SMM: Wake Me Up

It’s happening more and more…

Recently, I found myself turning up (just a little bit) a Wham song I heard playing on one of those “we play everything” radio stations. That’s right, Wham, featuring the late, great George Michael… (there goes all my “street cred”…!).

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I know what you’re thinking… f@cking Wham?? Believe me, that’s exactly what I was thinking while humming along with the “wake me up before you go-go…” infectious chorus.

Pathetic you say? Perhaps, but there’s usually something to learn when a thing, anything, happens that gets our attention…

Now, pay attention: It’s not really about the artist or the song… it’s about the emotion evoked, and the nostalgia produced. It’s about the memories of the past places and times that the artist and the song pull you back to, in the present. Savvy songwriters and performers understand how skillful communication combined with a better-than-basic understanding of human psychology work together to produce a desired and deliberate emotional outcome.

“Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity.” ~ Robert Morgan

Like any good and self-respecting rock-n-roller, I really couldn’t stand Wham back in the 80’s. But today, those damn songs take me back to simpler time. A time of youth, and possibility, and optimism. A very, very good time. The song brought all that back into focus for me, if only for a few minutes… And for that, it’s all good; and all gold.

Business lesson = nostalgia sells. Provide a product or service that somehow taps into the nostalgia of your target audience, and you’re golden. Check out the Rockford Rocked and the Rockford Area Bands Nostalgia Page communities on Facebook for great examples. This is powerful stuff that moves people to take action on the emotions that their memories produce. This rings the cash registers of crafty capitalists while offering in-demand entertainment to consumers.

Remember: people buy emotions; not products.

Stay tuned-in…

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About the Host

Tom Leu

Tom Leu, MS/CPC is a Professional Speaker, Writer, Radio Host, & Published Photographer. A member of the National Speakers Association, Tom’s presentations, images, & interviews uncover substantive layers within Communications, Psychology & Rock ‘n Roll.

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