Five Marketing Rules to Follow from “The Beatles: Get Back”
Like many people over the holidays, I watched The Beatles: Get Back, the epic verité event directed by Peter Jackson. While there are so many amazing moments from this rare, fly-on-the-wall inside look into the Fab Four’s creative process, as a marketing professional, it also seemed to convey a few key marketing rules to help you refine your marketing strategy for 2022:
Rule #1: Know your audience.
“Beatlemania” was so culturally pervasive at the time that the term has been used to describe target audiences everywhere who are in a state of losing their minds- over a rock band, a fad product and even a brand in general. The Fab Four might have been a rock band first, but ultimately they became a household brand that had people wanting more: more of their music, more of their faces, and more tantalizing tidbits of their personal relationships. This is apparent throughout the film- sometimes when the band takes a break, they look at the latest issue of their fan club magazine, read the tabloids featuring John and Yoko, and share out-loud, the latest criticism (which is mostly of their personal lives). Ultimately though, this fan-fare was driven by their audience’s belief that The Beatles were musically unique, revolutionary even, and were paving a different path than their parents. This is a powerful sentiment for a brand. Knowing that this is how their audience saw them, meant that The Beatles had to approach every project with the intent to be more than just “new for The Beatles,” but new as in “redefining music” as the world perceives it. No pressure.
Rule #2: Don’t let your audience down.
It’s no surprise then, that in January of 1969, The Beatles planned to give their fans something big: an new album in 14 days, a documentary film going behind the scenes of them creating this album and a live TV performance as the ultimate finale to this mega fan offering. Alas, if you watched the film, you know they don’t quite live up to these goals. Which reminds me of something the marketing guru, Seth Godin, once said, “A brand is a promise.” Which means you have to follow thru on your promises or you risk losing your fans/customers forever. However, instead of scrapping everything and letting down their fans, The Beatles pull it together, work hard and modify their offering to include a documentary film, a live performance and 7 songs instead of 14. Most of the tracks they worked on that January in 1969 became instant classics. The live performance, on the London rooftop of their studio, was unique in that it had never been done before (on-brand) and amazing. In the end, they delivered on their brand promise even though they had to pivot and that’s ok. I mean, the tracks alone that came out of that endeavor are nothing short of revelatory.
Rule #3: Timing is everything.
Is your audience ready for what you’re about to put out into the world? The reaction to the live performance and the album was clearly “yes.” However, the first version of the documentary ‘Get Back’ was a flop. Why? Timing. The first version was released in 1970 around the same time that the band actually broke up, playing up the tension between the band members and playing down their inherent brotherhood. It also glossed over the incredible synergy and prolific productivity they had as creative collaborators. However, verité film gets better with age. Depending on the timing of your product launch and the marketing strategy that goes with it, timing can determine brand, positioning and perception-reception. Launch too soon and your messaging will be making up for what the product lacks. Launch at the right time, in this case 50+ years later, and it’s like uncorking a fine wine- rich, full-bodied and satisfying.
Rule #4: Visuals are key.
There’s a scene in the third episode where they’re talking about the upcoming performance and Paul says there are “no visuals” for what they’re doing right now, it’s just sound and the film would need time to be edited but they need a visual reference that people can hold in their mind with the music. During the sixties, The Beatles were also known for revolutionizing the way music albums were released, with provocative cover designs, music videos and films- there was always a visual component that helped convey the message of their music and their image. Even in the ever visually driven world we live in, visuals are often the hardest to nail down in a marketing campaign or with branding in general but they’re powerful and shouldn’t be overlooked. They can make or break perceptions of your brand and in some cases influence the way you view your own brand. For example, the first version of the film “Get Back,” left such a negative impression on The Beatles themselves, that they forgot all of the good things that happened during that January in 1969. They forgot they had a good time because the visual evidence of it conveyed the opposite. Not the most truthful or complete picture the first time around but powerful all the same.
Rule #5: Be authentic (true to your voice).
The struggles that do play out in the film are in many ways, natural growing pains of creative conflict. Each member of The Beatles had their own creative voice that was striving to be heard and once they overcame those conflicts and collaborated as artists, the synergy between them really did create something unique and special. When they were creatively blocked on a song they were writing, they didn’t quit. They went back to the artists that originally inspired them as teenagers, playing the likes of Little Richard and Chuck Berry, to name just a few; they went back to old songs they wrote as kids but didn’t publish, and, in effect, by going backwards so to speak, they remembered where they came from, they remembered who they were before Beatlemania, and they arrived back at what made them so unique to begin with. They found their voice again, the heart of who they were as artists and the essence of their brand.