A note to our readers: The 60 Second Marketer is an online magazine for the marketing community. This post is about Rock ‘N Roll. Normally we wouldn’t write about “off topic” subjects in here, but, heck, it’s the weekend and I’ll find a way to weave a marketing angle into this as I write it.

I have seen the future of Rock ‘N Roll and it’s name is The Script.

Those of you who follow music and are familiar with Rock ‘N Roll history will recognize the “I have seen the future of Rock ‘N Roll…” quote as one that was famously written in 1974 by Jon Landau about Bruce Springsteen.

Mr. Landau wrote that after seeing Mr. Springsteen in one of his early concerts. (The only Rock ‘N Roll quote more famous than Mr. Landau’s might be the “Clapton is God” quote that was spray painted on overpasses in England about the same time.) The quote about Mr. Springsteen was one of the things that helped launch him into the stratosphere.

Last night, I had the immense pleasure of seeing Paul McCartney in a benefit concert for the Piedmont Park Conservancy in Atlanta, Georgia.  Sir Paul was phenomenal — his voice was pristine, the band was as tight as ever and his music was as brilliant.

Sir Paul is the Mozart of our times and I’m pretty sure the 40,000 people on hand for the outdoor concert would agree.

The real surprise, however, was an opening act called The Script. They’re a band from Dublin and have a unique sound that’s best described as a wonderful mix of U2, Van Morrison, Green Day, Eminem and Barenaked Ladies (if you can imagine such a mix).

What was most surprising was their ability to command and own the stage. Imagine walking out onto a huge stage where 40,000 people are anxiously waiting for you to exit so they can see Sir Paul. It would be a daunting task.

But these guys owned the stage. They had presence. And they were the genuine thing. It wasn’t long before 40,000 people were tapping their toes, nodding their heads and soaking up a surprisingly excellent band.

You can buy their music on iTunes or, for a sampling, you can check out The Script MySpace Page.

So, what does all this have to do with marketing? (I told you I’d weave a marketing angle into this somehow.)

One of the secrets to marketing success is to have avid proponents of your brand sharing your message with prospective customers.

When you have fans selling your product for you, you create leverage for your brand. Said another way, you multiply the effect of your marketing and PR efforts. Prospective customers are much more likely to believe a third-party recommendation than they are a paid advertisement. And if you can leverage all that, you can grow your brand and increase sales.

So, what are you doing to create a fan base for your brand? What customer relationship management techniques do you have in place that encourage proponents of your brand to talk about you? What public relations programs are you creating to leverage the power of your brand?

When it comes to a band like The Script, they play to 40,000 people and, having done an excellent job, someone like me writes a blog about them.

You can do the same. Imagine every customer as something more than just a customer — they’re a proponent of your brand. And by treating them as such, you can leverage their voice to promote your product through them.

That’s what The Script has done. And that’s what you can do, too.

Sunday, August 16th, 2009, 10:35 am   |   General Marketing  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback