A couple of weeks ago Nine Inch Nails performed their final show ever, an exclamation mark on an amazing career.  Now die-hard fans everywhere are left to reflect, what’s their legacy?  Certainly we could talk about their influence on the music or cultural scene over the past 20 years.  But instead, how about some of Trent Reznor’s business advice:  ditch your label – “you are now the marketer“.

Web technology empowers us to take Trent’s advice to heart.  Acts like NIN, Radiohead, Prince or more recently Smashing Pumpkins have all taken control of their music and message by putting it out there themselves.  This used to be trailblazing.

But now it’s becoming commonplace.  Intertwined and like-minded communities are the new marketing channels.  For many industries (like music) it’s an incredibly effective way of reaching an audience.  In fact, just two weeks ago I was searching for musicians influenced by NIN and learned that Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree is a fan of Trent Reznor’s production skills.  I downloaded some PT tracks and within days placed an order for 7 CD’s from their back catalog at Amazon.  Also picked up tickets to see them in NYC.

Now admittedly, Porcupine Tree hasn’t ditched their label, in fact they just signed with a new one.  But it wasn’t their label that got me hooked.  It was PT’s participation in their community, band member discussions and downloads posted by fans worldwide.  Now that’s marketing power.

So what’s the NIN legacy?  Aside from the music, maybe it’s that Trent Reznor helped pave the way around the tightly controlled world that was once corporate marketing.  Nine Inch Nails, among others, helped us realize that short-sighted executives are no longer at the center of the marketing world – you are.

Marketers use art and science to get the consumers to buy their product. A lot of brain power, innovation and hard work go into developing and marketing a new product. It’s fun to watch products and concepts launch and wonder if it will be a success. Lately, there have been two products that really made me pause. They are:

1.Vibram Five Finger Toe Shoes:
I have to admit, I am not a great runner. I am training for a half marathon and it’s about to kill me. So…all you atheletes out there might not agree with my assessment of the Vibram Five Finger’s running shoes that is getting all kinds of buzz. The shoes remind me of the toe socks from the 70’s. Toe socks were not cool then, and they are certainly not cool now. Moreover, it seems like it would hurt to run in them after a long-period of time.
Recently, my husband and I attended a backyard concert at the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta. We met a nice couple who also attended the event. We were having a lovely conversation with them, until, alas, I looked down and noticed the gentleman’s shoes. Eeek! They were the Vibram Five Finger Toe Shoes. After I noticed the shoes (and got over the horror) I was sort of oddly fascinated with them– in the same way that you can’t stop watching a train wreck. The Vibram Five Finger Toe Shoe’s are understandable, I guess, for runners who want to wear thin gloves for their feet. My opinion is that less is sometimes not more. To me- it seems as though they would be difficult to run in–and hurt! Most important, they are a rather unfortunate fashion statement—and not to be worn outside of running on pavement.
If you haven’t seen them, check out
www.vibram.com <http://www.vibram.com

2.The “Squirrel Be Gone” Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder:
We were roped into buying one of those fancy bird feeders that promised the squirrels will not eat the bird food. Our favorite nursery in Atlanta had a great display with an in-store video showcasing how fabulous the “Squirrel Be Gone” Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder is. Because I am such a marketing pro, I take great pride in never being duped. Ha! Think again.
Squirrels must have super powers…they have herculean strength. I have watched squirrel families fly, and climb up to the “Squirrel Be Gone” Bird Feeder, move the birds out of the way and eat their food. Squirrels are smart. And the ones in my backyard are quite while fed thanks to the “Squirrel Be Gone” Bird Feeder.
The marketing pros that have sold us the “Squirrel Be Gone” Bird Feeder are laughing all the way to bank.

Would love to hear your thoughts on these products or other crazy products you would like to mention.

The start of the National Football League (NFL) season is a week away and for approximately 20 million people this means the beginning of fantasy football. Once the domain of only the most ardent of sports geeks, fantasy sports participation has grown to greater than 27 million in North America alone according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. The phenomenon is not relegated to merely the US, as international soccer fantasy leagues also have emerged. Not including wagering, fantasy sports is a $1 billion industry with an estimated economic impact of $3 to 4 billion in the US.

Top Draft Pick, Adrian Peterson

With all this money in play, fantasy sports have become a business battleground, providing an interesting juxtaposition of opposing business viewpoints. Rotisserie baseball was the preeminent fantasy sport through the late 90’s. It was surpassed by football for many reasons including Major League Baseball’s (MLB) stance regarding player statistics on which fantasy games are played. After MLB denied one fantasy company a licensing agreement to purchase statistics its viewpoint was challenged and struck down in court. MLB had claimed that stats were their intellectual property due to a “right of publicity” and they had been steadily increasing licensing fees.

Whereas MLB sought to maximize this non-core revenue stream, the NFL recognized it as a source of attention to their core offering. Said Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, “Everything we see in the NFL, every study we do, any of the stats we see, is that fantasy football is a real plus for the promotion and the interest of the NFL.” “More important than anything, it really creates a focus on who’s on the field, and that’s been very positive.”

Football is now thought to have roughly four to five times the number of participants as fantasy baseball. For MLB, the lure of a potential added revenue stream may have distracted it from recognizing the full benefits brought by added spectator interest and promotion through unaffiliated companies promoting fantasy involvement. The critical lesson is to understand potential impacts of ancillary activities around a core offering including potential network effects. With social networking sites such as Facebook now hosting stand-alone applications involving fantasy sports there seem to be new opportunities to demonstrate lessons learned regarding network effects for those involved in sports. The relatively new media also presents opportunities to create or benefit from potential high-involvement activities involving other products and services about which consumers are passionate. A firm’s most appropriate response will depend on how well it anticipates and measures promotion and consumer interest it can generate through outside networks.