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“Strictly” Marketing Tips

The 2014 series (#12) of “Strictly Come Dancing” has just concluded with celebrity Caroline Flack and pro-dance partner Pasha Kovalev lifting the glitterball trophy.  And here’s one of the highlights of the series…

Ballroom and latin dance is one of my great passions in life so no great surprise that I am a huge fan of the show…obsessed even!

And when you take a look closer, the show has a number of lessons for marketers.

You see, by any standards, the show is a HUGE success.  It’s now run for 12 seasons starting back on 15 May 2004 (there were two series in that first year), primarily on Saturday evenings with a following Sunday night results show (with certain exceptions).  It’s a prime-time ratings success, regularly topping the ratings and easily beating rival show the “X Factor”.

There have been a further ten stand-alone Christmas specials (with another one coming up this Christmas 2014) and nine charity specials have also been produced since 2008.  There’s a live tour of the show and the format has been licensed around the world (where it’s generally known as “Dancing With The Stars”) in over 40 countries.  It’s arguably the world’s most popular TV program.

Not bad for a show that few people back in 2004 would have expected to be so successful.  Ballroom Dancing on Saturday night TV? With a slightly weird lineage, the title of the show referencing a previous BBC show “Come Dancing” (a more conventional ballroom dancing competition that ran on and off from 1949 to 1998) and the quirky 1992 cult movie “Strictly Ballroom”.

So what accounts for it’s popularity and success?

The first thing to note… [Read more…]

It’s Only Marketing Rock ‘N Roll…

…but I like it!

The Rolling Stones (well, Mick Jagger, at least) have long paid close attention to the money-making side of rock ‘n roll.  Not surprising I guess, given their  financial problems in the early 70s when they had to flee the UK to avoid the tax man.

I’ve made mention of this before…

“Social Media Marketing With The Rolling Stones”

“Marketing, The Rolling Stones, Now!”

“Marketing And How The Mega-Rich Get “Satisfaction”

And I was reminded of the money-making and marketing side of Rock ‘N Roll by this recent post from Malcolm Auld…

“Who’s hogging the quince?”

…and he reports…

“Like thousands of others we queued at one of the merchandise tents to buy some branded memorabilia. The Concert Programme alone was $30 – and of course the kids wanted one each. There was a special merchandise pack we could have bought for a meager $550 – that’s not a typo – $550. So we bought posters and t-shirts instead. I also bought a hand towel for my golf bag – a great conversation starter as I wander the course (put that thought aside for a minute).”

Great post from Malcolm and well worth reading the whole thing.

And as I was trawling through Amazon recently, I came across something from the Stones that provided…

[Read more…]

Victoria’s Marketing Secret

This might seem like a flimsy excuse to post a video of fabulously attractive young ladies prancing around in skimpy attire…

…but there really is a serious marketing point to be made.  Indeed, you might even call it “Victoria’s Marketing Secret”!

Recently London hosted the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for the first time.  Naturally, this attracted a HUGE amount of media attention. The show featured appearances by music stars Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, along with plenty of the Victoria’s Secret “Angels”.  Of course, the show featured the dazzling multi-million dollar Dream Angels Fantasy Bras.

Now, jewel-encrusted, multi-million dollar bras might seem a somewhat ludicrous idea…but, again, there is a serious marketing point here.

In any business, it is well worth having what might be called an “aspirational” product or service.  Something that is the ultimate, absolutely top-of-the-line version of what you offer.  You might never sell many of these items but they can (a) attract attention (b) enhance your standing (c) make your regular product line seem more valuable.

But this is not the marketing secret I had in mind.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show certainly attracted a huge amount of interest for the company.  No doubt it will have attracted new customers and gained a ton of free publicity.

Exactly, the kind of marketing activity you might expect from a big-name company operating in a glamorous business.

BUT…what you might not expect is that high-fashion Victoria’s Secret is also…

[Read more…]

December 2014 Is Here – Quick Review Of Holiday Promotion Ideas

A seasonal cartoon from the great marketoonist Tom Fishburne to kick off the post with a smile and a reminder of some of the perils of seasonal promotions.

Use discounting wisely and strategically.  It’s always better to add value in a promotion rather than simply cut price.

December is here, the Advent Season has arrived…

…and holiday marketing campaigns are in full swing.

Hopefully, you have any Christmas and New Year promotions in progress or nailed down and ready to go.

But if you need any last-minute ideas or further inspiration…

…here are a few previous posts that might prove helpful.

A popular post from a few years back and well worth a look is this guest feature from Troy White in…

“More Holiday Promotions Ideas For Marketers”

In summary… [Read more…]