This edition of three views is about “rock stars.” Which is different from actual rock stars. There are inherently desirable and not-so-desirable aspects of rockstarness.
The “Three Views” series gets its name from the title of a piece of music by a guy whose entanglement with the not-so-desirable aspects of rockstarness is tied to his decline and ultimate death. That’s a poignant reminder that fame built on personality can contain its own cautionary tale.
Marketers and businesspeople often see the glitz and power of celebrity but sometimes miss the built-in risk.
What next for the “social media rock star?”
Amber Naslund puts the social marketing world on notice. But she does it gently. And she gives the next generation of social marketers the direction needed for success as business catches up to the hype.
When she says of using big personality focused social efforts “that approach was never awesome, but it’s really starting to show its weaknesses” it’s likely more than conjecture. She formerly worked for Radian6, a firm building measurement tools for social media.
Her post is a clear call to “shift your mindset as a social professional to purpose-based thinking.” She provides the details and direction.
The demise of the social media rock star
I take my own turn with my column at Inman News. Layering in thoughts of how and when personality might be advantageous strategically (and more importantly, when it isn’t).
For businesses, the goal is often strategic advantage. Which is difficult with personality-based approaches (unless the personality is the company): “the success of many rock stars is difficult to replicate because so often it is founded on the innate personality traits of the rock stars themselves.”
An actual rock star
It may be more than just social media rock stars that are on the wane. In a BuzzFeed long format article, David Lee Roth nails it when he says, in reference to contemporary star-dom: “The stars I see in a lot of people’s eyes are because of the uniform, not because of the pilot inside.”
