In 2007, shortly after the Sex Pistols were involuntarily inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Punk Marketing was born. And, it only asks one thing of us: “Get off your ass and join the revolution.”‘
If you had done so then, you’d be ahead of the curve now — because Punk marketing (like Punk music) has gone mainstream.
Punk Marketing, by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons may be in paperback, but it remains a timely resource for social media marketers. Marketing via manifesto is inherently social: “It’s about knowing that what you do passes the bullshit test and is meaningful, honest and interesting. If it isn’t do something else instead,” said the punks. “Realize that people don’t care about your business, and certainly not your marketing, unless you give them a good reason.”
Punk Marketing is about marketing effectively on the fringes of traditional media: with passion and purpose. It’s about connecting directly with consumers in new places and in new ways.
Core principles of Punk Marketing: Take risks. Ask questions. Take a stand. Don’t pander. Give up control. Expose yourself. Leave them wanting more. Outthink competitors. Know who you are. Change the rules. Avoid the ‘BS’.
American Family Insurance provides proof that Punk marketing has gone mainstream. The company adopted Punk Marketing brand integration strategies in 2009 and 2010 when we teamed up with NBC to create the original web series “In Gayle We Trust,” starring Elisa Donovan. The digital series, written by Brent Forrester (NBC’s “The Office”). The series centers on the lives of the fictional residents of Maple Grove. Insurance agent Gayle Evans, played by Elisa Donovan (“Clueless,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Sabrina The Teenage Witch”), is the centerpiece of the town, serving as the sounding board, guru and trusted adviser among the town’s idiosyncratic clientele.
It was a non-traditional (aka “punk”) tactic that paid off. The In Gayle We Trust mini-sodes garnered 3.7 million views for season one, while breaking some NBC.com records for the number of viewers who watched episodes in full. Research also showed that AFI received a 24% bump in purchase intent.
“We saw fantastic results from our campaign last year indicating that the series and online resources were well-received by the public,” said Yancy. ”We anticipate that this year we will continue to see increased traffic and engagement on our campaign Web sites, widespread viewership of our Web series, and increased agent interaction.”
In 2010, American Family Insurance also produced iAMFAM, a social simulation game — a clear punk marketing tactic. The game (developed for the Facebook platform) enables players to invite their Facebook friends to become neighbors who can visit and interact with each other’s virtual houses and send gifts to each other, and even marry their children to become extended family. Players also encounter random positive and negative events. Negative events such as property damage, theft or sickness can result in financial setback preventing the player from advancing.
No matter what twists life throws at them, American Family Insurance protects players from financial setback enabling them to continue on in the game of life. The game will be supported on an on-going basis with content updates to keep gamers engaged over time.
The Sex Pistols fought their induction into the Hall of Fame “Next to the Sex Pistols,” they stated. ”Rock and roll and the Hall of Fame is a piss stain.”
By contrast, the authors of Punk Marketing are probably thinking, “It’s about F!@king time!”
Punk Friendly
What do you get when you cross with Sex Pistols with the Muppets? Some thing pretty damned funny.
About Troy Janisch
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