• by Karl Greenberg , March 19, 2013

Zippo, perhaps the most righteous lighter, got into the music marketing scene last year (which makes sense if you have one and need to show your love at a concert) with a "Mayhem"-themed program, and is back for more. The Bradford, Penn.-based company is launching a new music promotional program called Zippo Encore, an experiential and sponsorship platform with on-site music festival activations, contests, and digital elements. 

Besides retaining sponsorship of the "Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival," a touring metal and rock concert series in its sixth year, Zippo Encore will include two other summer concert series in alternative and country genres.

For the Mayhem concerts, the company will do several activations, including a "Zippo Custom Artist" program where musicians on the tour will customize Zippo lighters that Zippo will sell at its Zippo Encore booth during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. 

A consumer participation element lets people submit their own artwork for a chance to have their design be the official Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Zippo Lighter. The winner gets the lighter, VIP tickets and pit passes to a Mayhem show of their choosing. Also for the Mayhem series, Zippo Encore has tapped model, actress and web host Jayme Foxx as spokesperson. Foxx will live tweet and post photos to Instagram for Zippo Encore and will also be host web-based videos about her experiences.

A cause-marketing element involves partnership with Metal of Honor, the official charity of the Mayhem Festival, meaning that Zippo will create the official 2013 Metal of Honor lighter that attendees can purchase at the shows, with all profits going to the veterans charity.

Also on tap is a new Zippo Encore website at ZippoEncore.com and a social media plan: content from the concerts will be on Zippo's Facebook Fan Page (www.facebook.com/ZippoEncore), a Twitter account (@ZippoEncore), an Instagram account (@ZippoEncore) and a branded YouTube Channel (www.YouTube.com/ZippoEncore).

The company says it is also taking music affinity marketing platform global by aligning with a dozen or so different festivals in several countries, with activations similar to what Zippo is doing in the U.S.