Marketing girl, here. I know it’s been awhile, but I’ve really been thinking this morning, and it all has to do with American Idol.
Finally! At last, we’re getting to the really good stuff. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like the horrific singing, crazy outfits and group performance drama just as much as any girl. It’s a time-honored tradition of the show. (Can you have a tradition in less than 10 years?)
But this is what I really love. We’re down to the top 12, or in this case, 13. You KNOW that the people still left in the competition can sing. Now they’ll get into the themed nights where they feature an artist or genre, and I don’t even care if it’s a type of music that I don’t like. I’ve come to the conclusion that the music and performances that are really great are the ones infused with passion and energy. That’s why we love live concerts, and I know that’s what draws me to the music I love. It’s the stuff you can feel beyond the words and lyrics. It’s what drew me to Thriving Ivory and Sugarland. It’s what edged my secret boyfriend David Cook over the other David last year.
It’s the passion and energy that gives these American Idols that little extra something to get them to the top. It’s what’s going to win it for one of them. And it’s what everyone in America is envious of. We can say we wish we could sing like that, but my gut tells me that what we really want is to put as much passion and energy into what WE do as these singers do with their performances.
Being at L&S for awhile now, I’ve seen all the workings of passion and energy right here within the walls of this agency. I know that every agency probably says that about itself, and it’s probably true for some of them. But I’m convinced that it’s different here. I’m going to go all cheeseball now, but the passion and energy is what makes the great ideas come to life. It’s what makes us excited about coming to work. It’s what makes us throw the flag when it’s not good enough. It’s what makes us, as our fearless leader Scott would say in the words of Jim Collins, get from good to great.
This passion and energy exists somewhere in everyone’s life. With these13 people from across America, it’s singing. Why in the heck else do you think they added an extra one this year?
On that note, I’m out.
Passionately and Energetically,
marketinggirl
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I am glad to see marktinggirl is back. I’ve missed her.
A nice article, but lets get down to the basics. Urgency. Thinking about our latest food for thought, what are the keys to marketing in a recession? If you are interested, let me know-
Passion is an unquantifiable property that finds itself imbued throughout every aspect of a project by those who have that passion.
This discussion brings to mind the Japanese concepts of quality. There is atarimae hinshitsu and miryokuteki hinshitsu. The first is a quality of function (e.g. “a pen should write”), the second is a quality of aesthetic (e.g. “a pen should write in a way that is pleasing to the writer, and leave behind ink that is pleasing to the reader”).
This second quality is easiest to apply to a product (or a campaign) if the people have passion.
(Source: Japanese quality on Wikipedia)