Developing a Marketing Plan
When looking at Buddy Holly, what immediately comes to mind is that he epitomizes the concept of someone being a “hipster,” and it is based on this perception that the marketing plan surrounding him is centered on. Holly basically was someone who was far from what most people would consider having the “Rock and Roll” image. This is based on the fact that many Rock and Roll superstars of the present day all seem to adopt an image of being “bad boys” or having a distinctly “anti-establishment” orientation.
It is with this in mind that Holly simply looks far too “squeaky clean,” so to speak due to the way in which his hair, classes, and face come together to create a geeky hipster appearance. However, this is actually a good thing since it creates an aspect of his character that distinguishes him from others within his current genre of music. As such, the marketing plan, when it comes to Holly, will focus on his current unique image and leverage his talent in music in order for him to gain a considerable level of pop culture popularity.
Defining his Image
One example of an individual whose unique image and talent garnered him a considerable amount of pop culture popularity was Taylor Hicks, who was a recent winner of the talent show “American Idol.” His gray hair, “working man” image along with his unique way of singing was far from what can be considered as the epitome of Rock and Roll talent, however, he generated a considerable amount of acclaim for his performances and shows that the current “image” that is ascribed to most rock stars is not the only “mold” so to speak that can be used.
Creating a unique enough image combined with phenomenal talent would be enough to generate acclaim. It is based on this that despite the presence of contact lenses, it is still advisable that Holly continues to utilize his horn-rimmed glasses both on and off the stage. This can be his “symbol” so to speak and would help to create a unique image that is far different from the familiar image of rockers within the same genre.
Starting the Campaign
Over the past few years, YouTube has become an increasingly popular way for a person to get famous pretty quickly. Once a video goes “viral,” so to speak, it can reach millions of people resulting in a considerable amount of popularity. It is based on this that the campaign for Holly to begin entering into the music world will start with him creating YouTube videos and using Google Advertising in order to generate a level of “hype” for both him and the examples of his work that he creates. The reason why YouTube would be the best platform to start is so that Holly can develop his image and music over time until he determines what works.
The comments of the viewers, along with the number of views on the videos, will act as a method of constructive criticism, which will enable Holly to determine what works in terms of the style he adopts and the type of music he puts out. Eventually, he could enter into a potential recording contract based on the popularity of the content that he creates. Do note that there has been a variety of break out stars that started on YouTube with one of the most famous examples being Justin Beiber, who started his career singing on his channel and then transitioned into becoming a pop icon superstar when he got a contract from a recording agency.
Creating a Social Media Presence
Aside from releasing his work via YouTube videos, it is also important for Holly to leverage his potential popularity through the creation of a social media presence. For instance, many celebrities create their own Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram profiles in order to better connect with their fans. Through social media networks, this helps to increase the popularity of a star since creating updates through these sites enables them to know how that particular star lives their life.
This activity feeds into the current level of interest people have towards their pop culture idols. Holly could similarly utilize social media in order to popularize the release of several of his songs on iTunes or other sites that sell music. This would help considerably in increasing the number of possible consumer markets that he could penetrate, which would result in greater levels of popularity for him.
Collaborations
Aside from creating his own YouTube videos, Holly could also collaborate with popular Youtubers such as Ray William Johnson, Shane Dawson, and Wong Fu Productions that all specialize in releasing various types of popular musical content. These collaborations will help in increasing the number of people that would know about Holly, which would then create a higher level of demand for his work resulting in him become successful in the long term through the devised strategy.