Lady Gaga As a Brand
Let's face it, men and women either really like Lady Gaga or they can not stand her. I am likely somewhere within the middle on the other hand lately I've been struck by what this 25 year-old has accomplished in terms of branding.
What makes a fantastic brand? There are actually as quite a few opinions about this as you will find grains of sand on the beach, but a few points normally rise for the leading. A brand is consistent in what it produces and in its messaging, it makes you really feel excellent in some way, promotes loyalty, makes you desire to purchase its products/services by making an emotional link, listens to feedback and alterations with the occasions.
So how does Gaga stand up as a brand? Let's look at some regions where all brands reside on a daily basis:
Emotional Link: If there's one particular issue you may say about Gaga, she creates an emotional link and it tends to either be die-hard loyalty or total revulsion. There is not a great deal in among. At this point loyalty is far ahead of revulsion as she storms the planet with concerts, music videos, guest appearances as well as a new CD released late last month. "Born This Way" debuted atop Billboard's Top rated 200, sold more than 1 million copies in its first week and tops the charts in ten other nations. Her concerts sell out (210 of them about the world on her current " Monster Ball Tour ") and are stated to have grossed more than $150 million so far. Do you think she's developed 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 on a regular basis thanks her fans for their help and keeps them up-to-date on upcoming appearances, events and concerts. She knows how to keep her tiny monsters coming back for extra as a recent tweet from a fan shows, "I love you so much Gaga, you make me so absolutely free!! Thank you so significantly, I'll adore you forever."
Controversy: That is her middle name, or it should be. From her outrageous outfits to her suggestive song lyrics and music videos Gaga keeps folks speaking, good and poor. She arrived at the Grammy awards inside an egg-shaped pod this year (she's won 5 already in her short profession), she offended mental well being 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 a brand, but an excessive amount of can also ruin it so it'll be intriguing to see if she can tread that fine line.
Philanthropy: The top brands give back and this can be an area exactly where Gaga puts her cash where her mouth is. She donated over $500,000 to rebuilding efforts in Haiti just after the devastating earthquakes there final year, has been promoting a bracelet she designed to help Japan soon after their tragedy ($250,000 donated so far), she supports HIV/AIDS education and awareness and several 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 that is certainly prepared to give back.
Continual Improvement: Gaga started playing piano at age 4 and had written a ballet by the age of 13. She has an astounding voice, writes considerably of her personal music and creates quite a few of your outrageous costumes she wears. The bottom line is the fact that in spite of all else, she is talented and continually working to improve herself, which is her brand. I cannot picture her doing the things she does now in 30 years so a huge part of her continued success are going to be whether or not she can morph and evolve with all the instances and with her age. Excellent brands do just that if they wish to be about in 30 years.
No matter whether you like her or hate her, she has made one thing wonderful inside a very short quantity of time. Can your brand, individual or otherwise, say exactly the same thing?
A quote from Gaga sums it all up that brands both large and modest would be wise to heed, "You have to be exclusive, and unique, and shine within your personal way."
