05 Apr I’m in love with Lady Gaga

Actually, obsessed with Gaga is probably more like it.  Not only have I downloaded her onto my iTunes, I even made her my ring tone.  A few of my friends joke that I have nothing on my iPod later than 1985. That’s not true.  But the truth is that the vast majority of my music, like many of us of a certain age, is from my youth.  And those more recent tunes…well, I hear something I like and I usually download one, maybe two tunes.  But with Gaga, I’ve downloaded quite a bunch.

So what is it about Gaga that has me in her thrall?  Well, she can sing better than most artists today.  But that isn’t it.  Her tunes are catchy…they make me want to dance.  But when you listen to them over and over (the way I have) they start to sound very similar. There are lots of artists with great voices and great tunes, but I don’t want to know all about them they way I do Gaga. I even picked up a Cosmo magazine at my manicurist solely because she was on the cover.

I call Gaga the Anti-Susan Boyle.  The last time I scoured the internet for information about someone it was for Susan.  But both of them are not just stars, they are brands.  With Susan you knew exactly what you were getting.  A hometown innocent with a knock-out voice.  She was authentically Susan.  Shy, dowdy, totally unpretentious.  Susan was mysterious, coming out of nowhere into instant stardom.  And that mystery made me want to know more about her.

Gaga is mysterious, too…the wigs, the name, the costumes all hide who she was.  But who she is now is a brand.  And she works hard to keep that brand highly polished.  That mystery is part of her brand.  Over the top edginess and crossing boundaries is part of her brand.  Taking us to places just a little dark and out of reach is part of her brand.  With her, you always know what to expect and know you will always be surprised. She’s very consistent in that.  You always get Gaga, onstage and off.

Great brands have a sense of mystery to them.  They lure you in.   Then they over-deliver on their promises.  Gaga’s not just a brand.  She’s a great brand.