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July of 2005, my buddy Matteo and I drove over from Lake Como to the San Siro district in Milano. Irish legendary rock band, U2, had set up shop there for the Italian part of their “Vertigo” tour.

San Siro stadium (home of the infamous AC Milan soccer team) holds little over 100,000 people – the place was filled to the brim with fans. Expectations for today’s performance by Bono and his fellow band members were set high.

Being the middle of Summer, it was steaming hot outside. The atmosphere around the stadium was electrifying and you could feel the energy buzzing.

The Black Market

The concerts had been sold out for months in advance and the black market was selling tickets “on the spot” for 1,000 and 1,500 Euros. This was the best, real-life, example in “scarcity marketing” I’ve ever witnessed.

People were tripping over each other to throw money at the hucksters. Wads of cold, hard cash and concert tickets exchanged hands. When able to get their hands on a ticket, people ended up in a state of ecstasy after over-paying for a ticket by 10-15 times. Super high demand and very few items on offer is a surefire recipe for this type of semi-controlled chaos.

Bono – “The Killer Marketer”

After a few hours of sitting and waiting in our little seats, it was time. U2 entered the stage – the crowd went nuts. A band like U2 doesn’t do “just” a concert – it’s a charismatic adventure.

I’ll highlight a few key-points from the video above to prove to you that a world-famous rock band, like U2, is – without a shadow of a doubt – a keen, well-oiled, marketing machine who “plays” their audience by giving them exactly what they came for in an extremely entertaining way.

We, as marketers, can learn a lot from guys like Bono and his peeps.

At the 0:14 time anchor – Bono speaks the language of his audience, it’s only two lines but the emotional connection he makes by doing this is very strong. Just listen to the reaction of the audience – heartwarming.

At 0:32 – the band starts the ultra-famous Elevation “riff”. Expectations are being set … but not met, yet. Anticipation kicks in big time.

At 0:56 – Bono takes a sip from a water bottle belonging to one of the fans. Personal bonding exercise, executed brilliantly.

At 1:03 – Bono takes the camera of one of his fans and snaps a picture. He reverses the usual process and, while doing it, gains massive respect from the entire crowd. Again, brilliant move!

At the 1:23 time anchor he calls his audience “Sexy people!” – for an Italian crowd, that’s THE best compliment you can give, ever. More excellent crowd bonding.

At 1:36 – Bono calls himself “Sexy”, he puts himself at the same level as the current crowd. More bonding on a personal level.

At 1:59 – he says “But I can’t dance…”, he calls out a flaw in himself. What he really says is “I’m not perfect – I’m a normal person, just like you.”. He, again, puts himself on their level – this makes him believable, more “real”.

At the 2:14 time anchor – Bono lifts up his arm and starts waving. EVERY ONE of the 100,000 people in there follow his lead and starts waving, together with him. Zero exceptions (I know because I was there and I started waving too :)

At 2:59 – the fans expect the typical “Elevation” chorus. Bono holds back and builds in a massive cliffhanger. He drives anticipation through the roof and the crowd is about ready to burst.

At 3:13 – Bono says “It’s okay to flirt…”. He admits he’s teasing them and playfully apologizes. The crowd loves this and anticipation takes on yet another high.

At 3:36 – U2 delivers! The stage for this moment was set in 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Everything they did during this time was carefully planned and masterfully executed. The result is a crowd that literally explodes and I guarantee each and every one of them got “goose bumps” for a few seconds.

Pay special attention to the girl at the 4:50 time anchor. That particular 1 second fragment speaks for itself, it proves the band has succeeded in what they were trying to achieve :)

Nano212 – The Tribe for Marketers

When the pimp daddy of marketing, Seth Godin, came up with the idea for his book “Tribes”, I’m pretty sure the U2 tribe must have been the ultimate “wet dream” he envisioned.

Today, I’m starting my own tribe and I would love for you to become a part of it. On the next page, I’ll explain my Nano212 vision and reveal how you will be able to benefit from this.

Click here to continue… (Part 2 of 3)