Egocentric marketing: How to avoid it, and why pop stars get a free pass

Knowing my vehement stance against egocentric arts marketing, two blog readers raised the same question this week: Why do pop stars and Hollywood movies get a free pass when it comes to egocentric marketing?

It boils down to visibility.

Pop stars are everywhere in mainstream media. They're embedded in our social consciousness. They enjoy what I like to call "preloaded context." But most of today’s consumers have very little context for the classical music world.

It wasn’t always this way. Between the 1950s and 1980s, opera stars like Plácido Domingo, Leontyne Price, and Beverly Sills appeared regularly on late-night shows hosted by the likes of Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan. Leonard Bernstein’s popular Young People’s Concert series began broadcasting on CBS in 1962 and NBC even created an opera company in 1949 that televised operas in English for a primetime audience. But NBC Opera Theatre was disbanded in 1964; the Young People’s Concert broadcast ended in 1972 and, these days, opera singers and classical instrumentalists rarely appear on mainstream media.

Now, less than 10% of US adults attend at least one live classical concert annually. The rest of the population—the uninitiated Outsiders—aren’t inclined to think of an orchestra concert as a potential solution that might help them make progress in their lives. In business theory language, the perceived barriers and stereotypes outweigh the perceived benefits (if they even have an ounce of proximity to the classical music world in the first place.)

What does this mean for marketing? The elements of the classical music world that its artists and their loyal audiences take for granted are simply won’t work for the other 90% of US adults.

Head to Toe Branding

On the other hand, pop artists and movie stars work incredibly hard at being relevant. In fact, staying relevant requires a full entourage on call at all times: fashion stylist, fitness coach, nutritionist, makeup artist, hair stylist, PR team.

The result? An artist like Adele IS the brand, head to toe. It's a carefully crafted persona, which fans “hire” to help them signal their own personal identity. She appears everywhere in mainstream and social media. Even her song titles and lyrics create relevance, drawing fans who seek to unlock deep emotion and process their own relational struggles.

When it comes to marketing, the work is already done. When buying a ticket or an album, fans already know what she will deliver: passion, honesty, soul-searching catharsis.

Billie Eilish, too, has a well-defined persona—one which is quite values-based. Her baggy clothes, green hair, and refusal to use her body for marketing is a message that draws a very specific crowd, as does her work around eliminating the use of furs. Fans know what they’re buying into, because they see this persona everywhere.

Here’s the thing: For a large entity like a symphony orchestra, it’s impossible to eschew the deep work of relevant marketing in favor of cultivating persona—unless, of course, the conductor and each player has an entourage like Adele’s, with a PR team that knows how to land regular appearances on mainstream media.

There is, however, some low-hanging fruit ready to be plucked. For example, David Taylor recently made the case for orchestra bosses to be more visible on social media platforms—valuable advice for conductors and players as well. And Sprout Social agrees: "Consumers...report feeling more connected to brands whose employees act as advocates on social” and 70% report feeling more connected when a brand’s CEO is active on social. Doing the work of becoming Known could certainly help classical music leaders and players grow their reach.

Even so, without the preloaded context that mainstream culture enjoys, arts organizations don’t have the luxury of taking the easy way out in their marketing. Splashing a photo of the conductor across the website homepage, a strategy many orchestras employ, might appeal to the Loyals who recognize that person and appreciate how talented and important they are. But what about the Outsiders? Their response to that photo will be, more often than not, “Who is that old white guy? Why should I care?”

As Nina Simon writes, when marketing and strategy don’t align with how the uninitiated interact with the world, our art—no matter how beautiful, life-changing, or important to us as insiders—is already irrelevant to them.

Creating Relevance

Arts organizations must work to create the relevance consumers need to consider art as a potential solution in their lives. “Too often we expect people to do the work of manufacturing relevance on their own. It’s much easier if the institution can meet you in the middle, reach out a hand, and invite you in,” writes Nina Simon.

What does this look like for arts administrators? Get to know your community deeply, identify the transformation your target audience is seeking, and invite them to use your art to help with that transformation. For example, when sitting down to create a social media post, ask yourself:

• What struggle—big or small—is the customer facing in their life that our art could help with? How are they trying to improve themselves or their lives, and how can our offering help them with that?

• Are the images I’m using relatable for Outsiders? Are the faces familiar to the uninitiated?

• Is the language I’m using relatable for Outsiders, or is it full of jargon?

• How can I formulate this as an invitation rather than an egocentric proclamation?

• Am I posting on channels that are relevant to Outsiders?

To get your creativity flowing, here are a few examples I’ve shared on the Arts Marketing Hall of Fame:

The list of benefits that art can provide is endless.

🤝 Social connection
🌟 A sense of expanded possibility
🌱 Improved health
🔌 An excuse to unplug
🧘 Mindfulness/centeredness

And on and on...

As Insiders, we know this. But newcomers to our world don't see that incredible value.

Why? In part because, for years, traditional arts marketing has focused on the features of our product rather than the benefits or outcomes.

Want to get more newcomers through your doors?

Help the Outsiders see that your art offers what they've been seeking—and that it can be easily woven into their daily lives.

Find renewed purpose and deeper relevance by integrating your marketing and strategy around THEIR world—and you’ll create the context your community needs to embrace YOUR world.