Aging Rock Stars and Higher Education – Marching to the Same Beat
Kenny Aronoff, a good buddy who was John Mellencamp’s drummer for 17 years and now is one of the most in-demand percussionists worldwide, kicked off a European tour last Friday at famed Wembley Arena in London.
At his invitation, my best friend and I flew over for the show, pre- and post-festivities and, we hoped, two day’s witness to all the trappings of the rock star life. What we learned from seeing the 62-year-old John Forgarty, former front man for Credence Clearwater Revival in the 60’s and 70’s, is a perfect lesson for higher education marketing leaders.
Fogarty drew more than 7,000 fans on day one, and then was slated to play before 100,000-plus at a mega concert the next night in Germany. How does a guy who hasn’t changed a lick in a generation-plus still maintain such a dedicated following?
He differentiates from the competition, and then integrates his assets in everything he does. At the sound check Fogarty was in jeans, white shirt and hardly stood out from the crowd. At the show, he was in a checkered shirt and red bandana against a giant backdrop of a swamp scene reminiscent of the Louisiana bayou. To the crowd he talked, it seemed, with a Cajun accent, though he is from the San Francisco Bay area.
And through his hits – from “Proud Mary” to “Born on the Bayou” – he had the crowd eating from his proverbial hand. Outside the arena, the London-based crowd was six-deep buying tee shirts, bandanas and a gaggle of other bayou-related Fogarty apparel.
“He just keeps doing what he does well,” Kenny told us backstage. “It is an art.”
And we can all learn from that. Fogarty has a single message and brand, one that differentiates him from competitors – from Jimmy Buffett to Tom Petty to Neil Young. He has worked hard to build and maintain that brand, and he has treasured it. College and university marketers must do the same.
Develop a clear, succinct brand that differentiates, and then keep your eyes focused on that message. Not for a year or two, but as far out as we can see. That is how to make the big time.