MTW Agency brand deals with Nicki Minaj, Rosalia, Carin Leon and Camila Cabello
MTW agency works with some of the biggest brands in the world. Those brands are continuously seeking relationships with artists so they can partner to raise awareness of the branded products. These brands tend to be well known products like Amazon Music, Patron Tequila, Bacardi Rum, Grey Goose and CASHAPP.
Matt Ferrigno, co-founder MTW Agency
Matt Ferrigno co-founded MTW in 2019 with Diana Dotel to focus on creating partnerships between talent and brands. The mission of MTW is to bring together talent and brands into negotiated partnerships in which the reach of the artists is leveraged to promote the products of the brands. I spoke with Matt about the ways in which MTW agency works to create opportunities for brands and artists to collaborate in extending their mutual reach to build growth.
MTW has worked on bringing brands and artists together for projects such as Bad Bunny and Adidas, Becky G
Gravity
This is a mutually beneficial undertaking, as the trade relies on the audience of the artists being introduced to the products of the brands in a way which is mutually beneficial. The brand gathers enhanced exposure to a new audience, or more attention paid to an audience which knows the product but has yet to fully engage with the products.
For the artists, these brand deals are a way to leverage their following into more stable and lasting relationships which are monetized over time. For a musician, the renown which results from a hit album typically has a shelf life in which the attention curve declines over time. Album sales and streaming revenues have an unpredictable lifespan. The only true revenue sources are live event ticket sales and synch rights for use of the performer’s music in advertising, television or movies. Brand partnerships are an entirely different revenue stream which may include both royalties and equity in the brand itself. If the artist can accept the premise that fame and reach are fickle, then it is prudent for them to enter into deals in which they have a partner invested in the idea of both growing audience and diversifying the ways in which the artist can build net worth outside the unpredictable ecosystem of performance.
There has always been the idea that In the entertainment business there is trepidation, mistrust and lack of accountability. However, that is not necessarily true with respect to brand deals. Those are deals in which each party brings something to the table which benefits the enterprise. Typically, artists deliver new potential consumers to brands, and in return brand promotions help extend the reach of the artists’ community.
MTW began with their work on Bacardi brands. From there, over time the portfolio grew. SZA joined working on a Grey Goose partnership, that lead to subsequent deals with acts like Camila Cabello and Nicki Minaj. The more deals which got out together, the more activity there was from both brands and artists to continue. Ultimately, the arc has bent such that artists themselves are powering brands such as Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Nails product.
MTW is the connector bringing together the brands, artists and activations in a way which benefits them all. The job is to help create opportunity whether that be a simple promotional deal, a joint venture, or a project in which the artist is the building the product with support from a brand which wants to participate.
When star power is aligned with economic opportunity there is a pathway for all involved to succeed. The brand gains new consumers, the artists community of fans grows and the revenue increase from additional sales leads to a significant new source of economic diversity for both.
As for Matt Ferrigno, Diana Dotel and MTW – their team stands for the proposition that actions are more significant that words. MTW has been accountable and delivered action over the five years of their existence. Their outlook is the NorthStar which guides them. MTW has developed both brand expertise and trust in the artist community. Those factors are helping drive growth for the company and for the artists and brands they advise. The key factor is making sure that the proposed pairing makes for good partners. Recognizing who may work well with whom is an insider’s game which is why a company such as MTW is such a valuable part of putting together the best pairings for a particular promotion or product.
Often where there is the potential for a significant payday, tensions arise between the players. MTW works to keep the partnerships both smooth and lucrative. After all, the only thing better than one brand deal is a series of brand deals. Come to the table with a long term perspective and everyone ultimately winds up significantly better off. Perhaps, that knowledge is incorporated in what MTW represents: the acronym means More Than Words. Matt and the team are hands on in creating partnerships and brainstorming alternate ways to grow those relationships. This is a space which continues to grow quickly as both artists and brands have learned that they are better together. Watch as artists become ever more entrepreneurial as they work with brands while growing their own. It is the connectors like Matt Ferrigno and his MTW team which act to shape and curate the pairings. After all, each deal is bespoke, so the process is made smooth by assistance from professionals whose prior work helped level the pathway.
In the end there is a big difference between exiting and exciting. You have to have “A” performance to add that “C” to the deal. Brand deals are one of the very few in which getting a that “C” adds prestige, power and profit. Spending time with Matt Ferrigno and the MTW team showed how they are able to help position a deal so that everyone has a reasonable chance of getting that C plus return. And, unlike school, that’s “C” which means celebrate.
