While many artists seek exponential growth borne of a viral stunt, too many of them focus on the tactics and strategy of making this happen without giving enough thought to what it is that their audience actually wants.
_________________________
Guest post by Jake Udell from Art of Manager
I need a stunt…
I get that text multiple times a week 
You too may be in need of viral power… A marketing driver capable of creating exponential growth for your artist or product.
The challenge with this question is that it is tactical in nature. Let me explain…
Many people start brainstorming based on what they want to accomplish vs. what the audience needs and wants.
They’ll start with… What’s the tactics?
Then, what’s the strategy?
Some will be bold enough to take it a step further to follow with… What’s the vision?
Before concluding with, what’s the mission?
Very few have the courage or the foresight to flip these questions on their head… To start with the bigger picture before getting granular with the details.
The danger of starting with tactics is you may keep adapting the brand to the opportunity – While this may lead to wide exposure, it can also create confusion about the brand.
Understanding the mission and vision is key to positioning – marketing drivers will only be effective if they work toward the greater vision.
Even fewer marketers ask the underlying most important question… Even I forgot to ask this question recently on a project… The question we should often be asking first… Who is the audience?
If you feel stuck, maybe you need to start with having a detailed, researched understanding as to who the listeners or consumers really are.
What do they want? Who else are they listening to? What’s missing for them based on their current available options? What else do they like? What do they share? And why… How do they talk about music? To whom? What platforms do they use most to share/listen/watch/stream/talk?
If you know the answer to these almighty important questions, you can make sure your artist’s marketing is differentiated (which is critical) and that the tactics matters to their audience in order to grow their fanbase.
It’s worth pointing out strategy meetings and creative meetings can have very different goals. Yes, they go hand in hand at times, but sometimes it can be helpful to postpone the creative to make sure the strategy is on point.