They sold out their tours in minutes...
How did they do it when?...
They’ve not made a product for years...
Or placed any ads in newspapers or magazines to promote
their gigs?
Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Stone
Roses reunion concert at Heaton Park in Manchester. It was amazing and to be
fair, I was not sure what to expect when I got there.
All Stone Roses fans know that the lead singer Ian Brown is
not famed for his vocals, and the band had fallen out quite badly in the past;
so they had not played as a band for years. So was it going to work out was, I
suppose, part of the anticipation and thrill of being there.
On top of all this, there were some marketing tactics
employed which were pure genius...like the band!
1.
Create your own event to capture the market
If any of you have been to a big festival in a field in the
middle of no-where, then you know that you’re expecting a different experience
from that of seeing a concert in a theatre. So when I got there and saw the set
up was more like a festival rather than inside a theatre or big tent I knew
they had done something a bit different.
Let’s say the big festivals in the UK are Glastonbury or the
V Festival as two examples, what they do is have a big stage with a few
different bands playing until the main act comes on around 9pm or so. And guess
what, the Stone Roses gig had a few acts playing all day on a big stage, with
themselves as the headline act later at 9pm.
Now I went to the Sunday night showing. The Stone Roses also
had back-to-back shows on the Friday and Saturday before I went, and the acts
leading up to the Stone Roses were different to the ones I saw on Sunday. So in
effect, they created their own weekend festival with them as the main act every
night.
‘The Stone Roses made
more money by holding their own weekend festival rather than being one act
playing at a festival’
Genius idea: Now
let’s see how you could do the same. Could you hold your own event which your
business can profit? It could be anything like a networking event or a business
event with your business as the main headline act?
2.
Karaoke singing with the masses
When the Stone Roses were playing there was a sea of people
singing the words, a bit like a huge karaoke gathering. You could just make out
the voice of the lead singer Ian Brown singing; but hey, even Ian knows not
everyone is there to hear his angelic singing.
It doesn’t matter though. These are a hard core of fans that
have travelled from all four corners of the earth to be there. So only dedicated
fans would know the words and enjoy this event.
Genius idea: Can
you create a dedicated following, your own herd or tribe. It doesn’t have to
involve everyone. It just has to suit your target market.
3.
Use PR buzz first before paid for advertising
When a lot of the big acts like Coldplay or Madonna launch a
tour they spend thousands on advertising. In London I have seen ads on posters
at many tube stations. It must cost a heck of a lot of money. But hey, it suits
me to look at their posters rather than trying to avoid eye contact with a meaty
stranger.
For the Stone Roses, because it was such a big story, all
they did was launch a story to the press when they reformed and were announcing
the tour. Instantly this hit all the social media and journalists were announcing
the information everywhere. The costs were minimal, the impact enormous.
Genius idea:
Create a story that creates a huge buzz so that your business is the centre of
attention.
4.
Bring out new album
Now you have all your fans actively back on board again.
What’s the likely-hood of the fans getting friends on board to listen to the
music and listen to how great they are? Yep, very much so; I can’t stop talking
about them, I feel like a big kid. The only times I get this excited are when the
big Champions League games with Barcelona football club are on ITV1.
As the Stone Roses are now signed up to create a third
album, there is a ready market with existing fans. Additionally, as suggested
above, the existing fans will convert new fans to start getting into them, and
so add to their fan base. And most important of all, a new generation of music
fans who never experienced the effect of the Stone Roses the first time around
can now get a chance 20 or so years later.
Genius idea:
Create more products to sell to your existing client base who will also sell
your product with enthusiasm to prospects for you.
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