A Masterclass in Guerilla Marketing
By Marty Molloy
Jack White, who'd I’d argue is the best artist out there right now, just pulled off a master class in promotion. After a few weeks of cryptic song clips, images, etc. on his Instagram page, last week he started dropping unlabeled white vinyl in the bags of purchasers at his third man record locations.
The no name disc was in fact his new album which came out August 1 at his third man stores and on August 2 at select indy shops. The result? Long lines around the block and his request to "tell seven friends" resulting in as much buzz as I've seen for a new album in recent years.
What did he really do? He surprised his fans with a high quality product, gave them what they were craving, and did it without a gigantic hype machine. The result will likely be a swell of purchases and a lot of buzz.
While it may not work in every category, brands can learn from this. It doesn't take much to make your customers happy. Put out something they want, listen to them, and make it fun.
His creative marketing tactics (including a record store in a truck), intimate live shows in his blue room in Nashville, and focus on quality have singlehandedly revived vinyl records and made it the biggest growing category of music sales. In a streaming world he is actually selling music and helping other artists do so.
We've been preaching the same since our founding over twenty years ago―to actually listen to your customers deeply and give them what they want. It might seem old fashioned at times but it's still a recipe for success. In a world where brands are trying to dictate to consumers what they should buy, some old fashioned attitude of curation, quality, and the customer is king go a long way.
So tell seven friends, buy his album, and call us here at W5 and we can help you crack the code to actually make your customers happy.