Six marketing lessons from three rock bands

Trevor Young - 11th October 2010

Six marketing lessons from three rock bands

If you’re seeking inspiration to improve the marketing of your brand, you could do worse than check out some of the more progressive-thinking rock bands out there.

Three of my favorite marketing-savvy b(r)ands are Paramore, Radiohead and Sister Hazel.

Here are six ways lessons from said bands – ROCK ON!

1. Create a Kick-Ass Web 2.0-Enabled Website

Check out the websites of Paramore and Sister Hazel. They’re friendly, accessible, visually appealing and interactive. Super-importantly, both websites are rich with interesting and relevant content.

What about your brand?

Is your website a place where people would want to spend time, or is it too ‘corporate’, unaccessible..boring?
Has it lots of interesting and relevant and ‘non-sales pitch’ content including video, podcasts, blog posts, free e-books or whitepapers etc? (hey, when was the last time you updated any content on your website?).
Does your site have a ‘personality’ that accurately reflects your brand?

2. It’s About the Fans, Stoopid!

You can’t fake enthusiasm for your fans. Many musical acts have tried of course, but ultimately the people know if a band or an artist truly gives a shit about them. A solid and ever-growing fan base can mean the difference between the also-rans and music acts that become long term, sustainable enterprises in their own right.

Paramore, Radiohead and Sister Hazel understand the sheer value hardcore fans bring to the table. Each band is proactive (in their own different ways) in reaching out and engaging with fans and, in doing so, they continue to build a growing base of customers for some time to come.

What about your brand?

Do you know who your true fans are?
Are your marketing efforts geared towards trying to win new customers at the expense of engaging existing fans and advocates?

3. Push Boundaries

Radiohead has been on my ‘marketing radar’ ever since 2007 when they released an album online with an interesting catch: fans could pay what they liked, including downloading the whole thing for free if they wished. The experiment was bold, if not downright controversial for the protectionist music industry, but it was also a huge talking point globally and generated heaps of buzz for the band at the time.

Radiohead’s latest idea is to produce a ‘crowdsourced’ video of a concert in Prague – the concert video was literally filmed by the band’s legion of fans, very cool!

This, from the project’s website:

“On 23rd August 2009 a group of Radiohead fans descended on the Výstavištĕ Holešovice Exhibition Hall in Prague on a mission – to capture the band playing using as many different angles as possible. Bringing together the exceptional talents of many contributors, here is the result.” (See trailer video below).

(Hat-tip David Meerman Scott).

What about your brand?

Do you regularly think up (and execute) big, bold and interesting marketing ideas?
When was the last time your brand did anything that was really cool, unexpected or ‘out there’?

Radiohead Live in Praha 8.23.09 DVD Trailer

4. Embrace the Social Web

All three bands are active on the social web, particularly with strong applications of the ‘basics’ including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

At time of writing, Radiohead had 3.8 million fans on Facebook and 55K plus on Twitter, while Paramore had 7M+ (Facebook) and 615K+ (Twitter), and Sister Hazel 23K+ Facebook fans and 789K followers on Twitter.

(NOTE: from my observations, all three bands could probably do more in terms of interacting with Facebook fans and Twitter followers – this would no doubt build their respective online followings even more).

What about your brand?

Have you fully embraced social media yet? If not, why not?
Do you blog, vodcast or podcast?
Are you active on Twitter? Do you interact with fans on Facebook?

5. Create Interesting Complementary ‘Properties’

Sister Hazel’s side project - The Rock Boat – is an institution (Wikipedia describes The Rock Boat as an annual rock-themed “floating music festival at sea”, while the band’s Ken Block describes it as “Spring Break for people with jobs”).

Radiohead has joined forces with Jay Z to form Jaydiohead, a mashup project of the music of Jay-Z and Radiohead mixed and produced by New York producer Max Tannone.

What about your brand?

Have you joined forces with a complementary business or brand in your industry to produce something of interest and value? A side project that will get people talking about your brand?

6. Do Good!

Smart major league rock bands get involved in non-profit organizations that are close to their heart and use their clout to help raise awareness and funds for the particular cause/s.

Sister Hazel, for example, has performed with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra to raise money for Chords For a Cause and are also big supporters of the Lyrics for Life organization, a non-profit organization whose mission is to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Paramore are prominent advocates for LOVE146, an organization dedicated to the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation (Further reading: How LOVE146 Uses Stories to Rally a Movement Behind its Cause).

What about your brand?

Are you involved at a deeper level with the community around you?
Is your brand genuinely connected to a social cause or issue that your staff and supporters also believe it?

Paramore chats about LOVE146