I was lucky enough to see one of my favorite bands in concert this week in Brooklyn. The best band name in music, We Were Promised Jetpacks, completed a three and a half week tour of the US to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their debut album, These Four Walls.
So why is this relevant or interesting?
A couple of things ran through my head as it relates to business and marketing:
1. True connection - stands the test of time. How many albums are being recited word for word 10 years after the launch? Almost 700 followers crammed into the venue for a chance to singalong with an album that came out in a very different time and place. I couldn't stop smiling. What these songs have meant to me over the years came flooding back as we collectively belted out the words like it was the first time!
2. Brand emotion - Watching the band members relive the songs that launched their career was a privilege. A genuinely humble group who spent time with their fans after the gig, they continue to build and reconnect with their following one location at a time.
3. Sales and conversion - a modest merchandise stand in the lobby, enriched by the band signing copies of the limited gold vinyl release to celebrate the anniversary of the album. When the album is returned to the collection, the experience will remain.
4. Sharing and influencing - I have seen the band at least 6 times in the NY area now and this was the first time my wife came with me. She loved it, (she now has a crush on Darren Lackie, the drummer) and she shared it on her channels. Even though the thrust of the gig was for an album she hadn't heard in it's entirety, she is a convert.
I was in a band in high school and after. This experience took me back to those days (this wasn't 10 years ago). Think about 4 Edinburgh High School kids (who had the good sense to move to Glasgow later ;)), putting a band together and what this tour and experience meant to them. It's magic to see and was a delight to be a part of.
How many of us in marketing to take time to think about, not just what we are building, but how we are building it? To create that emotion, excitement, fear that 4 young adults felt. Our measures, for the most part, are myopic and transactional. How many people would turn up/reference/celebrate your connection in 10 years time? We can't lose the idea of what we mean to people over time as businesses and brands, forsaken for a fantastic open rate/CTR/ROI today and tomorrow. Or else you will be continually trying to win me back long after I have forgotten about you.
Do yourself a favor, have a listen and think about this night as you think about your customers in your business.
