This blog is brought to you by Jennie Smythe, Founder & CEO of Girlilla Marketing.‍

Man, oh man... there’s been a lot of music and digital marketing chatter lately... two of my favorite subjects. LFG.

The idea that anything marketing-related is fully “organic” or “authentic” is ridiculous. But I do think there has always been a line between the natural and the manufactured. Not good. Not bad. It just is.

Marketing has always involved selling a product.‍

Some of the best campaigns are authentically accidental. Some are manufactured around a conference table. The difference now is that we talk about it publicly. What used to stay inside industry circles is now exposed to fandom in real time. Everything we say, and do, can end up online. There’s no “us” and “them” anymore. It’s just WE here on the interwebs.

I’ve always said that if I do my job right, nobody knows I’m there. Once, when a client was asked what set Girlilla Marketing apart, she said: “It’s what Girlilla says no to.” She was right.‍

What you refuse to do is often more powerful than what you agree to implement.‍

All media, even B2B, now has public access. When you tap into passionate fandoms, every mention, association, strategy, comment and campaign can be discovered, dissected and shared. Good or bad.

There’s an old saying: “Never write anything you wouldn’t want published.”

I’d update it to: “Assume everything you say or type is public.” I still struggle with that sometimes too. Mostly because I’m spicy.

Even if you think you’re “not on social media,” if you contribute publicly, you are. I like transparency. I like celebrating wins. But I also believe in the magic of entertainment, and I don’t always want to know how the sausage is made.

‍Where there is confusion, there is opportunity.‍

My friend and fellow marketer Audrey Faine said it perfectly: “Yes, discovery has changed. Yes, the market is crowded. But if the path forward is deception disguised as strategy, the industry should ask itself what trust is worth.”

Marketing companies and audience-growth specialists are valuable resources. (Yes, I’m biased.) What’s changing is the expectation around metrics, growth trajectories and what we define as “real.”

And honestly? This is a worthwhile conversation to have.

Also, let’s remember that media outlets are marketing products too. Using phrases like “Blue Dot Fever” to drive clicks is one of the oldest marketing tactics in existence: clickbait.

Fans absorb those narratives too. Suddenly, a catchy phrase becomes shorthand for “failure,” even though anyone inside live entertainment understands that there are countless reasons ticket sales fluctuate.‍

But nuance rarely gets the click.‍

Of course artists want growth:
More streams.
More fans.
More tickets sold.
More people watching the work.

That’s normal.‍

What’s dangerous is when the pressure to grow numbers outweighs the pressure to become better.‍

What’s happening now is the equivalent of:
Fake DJs spinning your music.
Manufactured outlets writing glowing reviews.
Owned media channels airing your show nonstop.
Or building a venue just so you can say you sold it out.

Every marketing era shapes perception. The difference now is that the systems are public and operating in real time.

We used to call it promotion. Now we call it engagement.

Buyer beware of the mechanics in which you engage. You do not have the luxury to say you don't know or didn't know what you agreed to. Your strategy is being consumed. It's up to you who sits at your table and what you serve to eat.

If you are an artist working hard on your craft, building your audience brick by brick with tools that amplify your hard work and growing your fans over time...

Hear me when I say this: THAT. IS. ENOUGH.

Be good online... and in real life,
Jennie