Ah, the Eurovision Song Contest. Europe’s high mass of song. Every year, millions of people watch this pinnacle of kitsch. But what in Kotler’s name does it have to do with marketing? Strangely enough, there are many parallels to be drawn between the Song Contest and the marketing of your product or organization. An overview:
Where people used to look for the “best song,” that is no longer the standard today, and sometimes the best or most spectacular act simply wins (Hard Rock Hallelujah, anyone?). You see the same evolution in marketing: you no longer conquer the market with just the best product.
In our parallel, we consider the participating countries as ‘makers’ of a product (namely, their entry), with which they hope to win the hearts of Europe on the night of the televote. Just as Italy did so successfully in the recent 2021 edition.
There are certain countries that, in Eurovision terms, have excellent market appeal. Typically, Scandinavian countries do very well, causing your attention span to skyrocket when one of them takes the stage. The chances of you noticing them are therefore much higher.
We see the same thing when a manufacturer with a rock-solid reputation launches a new product. Especially in the past, every new product launch from Apple, for example, could count on a great deal of interest. As a result, product sales immediately had the wind in their sails.
“Hi, I’m Owen Wilson and this is an Oreo cookie.” Using a famous face can certainly help bring your product to people’s attention. This also applies to the Song Contest. Internationally established names such as Anouk, Katrina & The Waves, and many others have been brought in to bring their country ultimate Eurovision glory. Not always the key to victory, but consistently good for securing extra votes from fans of the artist in question.
The packaging! Sometimes it is more important than the content. This is also part of the evolution we see and a similarity between marketing and Eurovision. Where an extravagant act used to be ‘not done,” it has now become almost synonymous with the Eurovision stage. The same applies to your products: without eye-catching ‘packaging,’ you simply disappear into the crowd, even if you have the best quality and expertise in-house.
You might almost forget, but the song (read: the product) is still important. Even with the best marketing campaign you can afford, you will eventually be found out if you cannot offer a good product. It’s the same with the Eurovision Song Contest. Of course, a terrible song wins sometimes, and a less-than-optimal product sells better than expected, but in the long run, you will see that a good product/song is always the key to success.
How often have you heard a new song and thought: meh? And then, after the umpteenth time on the radio, that earworm is suddenly firmly lodged in your head. Just like with a good advertising message, repetition also works for a Eurovision song. That is why today, Song Contest entries are always pre-released.
So, what can we ultimately learn from this Eurovision-marketing parallel? That when marketing your product, song, or whatever, it’s best to always start with a good mix. It’s not an ‘either/or’ story, but an ‘and’ story. All elements play a role. Today, (extravagant) packaging is very important, but fortunately, it doesn’t stand alone. And how we can score better with our Belgian entry next year? To be honest, we couldn’t care less—or as they say, it’s all Conchita Wurst to us (we couldn’t resist that one, sorry).
Curious how we can help your brand score twelve points? Want to wrap your top product or service in super-effective packaging?
Then drop by for a cup of coffee and who knows, you might become our next #liefdebedrijf!