After working in the industry for several years, Dry and Larry Weintraub, a colleague whom Dry met while working at A&M Records, decided to start their own company, Fanscape, Inc., in 1998 to fill the void that was being created by the changing music industry. "This was when the record business started shrinking, and A&M was folding into another label, and we just didn't want to sit around. So we said, 'Let's start a business,' because we felt that the art of developing artists and marketing artists was going to be lost in this new, streamlined record industry." What they realized from the get-go was that for a company to succeed, technology must be utilized not only when making marketing decisions but specifically when interacting with consumers.
Fanscape was originally started with the intention of helping current and upcoming artists connect better and more efficiently with their fans. "Originally we were running fan clubs for bands and stuff like that, and we started realizing that our real value was what was in our minds, what we knew, the data, and the way we were able to get into different communities." This ultimately translated into their abilities to effectively utilize technology to accomplish objectives, which they continue to do today.
"I think technology is the number one factor right now; not only has it impacted marketing dramatically, but it's continuing to. To me, it's just the most exciting time to be in this business because everything is evolving right now," Dry said.
Technology has not only made it possible to connect with large consumer bases with relative ease, it has also made the process much more efficient. "You can reach people so much easier and so much smarter now, so now it's all about using the technology to properly target people and to be really smart about what you're pushing at them."
Although established with a music focus, over time Fanscape has evolved into a marketing consulting firm that emphasizes what the company calls Below-the-Line Marketing. "What that means is, in what I'll call the evolving world of advertising, everybody knows that the eyeballs are migrating toward the web and towards mobile; everybody is aware of that. But the big question that marketers have is, 'How do I best use that new media? There's this whole other world, and I know people are using it, but I'm not sure how to best do it.' That's what we do. Our job is to make sense of that world."
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This is especially important when it comes to approaching younger demographics today. Because this group grew up with the rapid and ever-changing face of technology, especially the Internet, it means that they not only have shorter attention spans, but also that they want their products, services, etc. to be both convenient and immediate. "With people who are 25 and under, it's a whole different ballgame. I mean, they are so tuned out to what we would consider traditional advertising." This means that marketers are increasingly being forced to find better ways to connect with them and stay relevant.
Although Fanscape has already reached a tremendous level of success working with clients such as MasterCard, DreamWorks, and Budweiser; ultimately, Dry's vision for the company has not yet been fully realized. "We want to be the company you go to when you're releasing a product. And really specifically, a product that has some sort of entertainment tie to it because I think that's more our specialty. But when you're doing that, we believe we should be part of that chain."
