Everyone is constantly looking for those characteristics that create success. Whether that be personal or corporate, the way we sell our ideas matters on many factors. It also matters to know what your goals are. Success itself can mean a variety of different things to a variety of different people. In an era when communication growth is rampant, having the right message and exposure is just as important as having a great idea. Depending on the goals you want and what you believe success to be, it could be a matter of incorporating just a few characteristics or having all of them. And we really don’t have to stray that far to find some great examples to dissect. One of the greatest ideas marketers, advertisers, brands, corporations and individuals can follow is the ideas that makeup Lady Gaga.
Known for her unordinary, unusual and artistic sense of style, Lady Gaga has already had an extremely successful career in what has only been a few years. At the young age of 24, she has sold over 11 million records worldwide along with 40 million singles. To go along with this success, she has become the first artist ever to surpass 1 billion views online on YouTube along with having the most watched video, which is her song “Bad Romance”. And although this is not an everyday occurrence, not to mention it’s also an extreme case of success, the fact of the matter is we can all learn a thing or two from the Gaga effect.
As the founding member of the billion views club, many questions of how and why come to mind. But more importantly, it’s a matter of what she has done to get there. The what can be found in two defining characteristics, the first being the growth of online video streaming. With the growth of technology and viewing devices, such as smart phones along with the introduction of pads, the ability to watch whatever you want whenever you want to is a characteristic many can relate to. But more significantly something Gen-Y is relating to and growing with. As their want for “now” continues to exist, Gen-Y will effectively carry online video streaming into the future.
Though it is not simply a matter of online video streaming. Everyone seems to forget about the basics of providing great content to be viewed. I know creating great content is always simpler said than done. But creating something different is usually what it takes. And Lady Gaga is definitely different. You combine Gaga’s ability to differentiate, add some great videos, not to mention some catchy songs and you begin to see why she’s had such great success. It definitely gives you a few reasons to see what she creates. And though her ability to differentiate and create content are imperative characteristics to her success, there is one attribute that is fundamentally necessary and that is her ability to connect with her fan base.
Often referring to herself as the “Monster”, Lady Gaga has dubbed her fans the “Little Monsters”. It goes quite well with her Monster Ball Tour and her latest record, The Fame Monster. Talk about great (consumer, customer,) fan engagement. The fans or Little Monsters are made to be part of the whole process. Everything she does she does for her Little Monsters. And she’s gone as far as tattooing Little Monsters on her arm. In my mind, it’s something very similar to Hulk Hogan, Hulkamania and all the Hulkamanics back in the heyday of “professional” wrestling. Who hasn’t heard of Hulk Hogan? It all lies in the ability to create an idea that turns people into the process. Make those people the purpose of the process. And finally, make the purpose different from anything else. It’s “monsters” because they’re different from other people in society. Who really wants to be the same as everyone else?
When you combine great engagement with great differentiation, you will get great results. Gen-Y will not only reward you for that engagement but add a flavour of great content and you will turn a great number of viewers out of them. The idea behind Lady Gaga is to create great content, differentiate and engage all those who make her success possible. Leave it up to Lady Gaga, herself from Gen-Y, to create amazing success by using Gen-Y ideals. Ironic, isn’t it.
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