Marketing lesson 1: Send a Clear Message
How this song conveys a clear message:
“Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?”
From the opening, everyone can understand that…
1) Seizing the moment is crucial
2) Opportunities for doing so are rare
3) The song will be about getting everything you want
4) A challenge is issued: If an opportunity presents itself, what will you do with it?
Why clarity is important for you
Explaining what you do simply, concisely and clearly is halfway to convincing people that it’s worth their time to listen to you. Use it as a guideline for your elevator pitch, mission statement… and most of the marketing copy you write.
Applying the lesson
Define what your business does in terms a 7 year old could understand — and keep their attention span in mind!
Marketing Lesson 2: Pacing
How this song deals with pacing
- The opening is spoken & sets up the rhymes that will surface again and again throughout the song.
- Song starts with failure, and is slow (you can actually keep up)
- By about 2:30 in, rhythm picks up as the importance of the message is emphasized as the rhymes come closer and closer together. All of a sudden, it’s hard to keep up with what he’s saying.
- By 3:10, he explains overcoming adversity, the reasons why he did, and any chance of keeping up evaporate by 3:44.
- Symmetry is completed when the ending is also spoken, but it’s no longer a challenge – it’s a string of words to live by.
“You can do anything you set your mind to”
Why pacing is important for you
Maintaining success involves starting slow, with solid foundations. By building momentum, you can achieve great things.
Applying the lesson
Following the principles of Attention, Interest, Desire and Action:
- Start by giving context. This can be done through choice of channel, carefully choosing the audience you’re talking to and starting out with a statement that will resonate with them.
- Continue by explaining what’s in it for them.
- Create an emotional connection.
- Finish with a strong call to action.
Marketing Lesson 3: Manipulation of Perception
How Eminem shifts your perception
Listen to the song at 00:53
The lyrics are as follows:
“His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom‘s spaghetti
He‘s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting”
Non-Italicized show the elongated ‘ohm’ sound
Bold show the sharp ‘ee’ sound
For a more in-depth analysis of the lyrics, check out “Rhyme: Why Eminem is one of the most impressive lyricists ever.”
He elongates words and sounds; skips syllables; invents words. He changes the very sound of the word people are used to hearing day in and day out. Your perception is thus molded into what he wants you to hear.
Why it’s important for you
Presentation shifts perception and can have a huge impact. High contrast images are attention grabbing. A well written letter will make a better impression than one that is littered with errors. The photo of a hamburger on a poster is completely different from the sandwich you unwrap.
How to apply it (and a word of caution)
In written copy, alliteration achieves an analogous effect. As does asynchronous punctuation. It’s important, however, not to let your desire to be clever overshadow the point you’re getting across.
