Tony's Duets
Who could not be inspired by Tony Bennett??? He is my new hero. I was privileged to watch him perform for an audience of ob/gyns at their annual convention right here in San Francisco. I couldn't help but smile thinking that it should have been cardiologists listening to him croon about where he left his heart. He was an icon then. Now he is Beyond Legendary.
A most interesting aspect of his career is his brilliant marketing. Talk about reaching across generations and genres and reaching down to the "young uns'. The business gurus can learn from his marketing genius. Tony Bennett revived, reinvented and rejoiced in his partnerings with KD Lang and Diana Krall. With each new affiliation, another audience/market became part of his fan base. And the MTV generation proved that when the message is great, the messenger is embraced no matter how old.
His current 80th birthday CD, DUETS, is a masterpiece of music and of marketing. Tony and Barbra, Tony and Sting, Tony and Stevie, Tony and Elvis (Costello), Tony and The Dixie Chicks, Tony and Sir Paul McCartney and Tony and John Legend to name a few. It doesn't get any better than that. Tony Bennett reached across and over and down and the results: STAYING POWER, relevance and aging brilliantly.
Tony Bennett is my hero and role model.
And who is yours? susan@susanroane.com
I took your advice and started reading Fast Company. The February article talks about the marketing genius of staying power musicians like Tony and younger up-and-comers like John Legend.
The article talked about digital marketing with blogs and fan websites, but the underlying message was having a connection with the fans. The music industry does not hinge on 4.75" disc anymore. The smart musicians use "digital mingling," if you will, to build relationships. The fans that receive hidden video clips, secret access to fan websites, and exclusive messages from the artist are more likely to buy concert tickets, clothes, and merchandise.
These musicians have survived drastic shifts in consumer behavior(CDs to MP3s) because they adhere to Susan's concepts of schmoozing and networking and applied it to their business.
Posted by: Nick Urbani | January 18, 2007 at 04:08 PM