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Marketing Lessons from Run DMC
"The next time someone's teaching why don't you get taught?"
-RUN DMC (It's Like That)
New artists of any genre can learn some serious marketing lessons from RUN DMC. Here are 10 lessons from the Hollis, Queens trio:
10. Broke the rules: They dressed in street attire instead of flashy costumes or sweatshirts with their names ironed on like other rappers at the time.
9. Differentiation: Musically, they used Rock to differentiate themselves from the other groups. However, they didn’t try to dress or look like rockers. They didn’t try to be something they weren’t.
8. Unique: Their delivery was different. They didn’t sound like anyone else at the time.
7. Self-proclaimed: They dubbed themselves something totally unexpected- The King of Rock. And, they owned that.
6. Created a movement: They made their fans feel as though they were on a journey with them to spread this “new” thing. “My Adidas” is about more than a brand of sneaker. It’s about taking this particular style, culture, and vibe around the globe.
5. Made the rules: Their style, sound, image, and finesse set the stage for a new era of Hip Hop, with them at the helm.
4. Knew no boundaries: Their music wasn’t just for people that should like rap. This allowed them create their own audience, not just tap into the established rap base.
3. Consistency: They were consistent in their rock-themed sound; however, they grew and showed progression: “Rock Box,” “King of Rock,” “Raising Hell,” “Walk this Way.”
2. Branding: You knew the glasses, the derbies, Adidas, and the leather blazers as only RUN DMC.
1. Quality: The whole package known as RUN DMC was solid. At the time no one could rival them, they were the best. For all of these reasons, beyond being iconic Hip Hop artists that will be rediscovered by generations to come, they were inducted into Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame.
-by Israel Vasquetelle
Indie Musicians, Authors, and Artists: Future of Selling Hard Goods is Limited Edition Keepsakes
The band Of Montreal just made available their new box set which is comprised of a collection of cassettes in a handcrafted and painted box. To outsiders, this may seem like an oddball item on the fringes of the entertainment industry. However, to those that have worked in the indie scene for years, this is quite an obvious offer. Embracing a DIY approach in the creation and selling of interesting limited edition items is something that's been practiced for years in indie circles. For decades, kids in punk bands have known the joys of screenprinting stickers, shirts, and even skateboard decks in their garages. Today's authors and artists will know the same joy, albeit not necessarily by making an mess with emulsion.
Whether it be books, vinyl, elaborate CDs, handmade apparel, or other items, tomorrow's artists who are successful in connecting with their audiences, regardless of the medium or size, will find that even in a digital age, physical goods will still have a significant place in their livelihood. Just ask Seth Godin, the hugely successful author that has sold tons of books through major publishing houses. His recent "Poke The Box" book came in a variety of options for purchasers, including one edition that sells on Amazon for over $100. This limited edition package comes with a letterpress cover, poster, and of course it's signed.
If you're a creator, take that title literally and create something meaningful that will be considered a keepsake by fans. To close, when talking with a veteran musician Dave Lombardo, drummer for the band Slayer, I asked what was the most distinct release they've made available. His response was the Iron Cross 7" record. After taking a look, you have to admit, regardless of how huge of a band Slayer has been for nearly three decades, this is certainly something that's only for those die-hard fans. What can you make that your fans can display, wear, or cherish like a badge of honor?
Can "Phantasm" teach you how to make your content stick?
Despite its low budget origins, "Phantasm" is a film that will live forever, fondly, in the minds of horror buffs. I never forgot seeing the creepy posters as a young child, however, I was much too young to see the film at the time. I have to admit, although the movie couldn't boast great acting, solid editing, or crisp production, I was riveted nonetheless. Phantasm is a great example of doing a lot with a little. A significant part of its success was the use of memorable visual devices, such as a tall creepy undertaker, mysterious dwarfs, and levitating silver drilling mirrored balls as antagonists. I didn't see the film until recently (on Netflix), but the haunting images from ads and trailers were sticky visuals that I have never forgotten. And, as the film's cult status can surely prove, it's clear there are many fans that haven't forgotten either.
How much of the media that you consume today, regardless of its budget, is going to be something that you'll remember decades later? I'm guessing not much. Take a page from this cult b-horror flick's playbook and create something with a presentation so distinct, that it indefinitely sticks. -Israel Vasquetelle
Call to Action for Creatives- bring the unexpected and break new ground
Many creatives (artists, musicians, and yes, comedians) hone their art and deliver the goods time and again. However, that's what they're supposed to do. The greats go beyond and break new ground. These are the ones that have the ultimate staying power, because they're never afraid to reinvent themselves or their craft. Comedian Jim Breuer is one of those artists. Beyond being an amazingly funny stand-up comic, he's an author, great performer, actor, and has just expanded his repertoire by becoming a documentarian. His new film "More Than Me" is the touching story about his relationship with his elderly father. He pushes the boundaries by not just making a funny movie, but a film that is sure to tug at viewers' heartstrings.
As a creator, the challenge is to push the envelope and break new ground in your own creative life. This may make all the difference between being respected for what you do or acknowledged as a true one of a kind.
What this video editing software video can teach you about marketing: Selling a product by genuinely using it; what a novel idea.
What better way to promote software for a video editing effects suite, than to make a movie that uses the product. Watch Plot Device and be amazed at what can be done with minimal gear and budget, and of course by using Magic Bullet Looks 2. Instead of shooting a video tutorial to show how their goods are used, they dazzle you by using it the way it should be used, in a film.
Once you watch the above short, take a look deeper at the behind the scenes documentary. Making movies to sell software, that will get it out of the box and into the hands of end users better than any other outside of the box marketing activity. Why? Because the target audience is all about watching films and learning where and how they got that really cool effect done. This get's the job done on both ends: it entertains and sells the product.
What you can learn from the genius of Andy Kaufman
In a world inundated with sound-alikes, look-alikes, and wannabes, it's refreshing to witness when a one-of-a-kind emerges. Andy Kaufman broke ground in comedy so many years ago. After watching the clip below, I find that most of what is purported as entertaining falls short. If you're an entertainer, watch this clip and be challenged to do your own thing and break your own ground.
Interactive Digital Marketplace and Experience for Harry Potter Property
J.K. Rowling is launching a new experience called Pottermore for fans of her Harry Potter franchise. Here, readers will be able to access digital content and also interact and contribute. The internet provides a great opportunity to add more value to for those consuming books and other offline media. It will be interesting to see how they further engage fans with this platform.
Nothing delicate about Rob Zombie's new fabric softener commercial
Woolite called on producer, musician and director Rob Zombie to direct the new commercial for the staple fabric softener. The director delivered a creepy 30 second nightmare of a cinematic experience for delicate apparel everywhere.
Self Publishing Success: A new author shares her journey in new era book publishing
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author M. Louisa Locke. Her first novel, a Victorian era mystery, has managed to reach an audience despite not benefiting from the resources of a traditional book publisher. She’s not a household name, at least not yet, however, in the era of new media and the technology that makes it these channels possible, it’s not necessary to have a huge audience to find success. Locke is part of a growing contingency of authors that have chosen to bypass the lottery-like odds that require the need to gain the limited attention of traditional publishers. Instead of chasing a middleman, she reaches a potential audience by utilizing the democratizing services of digital distributors and print on demand services that helped her to make her title a reality.
Traditionally, authors with aspirations of making it alongside bestsellers on bookshelves would need to convince gatekeepers of their potential to sell huge quantities. Obviously, only a tiny percentage of those considered ever garner a book deal. Once getting through that level of immense scrutiny, typically, for a new author, that means a small advance and a ticket on a waiting list that could last many months or years. Furthermore, for better or worse, the author’s words are subject to a barrage of changes and revisions by editors. If, and when the book finally hits the market, it will only receive the promotional resources of its publisher for a very short window of time.
In many instances, the author also finds themselves investing their own funds and efforts to further promote the title. If an author is to realize income from the sale of the book, the revenue realized by the publisher first must offset expenses associated with the printing, packing, shipping, and marketing of that title. The publisher first has to recoup a bulk of their investment-- including advance monies paid to the author-- before the book’s creator ever has a shot at realizing further revenue. Even then, the potential of revenue in most cases is miniscule. This is because the author’s share is derived from a small percentage of sales. Because of this fairly standard model, only a small percentage of authors actually reap financial rewards from the sale of their product- beyond an initial modest advance. Without an impressive amount of sales, it may take quite a while for their next book to reach a bookshelf, if ever. Many authors understand these issues, however, continue to choose this route as a shot at reaching an audience and for the potential prestige associated with being a published author.
Distribution for Indie Filmmakers, Artists, and Media Entrepreneurs: Talking to 101 Distribution's CEO
After working for an established distributor that was purchased by EMI, Damon Evans decided it was time to launch his own distribution company. In 1998, he founded 101 Distribution to provide traditional music distribution services to independent labels. This included the facilitation of titles to both independent and major retail outlets. Today, what makes 101 Distribution distinct in an environment of a growing list of music distributors that offer mostly digital delivery, is that they provide their clients much more. During the last several years, Evans’ company has added a slew of options, including digital distribution, to their robust repertoire of services. The company touts itself as “North America’s only independently owned, full-service music and film distributor.” In this interview, Evans provides a great amount of insight regarding how his company assists labels, artists, and independent filmmakers compete in the new and evolving music and film industries.
Are you providing the service of distribution of digital products to various mobile outlets?
Damon: The mobile aspect is probably the most developed of our channels and that’s because we built a proprietary system that sits on top of a carrier gateway. So what that means is that if you were to come to the site and set up a project and you want to sell one ring tone or thirty ring tones, it’s unlimited in terms of how many different edits or tracks that you can create ring tones out of. Once you’ve edited those tones as thirty second clips and uploaded them, they go through an approval process that might take less than an hour or two just to verify that there’s no explicit language or verify that the quality of the content is where it needs to be before it’s encoded. After it passes that quality control, we can make a ring tone or mobile image live on any major carrier in the US and Canada, any regional carrier like Cellular One or Alltel, any pre-paid carrier like a Boost or a Cricket. We can make that content live in less than five minutes.
So say for example you are a dance artist or you are a hip-hop artist and you’ve got a single that hits radio and it gets hot, well, in this day and age the digital life of a single or album is right around four to six weeks. After that, consumers seem to get distracted by other groups, other offerings. But when it comes to music that moves fast like that, it’s absolutely critical that an artist can capitalize on that momentum and so that was one thing that we made sure to definitely focus on when it came to developing our mobile applications is that it makes no sense for content to go through a process where it takes four to six weeks to get on Verizon, or AT&T, or Cricket. You need it up there immediately. Same with the digital. When we activate a single or an album through iTunes or set up the ring tones from mobile it takes less than 12 to 24 hours for that content to be live and purchase-able across the world.
Marketing Lessons from Mickey Rourke
If I had to pick just two words that would get to the heart of marketing, I would argue they'd be "Get Attention." Obviously, there's plenty to add to that. However, there's no branding, sales or business without attention. For better or worst, attention is one of the most significant components of this complex aspect of business that is the focus of hundreds, if not thousands of books. So when it comes to getting and keeping our attention, there are few people that do that more effectively than performers. Sure, typically these performers in film, music, and stage typically have help in the form of marketing dollars that first put them in front of us. However, there are plenty of people that are put in the spotlight and fail to really get our attention. To do this, they have to be compelling to get and maintain our attention. One of my favorite comments about what attention means today is from marketing author, Seth Godin. He brilliantly explains, "attention has become the most valuable commodity.” The idea of garnering and maintaining attention had me thinking about one of my favorite performers. Someone that first got my attention, and millions of others, in the '80s, and still successfully continues to do so. It's actor Mickey Rourke. So, what can we learn about marketing from Mickey Rourke? Plenty.
For years, Rourke starred in what some would argue were some of the more outstanding films of an era, including: "Diner," "Barfly," "Angel Heart," "Year of the Dragon," and "9 1/2 Weeks." What made those films amazing was that they were brilliantly cast, written, and shot. As an actor, Rourke was suburb in those films. He was a significant component in what made those films successful. For years, his work demanded attention, and he got it. Then what happened? He fell from prominence. Rourke began making movies that didn't allow his talent to shine. His roles were cliche and his performance was lackluster. And, for years, the actor with a body of work that put him in the lineage of Deniro and Pacino was all but forgotten.
For nearly a decade, Hollywood and the movie going public stopped paying attention to Rourke. In 2005, director Robert Rodriquez took a risk and cast him in a perfect role. In the distinct film, "Sin City," he played a character, Marv, that no one could forget. Both Rourke and the film were brilliant. Then came "The Wrestler," a low budget movie that reportedly paid him next to nothing; however, in regards to memorability, it was far from small. In this amazing movie, Rourke gave a performance of a lifetime. He once again demanded attention and got it; putting him back on the radar. He's back in high demand. However, what's interesting is that this isn't the brilliant Rourke of old. For various reasons, he changed. He no longer fit the role of a smooth talking, dapper and debonair leading man. Regardless, he was able to successfully reinvented himself on screen as a gruff, unrefined, and hulky enigma. As either persona, he remained a one-of-a-kind talent. I'm not sure where Rourke and his career will go from here, but it's clear from studying his body of work, when he gave a distinct performance that allowed him and his talents to shine, he got well-deserved attention and was looked at as a star again. When he didn't, attention was scarce for Rourke. The marketing lesson here is clear: be distinct, deliver quality, and get attention. -I. Vasquetelle
Here are some YouTube trailers from some of Rourke's amazing early work:
Old Navy Uses Music and Mobile App in new Marketing Campaign
A retail chain rolling out jingles to promote their outlets isn't new. However, Old Navy is using original tracks for their commercials to not only promote their stores, but also to get people to interact with the songs. When you hear one of Old Navy's new music titles on television, radio, or online, just start up your Shazam app and capture a snippet of sound. Upon doing so, your mobile phone will bring you to an Old Navy site that will offer digital music downloads and "goodies" (hopefully for shoppers, special retail offers).
The store already has their own YouTube channel dubbed Old Navy Records with their newest offering "SUPER C-U-T-E." Honestly, it's not too far off from what you would expect from a Black Eyed Peas ditty; now that's commercial music.
The banner ad on their site even has a hint of American Idol-ish imagery on it (just about half way down the page).
Charlie Murphy interview: Biggest lesson learned and talks comedy
In this interview, Charlie Murphy shares his most valuable lesson learned in the entertainment industry. He also talks to me about peoples' misconceptions about comedic actors' skills, including those of his brother Eddie Murphy. He also shares this thoughts on the importance of Richard Pryor to the comedy world. Charlie also discusses the infamous incident involving Seinfeld's Michael Richards' outburst that immediately labeled him a racist.
Charlie Murphy interview by Israel Vasquetelle
Inside Independent Digital Book Publishing and Distribution: Interview with SmashWords' founder Mark Coker
(Interview and forward by Israel Vasquetelle.)
Mark Coker has developed a powerful platform and service to deliver digital books to significant sellers such as Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com, as well as smaller specialty and niche outlets. In this interview, SmashWords’ founder provides a great amount of insight into the independent side of the digital book publishing industry. He also discusses his motivation behind the launching of his company and shares plenty of information about the ins and outs of distributing ebooks using the service.
You started Smashwords because you had a book that you were going to have published the traditional way and I guess you found that there were some significant obstacles with the traditional book publishers?
Yes, definitely. My wife is a former reporter for Soap Opera Weekly magazine. And when I first met her she was telling me about all these crazy stories of what went on behind the scenes of the daytime television soap operas because she used to visit the sets. And I suggested she wrote a book about it and she said, “Well why don’t we write a book together?”
And I thought well that'd be a lot of fun. I'd always wanted to write a book just I never thought it would be about soap operas. But we moved down to Burbank for a couple of months and interviewed - conducted anonymous interviews with about 50 soap opera industry insiders. We gathered all the dirt about the industry and then took that information and fictionalized it as a novel called Boob Tube. So we did everything that authors are trained to do or taught to do.
We did multiple revisions on the book, hired professional editors and proofreaders and copy editors, got the book all ready for sale to a publisher, shopped it around to agents, got represented by one of the top literary agencies in New York City. The same agency that represented Barack Obama’s first book, and they were excited about the book and we were excited that they were excited and so they shopped it around for a couple of years to major commercial women’s fictional publishers in New York and none of them purchased it.
And, you know, at the end of that process it was actually our agent who suggested that we consider self publishing. He told us about a former client of his or actually a current client of his at that time who had another book that he was unable to sell. And so the author self published it and then after a year sold a few thousand copies on her own. Went back to the agent and the agent was able to sell the book in a week because she’d proven that there was a commercial market for it. So that’s what he suggested we do.
I took that suggestion and I thought well that makes sense to do self publishing but, you know, my background here is in Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur and for me this was just a big eye opening experience. It exposed to me what seemed to be a really big problem facing not just my wife and I but potentially millions of authors around the world who had poured their heart and soul into creating a book, you know, and in many cases spent a lifetime creating this book only to have a publisher slam the door in their face and say “Sorry, we’re not going to let you have a chance in reaching your audience.”
I thought, why not create an online publishing platform that would allow any author anywhere in the world to instantly publish their book as an eBook and make it available for sale online at the price that the author decides. And let's go a step further and let's take the industry’s current compensation models for authors and let's turn that model upside down.
Let's put 85% of the profit into the pocket of the author as opposed to the publisher. And so that was the general idea behind Smashwords and that’s what we launched about a year and a half ago. We first announced the company in February of 2008. We started doing private Beta testing and then in May of 2008 we launched the service to the world, focused on self published authors. Then in -publishers- so now we support both independent authors and larger publishers.
We’re publishing multiple authors. And then the latest development at Smashwords - this has happened just in the last three months we've signed distribution agreements with all of the major online eBook retailers. So we have just reached agreements with Barnes and Noble, Sony, Short Covers -- now called Kobo and Amazon. Smashwords has really taken on the role of a full service eBook distributor.
You encourage your authors to publish a print version and make it available as well. Today, some of the barriers for print have been brought down due to technology. For those that have taken your advice, do you know what percentage of their books sold have been physical versus digital?
What artists of any genre can learn from his 35 years of success in children's music
Depending on your age, and where you grew up, Barry Polisar might have played a significant role in how you first started listening to music as a child. Barry is a veteran entertainer who has spent decades making music and performing it for kids. His impressive career is filled with accomplishments, including: writing songs sung by the character Big Bird in Sesame Street, publishing several children’s books, starring in his own television show, and even performing at the White House. Of all of his successes, the one that is the most telling, in regards to the significance of his career, is a recent tribute compilation entitled “We’re Not Kidding.” This release consists of Barry cover-songs, and was recorded by artists of all genres that grew up listening to Barry’s music.
Beyond Barry’s success as an artist, he’s also a music entrepreneur who began his career by booking himself in unique venues, including schools and libraries. He’s also sold music directly to his audience (and their parents) live and online for many years. Barry’s non-traditional music industry story is compelling and full of lessons for artists of all genres.
Barry, can you discuss how you sell music?
For 35 years I put out a series of record albums for children and basically marketed and sold them myself. Although I do have distribution through Amazon.com, CD Baby, and iTunes for the longest time it was just people either buying my albums on my Web site or after concerts.
There were significant barriers to selling. How were you selling your music for all those years before the Internet?
Seth Godin on Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame," marketing, and the secret to his success
Best selling author and marketing expert Seth Godin takes time to talk with me about marketing for artists, entrepreneurs, and creators in the era of social media. As well, he addresses the phenomenon pertaining to the new found fame that has created celebrities out viral videos. He even answers my question about the secret to his success.
Forget Piracy, Fight Obscurity: Five ways for artists to beat being unknown
(Photo credit Kainr- used under Creative License on Flickr - Some rights reserved by kainr)
For years, many new artists have asked me, “What do I do about the problem of piracy?” It’s true. Many people are copying music. However, if you’re a new artist, you should be so lucky to have people want to copy and spread your art. Let Gaga, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, and Bruno Mars worry about people stealing their music. Instead, new artists should find ways to get people to want to consume their music in any manner possible.
Interestingly enough, I had an unknown artist and friend explain his quite opposite approach to worrying about piracy. His angle was to let people pirate his music. He almost had it right, but not quite. He said, “My marketing plan is to leak my music to Bit Torrent sites and let bootleggers do the rest.” I told him that this wasn’t much of a marketing plan. First of all, more than likely, a real-life bootlegger is looking to copy music that’s already popular. Secondly, not so devious infringers are also probably illegally downloading music that they search for, which means they’re already aware of it. The key word is “aware.” If they don’t know who you are, it’s unlikely they’ll care enough to actively find you.
Instead of worrying about piracy, sweat obscurity. How do you do that?
1. Perform at any logical occasion that arises. You never know where potential fans lurk.
2. Put music in the ears of people that are likely to enjoy what you do.
3. Promote at every chance you get. Get not only your music, but also your name in the minds of your potential fans.
4. Don’t count out radio. You might not be able to get on rotation on your favorite Clear Channel station; however, Internet, satellite, college, and community radio outlets are more likely to support indie music anyway. (Yes, these outlets might not be as glamorous as play on commercial terrestrial radio airwaves, but listeners of many of those outlets are typically more passionate about a specific niche. Find out who plays that slice of sound, and get on. Remember, anyone can get online, but most artists won't be on radio.)
5. The Internet is an amazing outlet for building awareness and networking, but don’t ignore real social networking- IN PERSON. And, don’t ignore your own backyard (aka hometown). Look for opportunities to do all of the aforementioned activities within your own town. With few exceptions, this is typically a great way to inexpensively promote and build your fan base and FIGHT PIRACY OBSCURITY. -Israel Vasquetelle
Marketing memo to artists: No one’s going to find you if you’re hiding.
Too many times, artists ask advice about how to be discovered. They sit and ponder ways to be found by music executives. The reality is that they need to be found by an audience. With today’s unending options to get your music out to the world, there’s no excuse to wait. I’ve always been a proponent of just doing it yourself- today, this approach makes more sense than ever before. The reality is that music execs are lazier than ever. That’s not an insult, it’s actually a smart approach. Instead of combing through massive bins (or today, files) of music, they look to see who’s created traction all on their own.
If you’re waiting to be discovered, more than likely, you’re not going to be found. Stop hiding from your audience. Get your music out now! -Israel Vasquetelle
Coca Cola, Marketing, Social Networking, RFIDs, Oh My!
Coca Cola uses RFIDs at their event that allows participants to automatically tag, like, and interact with Facebook without signing in.
Sony gets that the new rotation is social media.
