Lady Gaga As a Brand
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Let's face it, folks either love Lady Gaga or they can't stand her. I am probably somewhere inside the middle having said that lately I've been struck by what this 25 year-old has achieved in regards to branding.
What tends to make a fantastic brand? There are actually as a lot of opinions about this as you will find grains of sand on the beach, but a handful of points always rise for the best. A brand is consistent in what it produces and in its messaging, it tends to make you feel very good in some way, promotes loyalty, makes you wish to buy its products/services by building an emotional link, listens to feedback and changes with the instances.
So how does Gaga stand up as a brand? Let's appear at a handful of locations exactly where all brands live every day:
Emotional Link: If there's a single thing you can say about Gaga, she creates an emotional link and it tends to either be die-hard loyalty or total revulsion. There is not considerably in in between. At this point loyalty is far ahead of revulsion as she storms the globe with concerts, music videos, guest appearances and also a new CD released late final month. "Born This Way" debuted atop Billboard's Best 200, sold more than 1 million copies in its very first week and tops the charts in 10 other countries. Her concerts sell out (210 of them around the planet on her existing " Monster Ball Tour ") and are said to possess grossed more than $150 million so far. Do you think she's created an emotional link with her brand?
Engaging with Customers/Fans: Lady Gaga has 37 million Facebook fans, close to 11 million Twitter followers and most of her videos on YouTube have 50 million plus hits. She engages with fans on social media and has even fondly named them her " little monsters ." She consistently thanks her fans for their help and keeps them up-to-date on upcoming appearances, events and concerts. She knows ways to retain her tiny monsters coming back for a lot more as a recent tweet from a fan shows, "I enjoy you so significantly Gaga, you make me so no cost!! Thank you so significantly, I'll like you forever."
Controversy: That's her middle name, or it really should be. From her outrageous outfits to her suggestive song lyrics and music videos Gaga keeps people today speaking, good and bad. She arrived in the Grammy awards inside an egg-shaped pod this year (she's won five already in her short career), she offended mental wellness experts by referring to her critics as retarded and inflames Catholics and Christians alike with songs like "Judas" and dressing like a nun (she grew up Roman Catholic). Controversy is usually very good for any brand, but too much may also ruin it so it'll be intriguing to see if she can tread that fine line.
Philanthropy: The most beneficial brands give back and this can be an area exactly where Gaga puts her dollars exactly where her mouth is. She donated over $500,000 to rebuilding efforts in Haiti following the devastating earthquakes there last year, has been selling a bracelet she developed to help Japan soon after their tragedy ($250,000 donated so far), she supports HIV/AIDS education and awareness and various other organizations about which she is passionate. Brands that only take eventually go away and Gaga has shown herself so far to become a brand which is prepared to offer back.
Continual Improvement: Gaga began playing piano at age 4 and had written a ballet by the age of 13. She has an astounding voice, writes considerably of her own music and creates lots of in the outrageous costumes she wears. The bottom line is the fact that regardless of all else, she is talented and continually working to improve herself, which can be her brand. I cannot consider her carrying out the items she does now in 30 years so a significant a part of her continued success is going to be whether or not she can morph and evolve with all the times and with her age. Good brands do just that if they want to be around in 30 years.
Whether you like her or hate her, she has created one thing astounding within a pretty brief amount of time. Can your brand, personal or otherwise, say the identical thing?
A quote from Gaga sums it all up that brands each massive and little will be wise to heed, "You need to be one of a kind, and distinctive, and shine inside your personal way."
