What can Jimi Hendrix teach us about marketing?
9 INCH AXIOM – EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
‘Experiential can be one of the most powerful forms of marketing through the power of engagement’
In less than two weeks we are all going to be inundated with remembrances of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. One of the most notable performances from the festival was Jimi Hendrix and his rendition of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’.
‘Have you ever been experienced?’
I was thinking about Jimi and the inherent ‘call to action’ for brand managers from his debut album ‘ARE YOU EXPERIENCED’.
Jimi understood the power of engagement. He mesmerized crowds with the way the played guitar. He knew that creating a meaningful experience for your audience is one of the most powerful forms of marketing [Check out this clip of one of the most indelible moments of rock and roll: Jimi burning his guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival]
Here are 4 things to think about when considering the merits of an experiential platform:
1. All impressions are not created equal - Spending quality time with your target audience shortens the sales cycle and creates a deeper/longer bond.
2. Amplify ‘word of mouth’ – Over 75% of those engage in an experience will tell one or multiple friends. Think of ways to promote that conversation. Eliminate friction. How can you make it easy to share the message both offline and online?
3. Engage multiple senses to win the the heart of your audience. It’s as simple as this Chinese proverb:
“Tell me (sound) and I’ll forget; show me(sight and sound) and I may remember; but involve me (sight sound and touch) and I’ll understand.”
4. Integration is key – Experiential should not be done in a vacuum. The best events are the ones that take a truly integrated approach and leverage advertising, pr, online, direct, retail and sponsorship.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra) - a birthday and some Woodstock trivia.
Birthday - My beautiful wife (I married way over my head) celebrated a birthday today. 
It’s not every day you turn ’29′ 
. We had a nice day with family and friends celebrating at a great local restaurant called Fat Cat Pie Co.
Trivia – Most people think Woodstock happened in Woodstock, NY. It actually happened over 40 miles away in Bethel. The event was originally planned for Walkill, NY until the town revoked the permit application on the basis that the portable toilets weren’t up to code. The original plan called for no more than 50,000 attendees. Probably good foresight on behalf of the town of Walkill . . . the Festival attracted over 500,000.
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The goal of marketing is to capture the mind and ultimately conquer the heart of your target audience.
The aim of 9 INCH MARKETING is to examine that journey. We'll explore 'how to' bridge the gap between traditional and social media by taking a sensory approach to integrated marketing.
Stan-
Nice post, I just read an article in PRSA Tactics about “Brand Woodstock.” Strangely, the article isn’t available online unless you have a subscription, but a great quote from the story from Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone: “It was the moment that counterculture was branded in marketing terms.” Author Amy Jacques notes that 40 years later people are looking to relive that once-in-a-lifetime experience you wrote about via three Woodstock-related films coming out this summer.
Great perspective using a maverick like Hendrix to get across your point. For years I have used the Dead as the ultimate representation of Brand Management and of One to One Marketing — and it they did it with the goal of “doing what’s best for all involved”.