At just the age of 23, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta more or more frequently known as Lady Gaga has rocketed to global fame is less than two years. Playing piano by ear from the age of 4, she went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at New York nightclubs at the age of 14, she has now recently thrashed Billboard's record as the first artist to have her first five singles to each number one.
To add on to that accomplishment, she's already won two Grammys, and has sold over eight million albums and over thirty-five million singles worldwide. Sure you can attribute her success to her bizarre outfits and her outlandish live performances on stage but the bulk of the credit should be directed towards her marketing team.
Her team is committed to build a loyal fan base and knows exactly what they are doing to cultivate a community of evangelistic fans. Regardless of your opinion on her music, there is something to be learned from her marketing prowess and the use of social media to engage with her followers.
1. Take the brand into your own hand instead of outsourcing from the start
Before you even think of delegating tasks to someone else, make sure that you yourself know what you are doing. In an article produced by AdAge, it was quoted that all parties who work with her on her label, management and marketing teams cite Lady Gaga herself as the ultimate brains behind many of her creative and social media ideas and tactics.
"When you're dealing with someone as good as Gaga, a lot of it is how to stay the fuck out of the way," said Steve Berman, Universal Music's president of sales and marketing. "Gaga has worked tirelessly in keeping up daily if not hourly communication with her fans and growing fan base through all the technology that exists now."
2. Share your brand with your audiences
Instead of calling them 'fans', Lady Gaga calls them her 'Little Fame Monsters', named after her album "The Fame Monster." She took that a step further by tattooing 'Little Fame Monsters' on her arm and sharing the picture over Twitter to her fans. Also it was noted that, Lady Gaga only restricts professional photographers from capturing her performances but instead she allows her 'Little Fame Monsters' to record and distribute videos of her live performances on YouTube unlike some artists.
3. Shape your brand into something bigger than yourself
During her Monster Ball Tour, Lady Gaga recited the "Manifesto of Little Monsters" to dedicate her success to her loyal fans. This may seem a little strange but most of her fans took it positively.
On another note, she religiously calls a fan in the audience during her live performances. She dials the number onstage, the fan who was called is then located and flashed onto the big screen. That's how you make your customers feel like rock stars.
It remains to be seen whether Lady Gaga's prowess would have staying power but one thing's for sure; she has definitely has made waves in the music business and teaching marketers a thing or two.
What do you think of Lady Gaga's future? Would she still be the pop icon she is now or would she lose steam and gradually lose mass appeal? Share with us your thoughts and opinions!
