The Master of Her Brand: Lady Gaga's Brand Gospel

ebook Ser ies: Volume 31
the promise behind the brand.
The Brand GoSpel of l ady GaGa

The Brand Gospel of
Lady Gaga

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©The Russo Group, 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

enter: Gaga..............................................................................................................................................................................................3
Gaga relevance .....................................................................................................................................................................................4
The master of her Brand ......................................................................................................................................................................5
Who Gets It? ............................................................................................................................................................................................6
Who doesn’t? ..........................................................................................................................................................................................8
Back to the Brand .................................................................................................................................................................................11



EnTEr: GaGa
She came out of nowhere to become one of the
most talked about and fawned over musical acts of
the day. Lady Gaga has quickly become a driving
force in music, fashion, video production and global
trendsetting. With only 2 albums under her belt,
(technically one debut album and one “extension”
of the first) Lady Gaga is already being called “the
next Madonna”.

Regardless of her ability to shock and cause
controversy, Gaga’s made it hard for audiences to
ignore the control she exerts over her own image.
She has transcended beyond the label of “just a
singer” and has become a master of her brand.
She gets it. To quote the immortal Cyndi Lauper,
“[Gaga] isn’t a pop act, she’s a performance artist.”



GaGa
rELEvancE
As a strong, relatable, relevant brand, Lady Gaga is a
model for which people should look to for inspiration.
Look to the way she manages her brand images and
outlets. For some people, it may be hard to find that niche
that makes their personal brand resonate. The solution:
BECOME SOMETHING MORE THAN YOU ARE.

Look, we’re not suggesting that you abandon who you
are in order to impress other people. Just discover the
thing that makes you special and express yourself to
your fullest potential. The only way to build a following
is to stand out.



ThE MasTEr of
hEr Brand
Sometimes it’s not enough to have elaborate
costumes and a gaggle of energetic background
dancers. Sometimes you also have to walk the walk.
And don’t mistake her…Gaga has been walking
the social media walk for quite a while. She utilizes
strong touchpoints (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) on
a regular, responsible basis. She uses it the way that
most businesses wish they could. She reports the good
(when her new video is set to premiere) and the bad
(when she has to cancel concert dates) via Twitter.

This connection with her fans makes Gaga look
reliable and personable. What other qualities can a
business ask for?



Who GETs iT?
She is certainly not the first artist to blaze trails and
break barriers. She is the latest in a long line of
branding geniuses who have used their image to
articulate a message and connect with a fan base.



KISS
Long before Gene Simmons was the star of a reality
show on A&E, he was the lead singer of a small army
and the face of a major branding phenomenon. KISS
featured four dudes in face paint rocking out and
having a blast while doing so. By doing something
different, they became identifiable. And by connecting
with so many fans, they were easily able to market
themselves as a product. Their faces have become
pop culture iconography.

Michael Jackson
He has become one of the most identifiable faces in
recent history. And although he constantly reinvented
his looks and style of music, Michael Jackson has
been a reputable brand since early childhood. He
was authentic, communicative, and everywhere. Think
of him in terms of a product. He was selling off the
shelves for several consecutive decades - all because
of the ubiquity of his brand image.



Who doEsn’T?
It might be easier to explain a musical act that didn’t
(doesn’t) understand what makes a successful brand
strategy than one that does. It wouldn’t be fair to say
that all one-hit wonders didn’t get it. It’s also not fair
to say that an act has to set herself on fire or create
a stage spectacle in order to get it. But sometimes an
act just falls on its face and can never recover from a
tarnished brand crisis.



Amy Winehouse
She is a musical genius and a lyricist to rival any female
singer/songwriter in music today. After her first and only
album, Frank and Back to Black, went multi-platinum, Amy
Winehouse was slated to be the greatest thing to happen to
vocal-infused Motown/ jazz since the 60s. But unfortunately,
Winehouse suffered slew after slew of controversial personal
mishaps and run-ins with the law. Most fans were willing to
forgive such a talent after a few indiscretions, but it seemed
to be a runaway’s brand image with little to no handling.
Winehouse faded into obscurity faster than you can ask
someone to go to rehab.



Christina Aguilera
From the artist who beat the greatest contenders of 2000
for “Best New Artist” Grammy, Christina Aguilera has given
the world several hit singles and platinum albums. But when
you’re competing again Britney Spears and other female
pop artists of the day, it’s hard to keep your head above
water when you’re the “nice-flirty-dirty” girl. She reinvented
her image and was a great success a couple of times, but
after that, she just seems to fade into the wallpaper. It’s
difficult to depict yourself as something that you aren’t, and
it’s even harder for your fans to swallow.



Back To
BrandinG
In the end, it’s best to take the most important lessons
from both sides of the “recording artist/ brand
master” equation. Learn to build your personal brand
around the things that make you stand out and keep
a consistent method of message deliverance.



And remember these points when living
The Brand Gospel of Gaga:

Be Different – Not just different for different sake,
but truly a difference that people can connect to.

Be Authentic – Wear your costume offstage and
around town.

Be Communicative – Don’t just send out a press
release from a handler, but update your fans though
something that makes them feel connected.

Be Everywhere – Go to your audience and use all
of the different platforms that they use.

Be Fun – Don’t be boring. Make your fans guess at
what your next move will be.



RUSSO IS A STRATEGIC BRANDING AGENCY –
AND AS A BRANDING AGENCY, WE ARE BELIEVERS.

Here, we believe in the promise behind the brand.
And here, we believe that changing the conversation motivates consumer behavior.

Through the use of consumer insight, we develop branding initiatives for our clients
that form emotional connections with their consumers.

for more information on branding, social media
or to learn more about The russo Group, drop us a line, we would love to hear from you.

116 e. congress St., downtown lafayette, la 70501 | 337.769.1530 | f 337.769.1531
www.therussogroup.com | www.razorbrandingblog.com | jaci@therussogroup.com



The Brand Gospel of
Lady Gaga

©The Russo Group, 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.


The Master of Her Brand: Lady Gaga's Brand Gospel

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The Master of Her Brand: Lady Gaga's Brand Gospel