I think some of the best sources and reinforcements for marketing inspiration come from music.
Have you ever noticed how so many popular songs are anthems for a target audience? It seems like a basic, but so many marketers completely miss connecting with their target.
A good example of putting out an anthem was “Graduation (Friends Forever)” from Vitamin C. This song so perfectly captured the feeling of graduating high school seniors that it was their anthem for many years after being released in 2000.
The song still resonates with people moving on. When my oldest daughter graduated from elementary school in 2010, “Graduation (Friends Forever)” was in heavy rotation with her and her friends. Check to see if it rises again on the iTunes charts in June.
I like country music, so examples there jump out at me more. Brad Paisley does a good job with the anthems, too. Do you think it was a surprise to him that his song, “This Is Country Music” was given a slot for a live performance at the CMA Awards last November – a month before it was released?
It was written to be there.
It’s such an anthem for country fans, and it’s reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs since being released in December 2010.
Another country artist that reliably puts out anthems is Kenny Chesney. One of his most recent was “The Boys of Fall“, an ode to playing high school football.
The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and the video on YouTube has had more than five million views.
Stop writing clever copy – write anthems. Preach to your choir.