Social media has turned the world upside down - How have marketers responded?

The Doors is my favourite 'old-skool' rock group. Their lead singer, Jim Morrison, graduated from the prestigious UCLA Film School, where he studied with acclaimed film director Francis Ford Coppola. Morrison was also a poet*.

One important aspect of Marketing is getting attention. Fifty years after his death, Morrison still generates a massive following on social media. The Doors are still as relevant as ever and sell many records (Jim Morrison's grave in Pere La Chaise Cemetry is Paris's third most visited tourist attraction).

In 2005, when I was pursuing my full-time MBA at Boston University School of Management, I had the idea of writing a paper about organisations like the Doors that had a devoted fan base drawn to their authenticity.

When I wrote my paper about 'realness' in Marketing, I was influenced by a Harvard Business School case study** written by Susan Fournier, the new Dean of Boston University's business school. 

She wrote a case study about the Harley Davidson Owners Group, or ‘Hogs'. It was HBS's first-ever 'multi-media' case study.

Harley-Davidson does not compete with other motorcycles in any typical way. Its motorcycles are not particularly fast, reliable, or eco-friendly.

They are certainly not cheap. BMWs, Yamahas, Ducattis, or Hondas will outperform them in every way. However, what Harley-Davidson does have, which the other brands lack, is a unique bond with its customers and the Harley-Davidson community.

The Harley Davidson Owners Groups ('Hogs')

The Hog Club goes on rides, and the riders catalogue their adventures. A few years ago, a marketer suggested that Harley use dirt—and grease-free chrome. 

But the Harley team shot this idea down instantly. They believed that part of the appeal of having that bike for a Harley owner is cleaning the grease off it after a hard day's ride.

Lululemon (image below) is another top brand with an almost cult-like following. Lululemon isn't just a product; it's a lifestyle.

Since I wrote that paper, a celebrity and property developer, Donald Trump, first put himself forward as a candidate as a publicity stunt to increase TV ratings on his show 'The Apprentice'.

Donald Trump made many outrageous statements during this period. Yet every time the political experts said, "That’s it, he’s crossed the line. He's finished; he just got more popular," the pundits couldn't believe it. 

Similarly, Nike took a decidedly political stand on Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, kneeling during the National Anthem to protest against racism in the USA.

Most marketers at the time said that Nike made a terrible mistake by releasing this ad. Today, 80% of marketers still say that you shouldn’t take a strong position at the risk of alienating your customers.

However, just as with Trump, being controversial worked for Nike. Nike has made six billion US dollars since that ad, which was loved and loathed in equal measure.

Further reading (authenticity & community): The Power of Microinfluencer Marketing. 

 

*Extract from ‘The Movie’ - a poem by Jim Morrison

The auditorium was vast and silent

as we seated and were darkened, the voice continued.

The program for this evening is not new.

You’ve seen this entertainment through and through.

You’ve seen your birth, your life and death

you might recall all of the rest.
Did you have a good world when you died?
Enough to base a movie on?

** Harvard Business School - Building brand community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride