000
album copies to be sold. Anything less than this will be deemed a failure. The band would have hoped for 600,000 but due
to changes in technology and increases in illegal downloading thousands of sales are expected to be lost.
M – We can measure this success by achieving a high place on the US Billboard chart through extensive album sales. As well as
this, a first US primetime TV performance would be a success if and only the band are still friends by the time it comes
around. Another way to measure the success of the bands return will be in the general positivity that surrounds the group. It
will be easy to gauge how well received the band are on their return via messages on social media from hardcore fans.
A – We believe this is achievable if we manage the message correctly and avoid it looking like a group of has-been’s returning to
the industry for money and fame. This will be done by releasing high level material and rather than just making quick money
by playing the same set that has been heard for years. Constant challenges like these will keep the band on their toes at the
peak of their powers, rather than just playing a re-hashed set at half of their capability.
R – We believe our aims are realistic due to the amazing reaction given to the announcement to the reformation of the band and
the media campaign that made it happen. The media take great interest in reformed bands as it gives a dramatic story to
portray to the audience. As well as this, with many US primetime TV shows, bands are often repeated across different
stations. The possibility of an exclusive would be a huge advantage for the band and a huge incentive for TV producers to
feature the band on their show.
T – After 1 week to be deemed successful we want the album to have charted at least within the top 5 in the US, and at number 1
across Scandinavia. After 3 weeks we hope to have this chart position prolonged at the top of the charts as a way to
measure the band is being received well or if it is just initial excitement at the reformation. During this first month of release
we hope to have received radio play from non-Metal based radio stations. We hope that within the first 3 months since
release album sales lead to the opportunity to go on an arena tour and further enhance the bands reputation by appearing
on television shows.
6. Media
The band is open to using all media platforms in their aim to successfully return to the music industry.
We are going to try and get the band some attention by putting them in contact with famous Metal magazines
like Kerrang, Metal Hammer and Metal Underground. We hope this will help with brand promotion and
allow us to portray new information to fans through a media outlet that has a similar demographic to our
core fan base.
The band may feature on television channels like Kerrang TV, MTV Rock, and Scuzz TV. This will aid us in gaining
new fans via the ability to listen to the band without having to look them up first.
The band may appear on radio stations like Kerrang Radio, Planet Rock and Team Rock Radio. This will work in a
similar fashion to appearing on specific televisions channels, in the sense that listeners will be able to
listen to the band without having to actively search for their music.
The band would give interviews to all media outlets, in hope of maximising all exposure streams, and not
cutting off any corners of the market.
We will be creating a Twitter profile to help promote the band via social media. We feel this is almost a
necessity if we are to connect with our fans and provide them with information regarding the reunion and
possible upcoming tour dates. 1 month after the Twitter account being created, we expect to have
reached 100,000 followers. We hope to gain more and more momentum and eventually overtake a band
with a similar sized fan base like Metallica, who have over 2 million followers.
7. Merchandise
On their website, the band will be selling the following: T-shirts, posters, stickers and mugs. All these products
are emblazoned with either the Attila logo, or the upcoming album artwork.
If we make sure the products are of the highest quality we could build a successful reputation for the band and
the label and hopefully also create a fashionable to work alongside the bands identity. This could lead to
the clothing side of the band becoming self-sustaining and could still spread word of the band and work
towards album sales even when the band retire in the future.
The band will also be releasing a limited edition t-shirt that hasn’t been in print since their 1995 tour of
Norway. This shirt will contain the image of the bands traditional logo with a velvet leopard printed on the
back.
8. Managing the message
We want to avoid the band looking like a group of has-been’s that are returning to music solely for the purpose
of money and fame. We will try to put across that the band have returned after realising a portion of their
fan base wants them to begin touring again and this information led to the band wanting to create new
music, which in turn has created the chance for a brand new album.
The main selling point of the album is that it is the band’s first album in 17 years after the immense failure of
Thrashed Potato. As well as this, now tensions have eased in the band and they are friends again the
songwriting has returned to the same form in the early albums when the band members wrote together
rather than alone. The band have told the fans to expect Attila’s raw sound to return better than ever.
Quotes from critics:
“Atilla are re-invigorated as their classical sound returns.”
“Not only is this their best, this is the best.”
“Atilla have thrashed all doubt, as album is worthy of critical acclaim.”
10. Events
The band will also be playing gigs in non-traditional venues in a similar way to when the White Stripes went on
a special tour around Canada and played in Bowling Alley’s, Theatre’s and even on top of buses to help
with the promotion of Icky Thump.
If the album is successful Attila will go on arena tours throughout North America, Scandinavia and China.
To promote this tour, Attila will appear on multiple chat shows throughout these regions/countries.
The band will look to start using a special pre-order method where anyone who buys the album on iTunes is
entered into a prize draw where there is a number of winners to win a number of prizes. Prizes will include
a meet and greet with the band, jamming with the band at one of their rehearsals, a web chat with the
band using Google+, VIP tickets to one of their shows, and a select few will even be able to appear in one
of the bands upcoming music videos.
The band will play a 4 song set streamed via their official website to the world. This will be the first time Attila
have been seen playing live since 1996.
11. Internal Motivation
The motivation behind the project from the view of business would be to achieve a higher status within the
company we work for. If the band make a successful comeback it will help propel us into opportunities that
include managing bands/artists that have even larger fan bases.
With a successful tour, the management company we run could then invest in smaller, up and coming acts with
less risk involved, and less danger of making an overall loss in the companies yearly accounts.
A growing reputation could result in interest from fresh investors, and if these investors are form around the
world this could grant an opportunity for the company to market the bands in difference regions of the
world more cost effectively as well as producing a better quality of product.
This project is of the utmost importance to the band because this is likely their last chance at returning to their
glory days and re-igniting their career.
12. Motivation of Media
This project could be of interest to the media because when Attila were at their best, everything they did was
front page news. Who could forget the ground shaking performance atop the roof of Big Ben in 1990.
News from this event ran front page as Paul Bearer visibly fell from the roof but somehow flew to safety
and landed on a nearby telephone pole. This lead to the world famous headline from The Sun: “Pole
Bearer”.
Thrash metal magazines may have a keen interest in this project as it could directly apply to their fan base and
they have to fill magazines which is difficult as metal seemed to have become stagnated until Attila
released news of Foul Things Up.
Another media platform that the band would be keen to exploit the potential interest in would be television.
TV shows such as “Later…With Jools Holland” have featured Metal and thrash bands numerous times since
it’s inception. Bands such as Metallica and Mastodon have played to a positive reception on the show and
have most likely made new fans and re-confirmed if not heightened their reputation by appearing on the
show.
