What David Bowie Taught Me About Marketing

Ground Control to Major Tom: welcome to my first post on Medium! David Bowie is one of my heroes and it’s only right he got his own post on my blog, even if it’s marketing related. Like many others I’ve always been quite fascinated with David Bowie: by his music, his style, his personas. Here are some things that the late and great David Bowie taught me about marketing.

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

“I feel confident imposing change on myself. It’s a lot more fun progressing than looking back. That’s why I need to throw curve balls.”

The world of digital marketing is fast-paced. 30 years ago, consumers weren’t communicated with via social media or email campaigns like we’re used to today. Print, direct mail, and cold-selling (elements which are still relevant and used today) were king. David Bowie knew the importance of change and embraced it by adjusting to the times, he gave us Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, and Major Tom to name a few. Change can be scary, but change can also be good. Brands adapting to the way they engage with their customers, and trying out new ideas to do this (especially in a society where we want to know: what’s next?) is an exciting part of being a marketer.

UNDER PRESSURE

“All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.”

Everyone makes mistakes, that’s just a simple fact of life. Even when you put 100% into your work, it doesn’t mean you’re always going to get 100% back. Just like with Bowie, not every single song he put out was a hit (Laughing Gnome anyone?) and the same goes for marketing campaigns. As a marketer in a junior role, I’m constantly learning and testing what works well and what doesn’t for the audience I’m trying to engage. Even if you make a few Laughing Gnome’s in your career, the important thing is to learn from it, and go on to create something better.

FAME

“Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them”

What makes a celebrity or a brand famous? Authenticity. David Bowie knew the importance of this, and emulated originality throughout all points of his career. Part of what made Bowie so successful was that there was no one like him, he wasn’t afraid to try out new ideas and constantly re-invented his image and work. We see this often with brand leaders like Apple, who continually innovate their products, and as a result people buy into their brand and values.

REBEL REBEL

“Turn and face the strange”

In order for brands to achieve the before-said fame, you have to break away from the norm. Brands that stand out and differentiate from its competitors tend to survive longer than those who just go through the motions. Not everyone understood why Bowie dressed the way he did, sang the songs he did or said the things he said, but these are what made Bowie stand out and become iconic. As a marketing principal, you don’t want to market to everyone — not everyone will understand or like your brand and product, but those who “get” it are the ones you want as customers.

FIVE YEARS

“I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.”

Five years isn’t a lot of time in comparison to David Bowie’s 5o+ years in the music industry, and I’m only really starting out in mine. I’ve recently been reflecting on my goals for this year where one of them is to enhance my marketing skills, and I’ve been thinking a lot about where I see my career in five years. I hope to be in a senior position (possibly even a Manager) by then, with lots of creative projects and experience under my belt. This leads me to the perfect David Bowie to end this post with: “Tomorrow belongs to those who can here it coming”

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