Lycos, BMG Unveil Joint Ads

Portal Terra Lycos Monday released details of an ad campaign to be conducted in conjunction with BMG Entertainment, aimed at jointly promoting its music sites and BMG artists.

The campaign consists of six, thirty-second TV spots that feature artists such as Christina Aguilera, Pink and OutKast. Two of the spots ran during the holiday season, while the rest are slated to run until late January on cable channels including MTV, E!, MSNBC and ESPN.

The spots, which reprise the “Whatever you’re into, dig into it deeper on Lycos,” messaging from an earlier Lycos ad campaign in October, aim to encourage viewers to go to Lycos Music, and to explore, download, and ultimately, make a purchase.

“We are excited to bring together the enormous talent of BMG’s artists with Terra Lycos’s global reach of more than 120 sites in 41 countries,” said Kevin Conroy, chief marketing officer and president for new technology at BMG Entertainment. “We look forward to working with Terra Lycos to offer new artist downloads, promotions and other groundbreaking music services and events.”

Spending was not disclosed for the ads, which were designed in-house.

The campaign comes as a part of a five-year, cross-promotional agreement the companies announced in May 2000. In late 2000, Lycos and Bertelsmann launched several new digital services including a digital download service allowing consumers to easily download music from BMG’s artists and an ebooks marketplace.

Through the agreement, Lycos offers videos, chat, and promotional downloads featuring BMG artists on its music site.

“Our strategic relationship with Bertelsmann allows Terra Lycos to offer the most compelling and advanced experience for music fans around the world,” said Ron Sege, president of U.S. operations for Terra Lycos. “Lycos is a pioneer in the music space, and we will continue to break ground with new and innovative ways to deliver music content to our diverse and fast-growing music audience.”

The work also follows a promotion in November in support of BMC artist Aguilera’s new Spanish-language and holiday albums. That campaign featured bilingual chats and contests on Lycos’s Music area.

“We have a really great relationship with Bertelsmann. Music is one of the most popular areas on Lycos, and one of the most searched items on the Internet,” said Terra Lycos spokesperson Stacey Frankel. “There’s lots to offer through the partnership.”