By Darren Gilbert, Cape Town
“Imagine Marilyn Manson being employed in a marketing campaign for BMW. It’s not such a shocking thought because it’s been done.” These were the words of Cherryflava Editor and Publisher, Jonathan Cherry, at AMASA’s August meeting, hosted at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Brands need to learn how to keep themselves in the spotlight in an increasingly fluid and fragile market. Marilyn Manson represents good fundamentals on how to get your brand into the spotlight.

The idea of using marketing techniques similar to that of Marilyn Manson may seem too foreign an idea, but if you scratch beneath the surface, you will notice that they are well-used methods.

The first step is dress the part. In order to dress the part, you need to know your market. Marilyn Manson dresses the part, and in so doing, gives his fans an experience that ensures they will continue to talk about him. If your brand is presented in the correct manner, and gives the public something to talk about, the first brick in the road to success has been laid.

The second step is to say shocking things. This, of course, depends on whether or not it falls in line with your brand values. Alternatively, a brand needs to remain in the spotlight by keeping the attention on it in a positive way, depending on the key messages it is trying to convey. This needs to form part of the core creative idea that fits the organisations business objectives. When Marilyn Manson said shocking things, people kept talking about him. Cherry added, “as soon as he stopped making shocking statements, his popularity dropped. Columbine was his biggest marketing moment.”

It is important to note that not all brands should conform to the same marketing plan. There are countless products that fit into different markets and can be marketed in a variety of ways. It is rather the underlying idea of ensuring your brand is constantly in the spotlight that is the crucial factor. Marilyn Manson remains in the spotlight because he makes sure of it, and a brand needs to find the right approach to do it. One needs to reinvent oneself regularly.

A brand may have the first two steps in place, but nothing will happen if the brand doesn’t hire the best. If a brand wants to succeed, it needs the best marketing strategy. Marilyn Manson is an ordinary and, dare it be said, a dull brand on his own, but with his roadies and backstage crew, he is turned into an unparalleled powerhouse of entertainment. A brand must remember it is nothing if it remains out of the spotlight. If no one is paying attention to a brand, it has no chance of success – share of voice and share of market correlations needs to be closely monitored.

Marilyn Manson understands that attention must be paid to detail. He plays to his fans, ensuring that he is always playing the part. Likewise, a brand must never overlook the finer details. It is sometimes possible to neglect the obvious, but if a brand pays close attention to this aspect and understands it, any related setbacks later on shouldn’t occur.

The final step is to be patient. All brands have taken time to build themselves. Starbucks began in 1971 and only found success in 1987. Marilyn Manson spent six years underground before turning to the mainstream. It is not about reaching the top as quickly as possible, but rather about building a solid foundation that will allow your brand to remain familiar and stand the test of time. This can be done by aligning core insights to business objectives. Marilyn Manson knows one thing when it comes to marketing himself - a visible brand is a successful brand.