Follow me to Barbados Promotion 2009 in Trinidad Comment
Promoting Crop Over & Exporting our Music product
It has been my experience in T&T that as successful as some Barbadian artistes have been in the past and in fact because of these successes the Crop Over product has gained more value. Yet somehow these artistes are still in the background of the promotion of Crop Over (Follow Me to Barbados Crop Over) in Trinidad by the BTA and the NCF.
My thinking is…if you “Brand” your promotion “Follow me to Crop Over” I want to see the artistes. I want to see them in the print and on TV whenever there is a promotion or a press release…please, I don’t want to see the BTA & NCF OFFICIALS no one is going to follow then to crop over. Gone are the days of staging a press conference, radio and TV interviews without the presence of the artistes, giving away a few T-shirts at fetes, sponsoring a music truck for a Trinidadian mass band playing Boots, and running from fete to fete within the last five day’s of Carnival paying the MC to announce that the next stop is Crop Over” in July when Carnival is in February.
These patrons at the fetes are half drunk some talking hard to each other, some taking the time off to run to the wash room, some don’t even remember who or what the MC said the night before. Why not have your own Barbadian fete, with weeks of Radio, Print and TV advertising, set up your booths that will include your crop over product. The Hotels, the mass, and with artistes like Biggie Ire, Peter Ram, Allision Hinds, Red Plastic and Khiomal already on the ground with big hits makes it so much easier.
One can say the Minister of Culture from Barbados was in Trinidad for the Follow ME promotion. If the idea was his, he did not think it trough, and the same can be said of his point man. Yes he did appear on TV at the security briefing during the day, but there was no follow us on his speech, he did not make it in prime time news, he was never seen in the print media in Trinidad.
As for how the Nation News got the story for local Barbadian news should be investigated, for although the Nation had a presents in Trinidad known to the Minister and his promotional team, they were never invited to the security briefing. Matter of fact the only visible press this band of marketing personnel received in Trinidad was a ¼ page clip in print with a picture of NCF and BTA staff, no artistes and no Barbadian mass band personnel.
This wasteful spending of tax payers money for over 12 persons (BTA & NCF) to Trinidad is costing over $6 thousand BDS per person to do a job that a Cultural/Entertainment Liaison Officer to Trinidad and Tobago could do, not a point man who is part of the Trinidadian net work. We must take our marketing strategies for the promotion of our music and Crop Over in the Caribbean more seriously than that.
The concept of a Barbados-Caribbean-based Festivals and Events Bureau should get into action immediately and get a firm grip on the everyday business of promoting our music industry regionally and beyond. This Festivals and Events Bureau should take over the promotion of our music industry and Crop Over outside of Barbados. Putting a permanent infrastructure in place to do so will surely result in maintaining a sustainable market for our music product year in, year out.
This new Bureau should also look at staging its own events locally, and at the region’s various Carnivals. Do research on significant landmark anniversaries of our local artistes and lend financial support. Trinidad fete exports like the ‘Glow’, ‘Hatters’ and ‘Wet Fete’ are good examples of how these events can successfully cross borders. Yes we can.
Given the obvious preference for Barbados “Groovy Music” world wide, and the fact that only the Groovy Barbadian songs are penetrating the Trinidad market and the obvious decline in Power Soca in the Caribbean the new Bureau should bring on board for 2009 Crop Over, a Groovy Competition and make changes to the last three night of Crop Over:
Friday Night: The Party Monarch and Groovy Monarch Competition Finals at the Oval (Please note a Soca Competition should never be in a Picnic setting or during the day …the week before you will have the opportunity to have a Party Monarch and Groovy Monarch Competition semi final, PLEASE NO TEXING
Fore Day Morning… On the Highway
Saturday: Cohobblo-Pot
& Bridgetown market at Spring Garden
Sunday Night: Calypso Monarch Competition
The reality is that SOCA (groovy or fast) has taken the role of calypso rooted in fundamental mid 20th century style. Any one looking and paying attention can see and hear the SOCA Train boasting international patronage.
Clearly as both a festival marketing tool and the engine of merriment SOCA (Groovy and Power) will serve us as good as other elements that promote our tourism product and should enjoy commensurate respect.
I think there are exciting times around the corner. I am sure there is room for a “new” thinking and thinkers and a Festivals and Events Bureau.
Mike Murray
PS: Check of my two articles in the Nation Groovy (attached)
Friday September 17th –2004 Page 14- Soca Take Over
Friday October 9th- 2004 Page 5-Case for an all-year Events Bureau
Promoting Crop Over & Exporting our Music product
It has been my experience in T&T that as successful as some Barbadian artistes have been in the past and in fact because of these successes the Crop Over product has gained more value. Yet somehow these artistes are still in the background of the promotion of Crop Over (Follow Me to Barbados Crop Over) in Trinidad by the BTA and the NCF.
My thinking is…if you “Brand” your promotion “Follow me to Crop Over” I want to see the artistes. I want to see them in the print and on TV whenever there is a promotion or a press release…please, I don’t want to see the BTA & NCF OFFICIALS no one is going to follow then to crop over. Gone are the days of staging a press conference, radio and TV interviews without the presence of the artistes, giving away a few T-shirts at fetes, sponsoring a music truck for a Trinidadian mass band playing Boots, and running from fete to fete within the last five day’s of Carnival paying the MC to announce that the next stop is Crop Over” in July when Carnival is in February.
These patrons at the fetes are half drunk some talking hard to each other, some taking the time off to run to the wash room, some don’t even remember who or what the MC said the night before. Why not have your own Barbadian fete, with weeks of Radio, Print and TV advertising, set up your booths that will include your crop over product. The Hotels, the mass, and with artistes like Biggie Ire, Peter Ram, Allision Hinds, Red Plastic and Khiomal already on the ground with big hits makes it so much easier.
One can say the Minister of Culture from Barbados was in Trinidad for the Follow ME promotion. If the idea was his, he did not think it trough, and the same can be said of his point man. Yes he did appear on TV at the security briefing during the day, but there was no follow us on his speech, he did not make it in prime time news, he was never seen in the print media in Trinidad.
As for how the Nation News got the story for local Barbadian news should be investigated, for although the Nation had a presents in Trinidad known to the Minister and his promotional team, they were never invited to the security briefing. Matter of fact the only visible press this band of marketing personnel received in Trinidad was a ¼ page clip in print with a picture of NCF and BTA staff, no artistes and no Barbadian mass band personnel.
This wasteful spending of tax payers money for over 12 persons (BTA & NCF) to Trinidad is costing over $6 thousand BDS per person to do a job that a Cultural/Entertainment Liaison Officer to Trinidad and Tobago could do, not a point man who is part of the Trinidadian net work. We must take our marketing strategies for the promotion of our music and Crop Over in the Caribbean more seriously than that.
The concept of a Barbados-Caribbean-based Festivals and Events Bureau should get into action immediately and get a firm grip on the everyday business of promoting our music industry regionally and beyond. This Festivals and Events Bureau should take over the promotion of our music industry and Crop Over outside of Barbados. Putting a permanent infrastructure in place to do so will surely result in maintaining a sustainable market for our music product year in, year out.
This new Bureau should also look at staging its own events locally, and at the region’s various Carnivals. Do research on significant landmark anniversaries of our local artistes and lend financial support. Trinidad fete exports like the ‘Glow’, ‘Hatters’ and ‘Wet Fete’ are good examples of how these events can successfully cross borders. Yes we can.
Given the obvious preference for Barbados “Groovy Music” world wide, and the fact that only the Groovy Barbadian songs are penetrating the Trinidad market and the obvious decline in Power Soca in the Caribbean the new Bureau should bring on board for 2009 Crop Over, a Groovy Competition and make changes to the last three night of Crop Over:
Friday Night: The Party Monarch and Groovy Monarch Competition Finals at the Oval (Please note a Soca Competition should never be in a Picnic setting or during the day …the week before you will have the opportunity to have a Party Monarch and Groovy Monarch Competition semi final, PLEASE NO TEXING
Fore Day Morning… On the Highway
Saturday: Cohobblo-Pot
& Bridgetown market at Spring Garden
Sunday Night: Calypso Monarch Competition
The reality is that SOCA (groovy or fast) has taken the role of calypso rooted in fundamental mid 20th century style. Any one looking and paying attention can see and hear the SOCA Train boasting international patronage.
Clearly as both a festival marketing tool and the engine of merriment SOCA (Groovy and Power) will serve us as good as other elements that promote our tourism product and should enjoy commensurate respect.
I think there are exciting times around the corner. I am sure there is room for a “new” thinking and thinkers and a Festivals and Events Bureau.
Mike Murray
PS: Check of my two articles in the Nation Groovy (attached)
Friday September 17th –2004 Page 14- Soca Take Over
Friday October 9th- 2004 Page 5-Case for an all-year Events Bureau
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