What can marketers learn from a barbershop quartet? Since April 11 was National Barbershop Quartet Day, I thought it would be fun to highlight the comparisons of a well-orchestrated marketing campaign and a barbershop quartet.
The Beauty of Harmony
Barbershop quartets comprise multiple singers who sing in a four-part harmony that consists of lead, bass, baritone and tenor. These vocal parts, when sung together, make beautiful music. Not all vocals are prominent at the same time. The art of singing in the barbershop genre is the ability to blend and tune each vocal part when and where it makes the most sense.
Integrated marketing, when done correctly, can be compared to a harmony. Rarely does a good marketing campaign consist of one single marketing channel. Integrated campaigns consist of multiple channels that work together to do what they do best. And when marketers take this approach, they are quite successful.
Harmonious Integrated Marketing
GoPro is leveraging user-generated content to own action sports. GoPro uses the theme “Be a HERO” to connect with its target audience in a meaningful way. Using brand-related sponsorships and endorsements, outdoor ads, SEO, web and heavy social media, GoPro integrates all of its marketing efforts with plenty of engaging content from customers themselves.
LinkedIn is another example of a brand that uses integrated marketing to tell a story. You might not have expected it, but this social media giant launched a campaign with a TV spot under the banner “In It Together.” It was especially interesting because it highlighted a number of businesses with videos shot in black-and-white documentary-style footage. Outdoor ads, video spots and of course videos were just a few of the other tools they implemented.
Whether your company is large or small, there are creative ways to build a harmonious campaign. You can cost-effectively use email, direct mail, SEO, retargeting ads and even customer testimonials to your advantage. If you are interested in learning more about integrated marketing or want to discuss the best marketing channels to use for your business, contact me at roger@ridpath.com.
Originally published April 12, 2019. Part of the Ridpath Creative journal — notes on craft, typography, and the work.