It's a Mixed Up, Mashed Up World. Lady Gaga, Marketing Genius

Lady Gaga is a music-industry phenomenon.  Her rise from backroom songwriter to global superstar has been both swift and dramatic and she is now one of the most-wanted acts in the world. So how did she do it, and why do people go gaga over Gaga?

It's a personal view, but I believe Lady Gaga could be one of the greatest marketing projects of the 21st century.  Why?  Well let's take a look at the component parts of the Gaga brand:

1.  The Music.  
This is what it's all about, right? The music has to be good?  Well, Lady Gaga's music is unlikely to win a Mercury Prize, but it's popular, it's poppy, and most of all it's familiar.  The similarities between her songs and those of some of the most popular artists of the last few decades have been commented on at length.  Consumers liked that stuff before - so they're likely to like it again.  Gaga has created a sound that is inclusive and accessible; this maximises her market.

2. The Look.

Source: Domain Barnyard*

The music industry is obsessed with image, and so is Gaga.  Not conventionally beautiful (by the exacting standards the industry normally applies to its young female stars), Gaga had to create something that would  differentiate her from the crowd of skinny blond ballad belters.  So, she has whipped up a dramatic persona, constructed from a composite of her influencers (Bowie, Madonna, Mercury etc.) that is designed to both shock and intrigue.  Her face is disguised by heavy make-up, headpieces and dramatic hairstyles, and her clothing has become an art project for designers and artists from around the world (the dress made of raw meat, anyone?).  She is a walking, talking, writhing, art gallery and advertising billboard.


3.  The Performance.
The elaborate stage sets and dramatic performances Gaga creates on stage are carefully constructed to shock and create a spectacle.  In fact 'spectacle' is at the heart of what she does.  Creating a hyper-real performance that is so bad it's good is a hugely successful tactic, because we are always wondering what will happen next.  Gaga has tapped into the fact that the music industry is no longer just a music industry; it's a fully integrated 'entertainment' industry and the balance between the music and the performance as the 'product' has shifted.  The music is less important to the pop audience than it was.  The whole package of music, image, and most importantly the performance (and the experience that goes with it) are where consumers perceive the value.

4.  The Attitude.
By cultivating an aura of detachment or otherness, and being rude or diva-ish to interviewers she is perceived as mysterious and temperamental 'artiste'.  Whether this is true or not, it is the result of carefully choreographed and constructed PR onslaught that has the press continually wanting more.  Gaga is able to command media coverage because she knows what the press want, and what they will write about.

So, there you have it, the Gaga 'product' de-constructed.   Gaga has captured the Zeitgeist - the insatiable appetite for sensation, and is providing it in spades.  Brand Gaga is giving consumers exactly what they want from their superstars, and making a fortune in the process.  That's what I call good marketing.

Lady Gaga, I take my (not particularly elaborate) hat off to you.  You are a marketing genius.

*Under Creative Commons licence

CAP Code - to doff or not to doff, that is the question

I've just been working on my latest column for the South Wales Evening Post, and as part of my research have done a quick straw poll of some of the small and micro-businesses I work with to find out how much they know about the CAP code.

Not a lot is the short (and somewhat worrying) answer.

So if you think the CAP code is some form of head-wear etiquette you may need to read this...

Earlier this year the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the self regulating body of the UK's advertising industry, gained new powers as part of its online remit.  Not only does its Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP - yes, this is where the cap comes into it) code apply to online and offline advertising, but it also applies to the marketing communications messages you publish on your company web site and on any non-paid online media such as social networking sites (like Twitter and Facebook) over which you have control.

This has huge implications for businesses as it means your web site and social media communications need to adhere to the same strict standards in terms of claims made about product benefits, environmental performance etc as all mainstream advertising.

The code applies to any communications that are directly related to the promotion of goods and services for sale, so it does not apply to things like press releases, but it does apply to the general information about your products and services on your web pages.  There are detailed sections within the code on key areas such as claims about health and beauty benefits and advertising aimed at the young and vulnerable, but the key principles are that advertisers need to make sure they are not making statements that could be considered misleading or making claims not backed up by suitable evidence.

This lack of awareness about the changes is particularly likely to affect small businesses who may not be working with agencies who would be aware of the new rules.  So, if you are a UK business owner and you have a web site and/or use other forms of online media to promote your goods and services I'd recommend a web site and communications review to ensure you are compliant with the code, as any complaints made against you could, if upheld, result in one or more of a range of sanctions from the ASA.

You can find out more about the CAP code here.