This week we lost three icons: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and yesterday, shocking news of the passing of Michael Jackson. Without straying from the topic of this site, a tribute… Key lessons of branding, featuring Michael Jackson song titles.
Follow these key steps and you’ll find branding A-B-C. As easy as 1-2-3. As simple as do-re-mi.
We Are The World
→ Be Conscientious – Strive for excellence. Maintain strong beliefs.
By Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie, USA for Africa – 1985
Got To Be There
→ Have Empathy for Your Customers – Cultivate loyalty beyond reason. Personalize the experience for your customers. Support your evangelists to increase your loyal following.
“Got To Be There” from Got To Be There – 1972
Rock With You
→ Be Genuine – Be approachable, be authentic, and be real. Do this as employees, a company, and a brand.
“Rock With You” from Off The Wall – 1979
The Love You Save
→ Have and Live Your Values – Stand for something, not for everything. Have a reason for being. Let financial success be a by-product of doing the right thing.
“The Love You Save” by the Jackson 5 from ABC – 1970
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
→ Be Remarkable – Don’t settle for good. Zag! Pop! Pow! Be A Purple Cow. Be Remark-able.
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” from Off The Wall – 1979
Man In The Mirror
→ Maintain Vision – Want to make the world a better place. Help your customers live their dreams. Build to last, not to flip.
“Man In The Mirror” from Michael Jackson Bad – 1987
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
→ Strive To Develop Innovative Ideas – Don’t fall behind. Adapt to changing circumstances. Keep creating ideas that innovate.
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” from Thriller – 1982
Off The Wall
→ Have Fun – So tonight… gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf… And just enjoy yourself!
Groove! Let the madness in the music get to you. Life ain’t so bad at all… If you live it off the wall.
“Off The Wall” from Off the Wall – 1979
This is Tacky AND Corny.
Way to capitalize on the zeitgiest by putting out sub-par crap.
another one – Will you Be There – from Free Willy – give your customers confidence that you will be there for them.
I admit… a little corny. Wasn’t meant to be tacky.
Certainly not intended to be crap – of any par.
I did it – yes for fun – but meant it as a tribute. I’m a big Michael Jackson fan.
Here I talk about marketing, but couldn’t do a standard post today and ignore the fact that we lost someone very talented.
(If you’re in marketing – the lessons (Michael songs or not) – the lessons are valuable.
Nice, Roberta…
Thank you!
So, even in this talent man death you find an opportunity to bring attention to your marketing synthesis? What are suppose to do, now bow down to your greatness? Poor example of paying a tribute, you should be ashamed, you let your need for attention get in the way of this tragedy.
John,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It’s amazing to me how many great songs Michael has. It was great to run back through his catalog of songs… Remembering the ones I heard on the radio when I was a kid… and Michael not that much older! A talented man.
This is the kind of exploitative stuff that gives marketing a bad name and adds to cynicism.
Wow, harsh guys. No harm comes from taking something that everyone can relate to and breaking it down to something that people could use and learn from. It is a bit cheesy, but it wasn’t disrespectful. We all get sentimental at times. It’s a MARKETING BLOG, so you got to pay tribute however you can.
Thanks Paul and glad to know that you’re a fellow MJ fan!
*sigh*
For those of you who may feel ‘tricked’ into visiting a site about marketing while looking for Michael Jackson information, I apologize.
I write an article each week in this spot – about marketing.
Considering the news, I couldn’t sit at my desk and tap out a normal, potentially stuffy marketing article.
So, I found a creative way to merge two of my passions – marketing and Michael.
Next week I promise you, I’ll be back to my stuffy marketing content.
Paul,
Interesting post bt I sincerely disagree. While the 8 principles for branding sound reasonable, they are too abstract to be actionable – i.e. “Cultivate loyalty”, it’s like saying to live a long life you need to “acoid death”.the key is How?!
But more imprtantly, I don’t see how these relate to Michael Jackson. Honestly I don’t see how you see Michael as a genuine person, or someone who had Empathy,or values. What values did Michael stood for?
he surely was an example of innovation and vision with his Thriller and Bad reords – but after that I don’t see Michael Jackson as “maintaining a vision” or as someone who “kees creating ideas that innovate” (can you create ideas that don’t innovate?)
Thriller and Bad were revolutionary in music, entertainment and culture. Beyond that I don’t see Michael as an innovator with values or a genuine person (can a person who changes his color and his face so much then hides in his castle be genuine?) Maybe I am missing something…
Paul, I can see you’re a huge Michael Jackson fan!
We lost a great American icon that really tried to teach people, through his music, to make the world more compassionate. I think we can all learn from that regardless of what our profession.
Thanks for the tribute!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
Paul, thank you for posting an uplifting article it’s a nice change of pace from all of the nonsense being reported right now. How your critics are so ignorant to twist this into something more than an innocent tribute is beyond me. Perhaps they should re-direct their anger to all of the individuals out there who are cashing in by sharing intimate details of MJ’s finances, children, and health with the media.
While this post does seem a bit opportunistic, you did at least tie it back into branding.
The one I loved was Mashable (tagline, The Social Media Guide) doing a ‘tribute’ post to Michael Jackson, by simply linking to a few of his videos off You Tube. That was all about trying to exploit the sudden nostalgic desire to recall his great career.
Mary,
I agree, it’s not nice what’s in the news now. Stuff we really don’t need to know.
Thank you for your thoughts!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Your blog is your blog, and it’s your space to express yourself and should reflect how you’re feeling. Irregardless of people’s opinions on marketing, Michael, or mixing the two, there’s no doubt that your post came from a very genuine place.
Like any good writer, I’m sure you’re not taking the criticism to heart. Perhaps the song you left off your list was “Beat It” for those who might be reading into things a little too much!
Kamna…
Thanks for your comments… Naw… I don’t regret posting what I did… because it DID come from a kind place, not meant to be disrespectful…
Thanks for adding your thoughts!
Ahh please can some of the “above”mentioned readers read the blog in the spirit Paul wrote it. Now go and have some fun and listen to some Michael Jackson records…
Well Paul, you have just given us a good example of how to tarnish one’s brand. We almost half expect you to post another set of “marketing insights” using a Charlie’s Angels’theme, or perhaps posting the “5 branding rules of Old Media using Ed McMahon’s many commercials as a theme. It just goes to prove that not every blogger out there touting “guru” status on marketing issues, really UNDERSTANDS what he’s blogging about.
Ed,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Who is calling me a guru?
Paul
Aw, come on. Let’s lighten up. With the explosion of Michael Jackson coverage (ad infinitum), this was cute. A bit of tongue-in-cheek humor for a summer blog post. Paul, I still like you!
Elaine…
Thanks for still liking me. Don’t stop ’til you get enough!
I loved it! It’s a good tribute to someone whose music you’ve enjoyed and a great tie-in to your work. If more stodgy marketing folks would risk being this fresh, Marketing Prof bloggers would be out of work. Oh, and I wonder if I do a similar blog on my cherished Charlie’s Angels, if my brand will be ‘tarnished’ too? Oh drat – I’ll be affiliated with beautiful (1980’s no less!) women who were strong, successful and iconic. Where do I sign up? Thanks Paul!
Holy moly. Way to take things personal, guys. As a fellow blogger/article writer on the subject of marketing, there isn’t an easy way for us to share with an audience how we feel about current events. I once wrote about Columbine and also about Billy Mays. Sad stories and equally moving in my life. I got some “crap” from my readers, too. But found several loyal readers who knew that my words came from the heart. Yours did, too.
Long live the King of Pop.
Very tacky and very subpar.
Paul I thought this was great. You’re articles are always insightful and there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of humour and cheesiness from time to time.
MJ would have been proud.
Not only sub-par, but useless, tacky, and lacking connection to any marketing information.
Enjoyed this piece. I started a new marketing blog recently (I’m brand new at this, just getting the hang of it actually). Took a more indirect approach than you, off the phenomenon of a guy who had dropped off the radar save the interest in his bizarre behavior, only to enjoy a total renaissance of interest through his death. And then I drew parallels to the lessons for brand building.
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