5 Tips from ‘The Simpsons: Boost your Marketing With These Ideas!

Publicado por Maria Virguez en % B% d,% Y

Don’t lie to yourself: you have seen them at least once. This is the most singular and recognized TV family around the world, and apart from ‘predicting’ some historical facts and not ever losing their sarcasm about life, they have given some good advice on many topics throughout the years. One of these topics is, of course, the one we will talk today about: marketing.

Almost 500 chapters and almost 30 years on air have turned this cartoon series into the longest one ever. This has helped them introduce fictional brands that most people remember and some of them would like to buy at least once in a lifetime.

Here we’ll show you 5 tips that should help you advertise like a pro… like the good ol’ Simpsons.

1. Good brands will always be remembered

Don’t say you didn’t want to taste Duff beer or go to Kwik E-mart! Well, marketing was so big with Duff that it became a reality and people can actually taste it after being so popular in the series.

Moe and Krusty the clown are also a good example of personal branding… and why not? Homer Simpson is the best brand ever!

2. Sponsors and their power to make others reliable

Logos are a passage for brands to explain who they are and what they care about. Colors, along with psychology, play one of the most significant roles here: they must diffuse positive messages about the brand.

3. Merchandising, merchandising everywhere

And here we must mention Krusty one more time. Krusty has appeared in common stuff like mugs, but is anybody else as brave as him to allow a marketing company to use his face for a home pregnancy test? That’s what we call marketing! (Crazy marketing, but after all, The Simpsons is not a series for serious, sane people.)

Homer made another good example of merchandising when Lisa found the bones of a supposed fallen angel in the place where a mall would be built. Homer was fast and started producing money from some merchandising he made, and some spiritual ‘visits’ that also served as merchandising for him.

4. Music, jingles and catchy phrases are an invaluable plus

When you think of Homer, what’s the first word or phrase you think about? We’ll give you three seconds.

3...

2...

1...

D'OH!

That’s right, D’OH! And we bet you answered in less than a second, because that’s the most memorable sound that identifies him. Short, catchy phrases are never optional if you want a great branding strategy. Music, like the one that has accompanied the series for 30 years, is also important. It will be the brand of your brand, as well as jingles for products, which are optional but an old trust-able resource to engage customers to products and brands.

Gabbo the puppet is another good example: when it was coming to Springfield, it made a good advertisement with a catchy phrase and nothing else to say: “Gabbo is coming”.

5. Creativity is necessary

Do you remember The Simpsons’ intro? It has been different every chapter since it began in 1989, so people who like the series wait for whatever is going to happen to Homer, and how the family will sit down at the sofa to watch their own episode. This is the very spirit of marketing: making people wait for more innovative content that makes them like and trust your brand like no one or nothing else would do.

See this case of the mall we were talking about before: the fallen angel was taken as a strategy by the mall owners to create the sensation of a real angel announcing the end… the end of high prices! And even when people feel disappointed, they go to the mall and buy everything they can. Didn’t it work?

…and the bonus: some more tips

Being smart is not necessary: see Homer if you don’t believe it. If you let your lack of knowledge or skills undermine you, you won’t succeed even if you had the tools. If marketing is not your area, then call an expert, but don’t let your lacks demoralize you! Do not ever give up.

Lisa teaches about a never-ending learning process. And it works, since she becomes the President of the US when she grows up… or at least that’s what happens in one episode. Learn everything you can and never stop learning new things.

Bart is the rebel one: you never know what he will do next, but you aren’t even sure if he is going to succeed in his adventures… and many times he does. Be rebel and don’t let others tell you what to do; sometimes the best way to succeed is following new paths and being just… different. You don’t have to grow up like him, poor and failing at every little thing: just think of the results of your actions, something he did not do.

When you succeed, shut up. Nothing is more embarrassing than bragging about your success. Make your money and shut up just like Mr. Burns does! If you tell your secrets on how to be successful, you could lose relevance.

Never lose your biggest fears, just control them: Ralph Wiggum is not exactly the best example of controlling fears, but he is the one example of being always afraid of the unknown. Why? Because when we feel completely safe, we do not discover new ways, and we end thinking we know how to handle every situation. The more confident you feel about unknown situations, the less you will be prepared to confront and overcome failures.

And never forget this: Wegacha is always there for you; no matter if your brand seems as crazy as people in The Simpsons. We love crazy people because they are the ones who end changing the world!