Lady Gaga is something else, isn’t she? From her Outrageous outfits, to 40 Million Twitter followers, lengthy music videos, and being named Forbes’ Most Powerful Celebrity, there is no denying it. Back in my sophomore year of College, a peer and I decided to base our project on how Lady Gaga is a bad influence. After doing hours and hours of research, we realized we had a problem. Our presentation did a complete 180. Besides her usually scantily clothed performances and sometimes sexy lyrics, Lady Gaga turned out to be a positive influence on her listeners.
About a month ago, I attended Jackie Huba‘s presentation about her book, “Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga turns followers into fanatics“. Her presentation and excitement for Gaga reminded me of my project. Huba went over 7 things we could learn from “Mother Monster” to apply to our businesses or clients. The first two lessons stuck with me the most…
“Focus on your One Percenters.”
“In the universe of customers, we have new customers, existing customers, and the super-engaged loyal customers, who advocate to others on our behalf. Gaga focuses on those advocates, the 1% of the fan base that are the most loyal.” – Huba
Huba goes on to share that you have your new customers, existing customers, and advocates. The advocates are the One P, advocating on your businesses behalf. They’re the ride or die customer. The “I refuse to buy from any other company” customer.
Companies tend to have the Shiny new object syndrome. They’re too focused on new customers when they could be focused on satisfying current customers and bringing them back for more. Huba shared that it’s 5x cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one.
“Lead with Values”
Gaga strongly leads with her values and beliefs. These being that everyone should believe in themselves, we were “born this way” and we are perfect. She is especially known for her support of the LGBT community. “She repays their loyalty by adopting the fight for issues, like marriage equality.” She dedicated her second album to her fans and went on to launch a foundation to bring awareness and help those effected by bullying.
Her efforts did more than just sell cd’s, they created “Little monsters” and saved many of their lives. Amber Brown is a One Percenter for Lady Gaga. She’s attended 9 Monster Balls, 5 Born This Way Balls, and was first in line at the Ball in St.Louis.
Who or What are you a One Percenter For?
I’m a One Percenter for…
– TOMS Shoes: I am loyal to TOMS shoes. Even if the shoes are much cheaper, I refuse to purchase knock-off TOMS. If you’re wearing fake TOMS, I will call you out on it. Not only do I love the actual shoe and its comfort, but I love the fact that they’re helping those less fortunate. Shoes can go a long way. Those knock-off TOMS you bought at Sears aren’t helping anyone.
–Hanson: From 1998 until the day that I die, I will forever be a Hanson fan. Go ahead, make fun of me all you want. I’m used to it. They’ve grown musically and professionally since ‘mmmBop’ and I stand by them 100%. I used to collect every single thing in sight that featured Hanson. These days, I still collect but not as much. I just bought their press kit from their ‘Middle of Nowhere’ album. I’ve also seen them every single time they have been in Cincinnati.
Jackie Huba is a One Percenter for…
-Pittsburgh Steelers: She was born in Pittsburgh, so it only makes sense she’s a fan. You can tell she is a One Percenter because she runs a Steelers fan club in Austin, Texas AND has a Steelers tattoo!
Rebecca Potzner 