I was intrigued to read that 24-year-old Lady Gaga ranked number one in the “Most Creative People in Business” article in the June 2010 issue of Fast Company Magazine.

Could Stefani Germanotta (aka Lady Gaga) have really expected this amount of fame – this quickly? At this global level – probably not. However, she put herself in the position for success by leveraging marketing technology and keeping her consumers happy.

To help illustrate this point, I will break down the new-school marketing moves of Lady Gaga by cross-referencing the old-school 4 P’s Marketing Mix concept (product, pricing, place, promotion) established by E. Jerome McCarthy, in his 1960 book Basic Marketing. A Managerial Approach.

Product

How do you identify Lady Gaga as a product?

Some artists – like Elvis in the 50s; The Beatles in the 60s; KISS in the 70s; Run DMC in the 80s; or New Kids on the Block in the 90s – invent a brand so distinguished it transcends the music they create. Lady Gaga happens to be the latest incarnation. Building a brand means providing the public a good they can hold on to.
 In Gaga’s case, that good is music (which she writes herself), videos (over 1 billion views on YouTube), and a style she can package.
 When a consumer buys a Lady Gaga record, they are not just buying a CD, they are buying desire – a desire to be bold, a desire to be fashionable, a desire to be larger than life. 
This emotion built a fanbase wanting more; enshrining Lady Gaga as the new pop goddess.

Her product starts with the name, Lady Gaga. In essence, Lady Gaga is her own logo. Stefani Germanotta doesn’t have same ring and marketing communication legs. Here’s brand consistency in action. You know when it’s a Lady Gaga song or video from the downbeat. At times she actually puts her name in the lyrics – so there’s no mistaken identity.
 To further the Lady Gaga brand, Gaga explores the depths of the character she manifested.

One of the joys of branding is the ability for a company to personify itself. Companies, even sole proprietorships, are an image. This image isn’t totally fabricated. It comes from the purest truths of your product or service and expands over time. No company will ever be as complex as the human condition, which makes branding so important. Your brand cannot be everything to everyone, but it can be true to its vision and play to its strengths. For Lady Gaga, her brand means daring glam, catchy hooks, and new media.

Here’s another moral to take with you while we’re on the topic of product. For all her success, Lady Gaga is only worth around $7 million; pennies for the top of the pop world. The revenue and riches go directly back into the product by way of more music videos, donations, and promotions. Invest in your product.

Pricing

What does a consumer get for a $21.95 CD? (List price for Fame Monster at Best Buy.)

What does a consumer get for a $49.50 – $175 concert ticket? (Ticketmaster.com prices for July 1st Boston Garden concert.)

Audiences get hours of entertainment with the self-made icon and a connection to the community Lady Gaga created. Price may not even be an issue with her core audience of Little Monsters (the name she calls her fans).

Place

What does Lady Gaga get?

Lady Gaga’s distribution methods make it easy for her target market to gorge on Gaga. Google Gaga and you’ll see for yourself. The woman is everywhere, literally. 
From June 28 – September 19, Lady Gaga has 42 concerts.

To conquer the pop scene takes skill. To do it through social media takes savvy.

Lady Gaga holds the record for most YouTube views for one video (Bad Romance – 200 million) and for total views (1 billion – yeah with a B). Her Twitter account connects with 4.5 million followers. To put that in perspective, 4.5 million followers means that every man, woman and child in Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming would be a follower. Likewise, her 8.5 million fans would take up Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho, Washington D.C., and Nebraska. Just saying.

Her connection through social media starts with its own branding – addressing fans as “Little Monsters.” This moniker galvanizes her social media subscribers into a stronger following. With posts ranging from ordering pizza to taking her place backstage before the Grammys, these “Little Monsters” get a taste of the “real” Lady Gaga. I hardly think Stephani Germanotta gets called Gaga by her parents.

Wherever you are, you can opt-in to Lady Gaga.

Promotion

How do we become aware of Lady Gaga?

I argue it starts with product placement. Lady Gaga puts her mark within every song and video.
 The repetitive nature of each song, not to mention the chart-climbing hooks, have a sound strictly Gaga.

She uses an email newsletter and a text club to push marketing campaigns when necessary. She makes excellent use of the media, keeping herself available for interviews. The public relations arm of Gaga took to the streets, offering concert goers free and reduced ticket prices if they performed community service. Headlines about working toward the same goal write themselves.

And then there’s the publicity stunt. She is a pop star. Her risque outfit at a recent Yankees game consisting of black lingerie under the Babe Ruth pinstripes caused quite a stir.

When you fuse the public outreach, social media retention tactics and a successful product, you’ve got something. Throw in glam and you’ve got Gaga.

Learn from the Lady

What marketing pages can we steal from Lady Gaga’s playbook?

  1. Don’t let age define what your capabilities are. If you’re a mature company or a young company, the marketing opportunities are there for the taking.
  2. Dare to be distinguishable. You will never be everything to everyone. Mesh your vision, your product and your presentation into something.
  3. Have the courage to be innovative. The same get old, same old will bring the same old results.
 Innovative doesn’t necessarily mean glitter, hand symbols and pleather. You can take success from other products, markets and genres and transform them into your own.
  4. Embrace technology. Hug it. Make it your best friend to create a portal to build a fanbase.
  5. Ambition, coupled with hard work ethic, is a force.
  6. Community involvement should be integrated into your marketing plan, as consumers respond well to brands that care about more than just themselves.
Do these proudly and your chances for fortune and fame go way up.