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You may argue that Madonna is not the greatest performer/singer/dancer in the world. But her staying power, appeal and influence can’t be denied. Your own marketing campaigns can learn from Madonna as well. Yesterday’s Super Bowl performance contained 6 components of her brand that have helped keep her in the game. Here they are:
- Meet expectations. We all expect Madonna to be showy, a little provocative, sing her favorites. She met those expectations and didn’t try to surprise us with an entirely new image. Don’t try to change everything at once to revive a flailing brand. You’ll lose your supporters.
- Stay relevant with brand associations. Although Madonna gave us our old favorites and stayed within expectations, she kept it relevant by sharing the stage with Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj and MIA. These performers are hot stars that represent the younger demographic Madonna needs to keep in order to maintain her brand’s success. Does your message contain relevancy to your chosen demo, and are you using partners to stay current?
- Throw in some controversy but not too much. MIA’s middle finger was planned, folks. This is just enough NOT to warrant a fine (like Janet Jackson’s nipple exposure, which I believe was unplanned) but enough to get people talking. You should be a tiny bit provocative when you can.
- Don’t overdo it. Although Madonna did some pretty incredible stuff she had an assist on her cartwheels, backup rails in case she lost her balance and people to hold her hand when she popped up and down on those heels. (I’m amazed at that, by the way, at any age!) Imagine if she’d fallen on her butt, which could have easily happened. Are your ad campaigns trying too hard and fail as a result?
- Introduce new calls and promotions sparingly. We did have to hear Madonna’s terrible (in my opinion) new song, but it was couched in enough favorite stuff and cool things that it was bearable. Nobody wants to see a cheerleader that’s 53 I don’t care how good she looks. (I wanted to see her become a witch or something. ) Don’t oversell your customers. You provide entertainment/content/free stuff…and in exchange you get to sell them a little something. Consumers demand this exchange.
