Mainstream Culture, Popular Music

Reflecting Society to Make an Emotional Connection Businesses, not for profit organizations, and government leaders, to name just a few types of marketers, are wise to study popular music for a very important reason. Popular music often predicts changes in mainstream culture well before mainstream culture recognizes the change. In the 1960s, when mainstream America and the political leadership were still supportive of the Vietnam War, they could have detected the winds of change by paying attention to the music of Peter, Paul, and Mary; the Kingston Trio; Bob Dylan; and others.

Madonna was a leading indicator and reflector of changing sexual mores in the 1980s and continues to be on the cutting edge today (see Chapter 7). From Cat Stevens to rapper Jay Z, music changes as society changes-reflecting changes in people’s lifestyles and moods.

Winning marketers monitor changes in the culture and its music and reflect them in their brands. Why? Because problems arise from life, and firms that address top of the mind issues by developing solutions to perceived problems-and do it well-are rewarded with robust sales, brand loyalty, and willingness to pay premium prices even in difficult markets.

Lifestyle trends affect a myriad of marketing strategies and tactics, including product design, positioning, packaging, advertising, and distribution. Witness Campbell’s recent introduction of soups that come in heat and drink cups, designed specifically for people who don’t have time to eat anything requiring a table or utensils. Similarly, a recent ad for Tide laundry detergent focuses on a single mother getting ready for a date, dressed in a freshly washed sweater and armed with dating advice from her teenage daughter-a far cry from June Cleaver themes of the past. Typically, brands are analyzed from the perspective of products-either consumer or industrial-and services ranging from financial institutions to health care systems. Most books on branding, including this one, reflect this emphasis. The nature of brands and winning strategies that make them culturally relevant is more comprehensive, however, recognizing an increasing importance to develop culturally relevant brands for retail organizations, for professional persons, and ultimately, for the most important brand of all-the brand called You.