Music Man: Bands-Obama Can Teach You Something

This isn’t a political blog, I swear.
Last night as I was watching Barack Obama bring 80,000 plus people to their collective knees in Denver’s Mile High Stadium, it occurred to me that from a sheer marketing standpoint, he did exactly what I tell bands aspiring towards world domination to do on a regular basis. After honing in on what his message and mission would be, his “sound” if you will, Barack Obama started building a small, organic fan-base, and grew it from there using innovative techniques via the Web and other technologies. In the process, he collected the names of everyone who supported him and constantly stayed in touch with them, telling them where he was and what he was doing on an almost daily basis. He made his fans feel as if they were a part of something very important–a movement, and consequently he insured that those who were beginning to catch on to his message stayed loyal, and continued investing in him. Once his base was established, he needed to grow it. And he did that the old fashion way…A lot of touring, a lot of playing to half-filled rooms, and a lot of sleepless nights, along with a plethora of scrutiny and criticism. There were, I’m sure, several “off nights”, but he endured, his message got stronger and his performance masterful, and the payoff has been great…Fast forward eighteen months and he’s filling stadiums, and bringing down the house on a nightly basis, and oh yeah, he will most likely become the leader of the free world.
Bands take note, maybe there’s something to be learned from politics after all.
-mm
Currently Listening Ponderosa“I Don’t Mind”