The 60th Annual Grammy Awards is upon us and with the news that they are set to return, New York, in Madison Square Garden, to mark their 60th anniversary, it’s set to be the best show yet. So how are the sponsors or marketing partners contributing to all the hype?

Uber

Last year for the 59th Grammy Awards, Uber and MasterCard decided to ‘make sweet music together’ by joining forces for a clever activation campaign, with the chance for someone to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the awards.

This year we can expect to see this partnership continuing to develop, as Uber has again signed on as the ‘official rideshare partner of the Grammy’s. However, Uber is set to take it up a notch, by partnering with three of the nominees from the ‘best new artist category’. These include Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, and Julia Michaels. Fans and aspiring artists will be invited to ride along with the three artists, to share their stories. Each meeting will be a complete surprise for fans, with each drive being filmed and aired during the Grammy’s show.

"In music, everyone is working towards that big break," explains Amy Friedlander Hoffman, who heads experiential marketing for Uber. "That's why we are thrilled to partner with the Grammys to further the ambitions of artists and fans alike. "

MasterCard

Previously MasterCard helped to build the hype up to the Grammys with their #ThankTheFans campaign. As part of their partnership with the Grammy’s, MasterCard gave all Master pass users exclusive access to shop for rare and unique vinyl records for just $10.

This year, they have followed with the launch of ‘MasterCard House’ a week-long of pop up sessions, including talks, vinyl stations, music photographers, and a recording booth, where MasterCard holders can receive complimentary entry. Fans can attend specialist talks from the experts and even record their own track to vinyl

Absolut Vodka

Last year Absolut Vodka, used their sponsorship with the Grammy Awards to leverage the release of their new ‘Absolut Lime Vodka’. The campaign was embedded into nearly every aspect of the night, appearing on the red carpet, a dedicated ‘lime’ green room, which acted as interview space for Entertainment Tonight, as well as 59 branded bar spaces. This was all supported by Absolut’s extensive digital campaign around #refreshthetalk which transcended across video, display adverts, billboards and social media.

The campaign followed an announcement that Absolut had seen a 2% decline in growth. Event partnerships at events such as the Grammys are part of Absolut’s strategy to ‘reinject Absolut to into the cultural conversation among younger consumers’.

As part of this ongoing strategy, Absolut is set to return to this year’s 60th Annual Grammy Awards, with Absolut Lime being the focus again as ‘the absolut limelight’ as ‘the signature cocktail of the Grammy’s.

In response to the announcement of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards marketing partnerships, Evan Greene, CMO of the Recording Academy, said:

"Today's real-time marketplace demands sophisticated marketing efforts to more deeply connect with fans everywhere, we are honoured to be aligned with some of the most impressive, category-leading brands on the planet, and we look forward to innovating with them to deliver programs that get noticed and break through."

Well, we can’t wait to see all the brand activation on the night! Tune in on the 28th January.