Brand Dots

Posts Tagged ‘Promotion’

I love music.  If I had my way, I’d listen to it 24-7.  Fortunately, I have the opportunity to surround myself with extremely talented musicians.  I go to concerts, shows and open-mic nights on a fairly regular basis.  The talent I see blows me away.  It’s a shame that the world is full of so many talented people and so few make it in the industry.  But there’s noting like a little controversy to get the attention of the public.

Take Lady Gaga for instance.  At 23 years old, she’s sold 15.3 million digital tracks, generated four number 1 songs from her debut album and is nominated for five Grammy awards.  Yes, she’s talented.  But how did she make it when there are so many other talented musicians that can’t seem to get a break?

It’s all about brand positioning and marketing.  Here are a few things that have propelled Gaga into super-stardom:

• Brand Positioning: Gaga holds a unique position in the mind of consumers in relation to competing artists.  When competition, like Taylor Swift and Beyonce, are appealing to audiences with an innocent, girl-next-door image, the only way to get ahead is by posing as the complete opposite.

• Timing: History repeats itself.  Lady Gaga isn’t the first artist to become famous by stunning her audience. Queen, George Michael and Madonna are just a few artists that have pushed the limits by not conforming to sexual and fashion boundaries.   But it’s tough to have more than one popular misfit in the industry at time so Gaga’s timed it right by entering the industry when other artists are mellower.

• Style: Her style has been described as risqué, wild, cutting edge, and cross-dressing.  Some refer to her as the Marilyn Manson of pop!  Whatever you want to call her style, it’s one of a kind.  She’s hired outlandish designers to fill her wardrobe and she’s not afraid to cover herself in blood to get attention.

• 360-Deal: According to the Wall Street Journal article, The Lessons of Lady Gaga, Universal Music Group’s deal with Gaga is the reason for her success.   Labels are slashing their artist rosters to invest more money in their high-ticket artists.  They invest tons of money up-front for marketing, in exchange for touring revenues, merchandise sales, and even celebrity endorsement deals.  Troy Carter, Gaga’s manger, credits the 360-deal for her success, stating, “Would she be in the position to play in front of 20,000 people a night if the record company had not put up the marketing dollars?“

• Embracing Digital Distribution: Consumers can download and share music for free, without having to pay for songs.  Many musicians condemn digital distribution because they think it’s ruined their chance at getting revenue from their music. Lady Gaga has done the opposite, making her music available to anyone who wants it.  The accessibility of her music has made more people want to attend her shows, purchase her merchandise and it increased her brand loyalty.

• Talent: She wouldn’t be where she is today without talent.  She writes her own music and her tunes alone have a style of their own.

• Initiative: She’s a workaholic.  She is 100% devoted to her music, speaking engagements, concerts, fans and the team of people that supports her.  She shows the drive and determination that it takes to make it in the industry!

Lady Gaga’s got all of these things going for her, however, her long-term success will hinge on evolution.  She may be on top of the world now but her image wont keep up the momentum for long.  Like all life-long musicians, she will have to reposition her brand to achieve long-term success.

Good luck, Gaga!  Can’t wait to see what you morph into next!

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays.  It’s a low-stress holiday, full of bar-b-q, parties, beer, flags, and fireworks.  Independence Day gives us the opportunity to remember how fortunate we are to have freedom.  As we approach America’s birthday, I can’t help but point out how powerful a patriotic marketing strategy can be.  After all, American’s have the strongest sense of national pride!

Patriotic marketing works!  It is one way that companies can appeal to a very broad segment of consumers.  Most Americans love to support their country, veterans, and American brands.  People tend to feel a connection to their country of origin and strong sense of national pride.  By embracing these emotions, companies can influence consumer-purchasing decisions.

One way companies incorporate patriotism into their brand strategy is through their logo design.  Some companies choose a name and company logo to show their pride and others, such as Google, have incorporated the stars and stripes into their existing logo.

Other companies choose to incorporate patriotic colors or images into their packaging.  Most of us have seen “Made in the USA,” eagles, or American flags stamped on products.  This stamp of patriotic approval could make or break a consumers buying decision.

Another way to show national pride is by outreach marketing with customized promotional products.  People love free key chains, stress balls, magnets, pens, and pins.  And the best thing about them is that people keep them, use them in the future, and will reference back to them to find your phone number or web address.

Military discounts are a win-win marketing approach.  They show others that you support the troops, give back to those that protect and serve our country, and specifically speak to a very large and precise target market: military personnel.  If you’re having a difficult time promoting your discount,  Veterans Advantage is one way you can get your products or services in the hands of vetrans, personnel, and their families.

Display your support!  Patriotic marketing can be as simple as decorating with American flags, stars and stripes, or a yellow ribbon.  Just make sure you display patriotic items that are in good condition.  There’s nothing worse than a worn and tattered flag on display.

So get out there!  Hang your flag and show your pride.  Stand UNITED!