Monster Loyalty is a book that reveals the power and popularity of Lady Gaga’s undeniably-effective marketing machine. It highlights the methodology of Gaga’s creation of a community of ‘Little Monsters” that is quite willing to do anything for her music…and for her, their “Mama Monster.” But the key here, Huba makes clear, is that community. The community members depend on the community. They feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and even bigger than Gaga herself.
Building a community of fans or customers doesn’t happen overnight. As Gaga and anyone else who is a community manager knows, it takes hard work every day to connect with those who are of like minds and to nurture relationship with them. It takes an egoless spirit to show the community that your company is not just concerned with financial gain also with what’s in the best interest of the community. Once you sense that customers want to be part of something more than a transactional relationship, you can begin the process of helping them self-identify.
So how do you translate that into your own marketing plan?
While Jackie Huba is clearly fascinated by and respectful of Gaga’s approach and commitment to her fans, for the purposes of this book, she is equally concerned with teaching us how to apply those same methods to our own businesses, methods such as concentrating on you “One-Percenters”, using imagery and naming to bring people together, making your customers feel like there is a greater purpose to the community. Huba also provides us with plenty of non-Gaga “business examples” of companies that use similar methods, such as Method (green cleaning products) and Fiskers (knives and scissors.)
The takeaway of Monster Loyalty is not only that Lady Gaga is an impressive marketing strategist, but that it’s community that powers the popularity.
To learn how to do this in your own company, sign up to win a copy of Monster Loyalty!
