FORGET MAD MEN,
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HIRE THE CORLEONE
FAMILY
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That's right. Who needs a mamby pamby bunch of whining ego
maniacs like those at Sterling Cooper
Draper & Pryce (SCD&P), on the TV show Mad Men.
Are they really concerned about helping their clients, or are they more
interested in satisfying their own desires? If I were choosing a group to handle my
marketing, I would much prefer an organization with an understanding of how to
be successful. I'm talking about the Corleone family run by Veto Corleone (The
Godfather).
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His style was to eliminate the competition and
win over customers by "Making them an offer they can't refuse".
Sometimes the offer came in the form of financial reward. Other times, it was
offering the benefit of a strong and trustworthy partnerships. Perhaps this was
even more of a benefit than financial reward. Corleone knew what he was selling
and why people wanted it. In all cases, the Corleones used the tried and true
strategies that brought success to all their endeavors.
From the very beginning,
Corleone understood the power of BRANDING. He had the guts and the smarts to devise a plan
to eliminate his most dangerous competitor, Don Fanucci. (The
Black Hand of the controlling mafia).
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Corleone built a Viral Marketing
campaign by directing those who questioned his strength to ask about his
reputation through word-of-mouth throughout the
neighborhood.
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In their own way, the Corleones
understood the power of Public Relations, think about the way in which the
Corleone family used the press to cover Michael's killing of Solozzo (the guy
who tried to have Veto eliminated) and the corrupt police
captain. This news story could have been the downfall of the
family. PR was and can be an important ally to the family and any company, in
order to offset a serious negative.
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Later, in Godfather II,
Corleone's son Michael tried to reflect his family's corporate stewardship
initiative, another form of PR, by giving a significant endowment to a local
public university.
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The Corleone brand was built on specific attributes. Keeping their ethics high, by refusing to sell
that "White Powder", never refusing a favor to a friend and always making money
for his partners. This organization didn't take kindly to
carousing or spending money wastefully. They spent their time understanding
their customers' wants and needs and researching the competition. Luca Brasi, the family hit man, although a failed
initiative, was sent to infiltrate the Tattaglia family. His
assignment was to gather critical information to help the Corleones position
themselves.
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"Keep your friends close and
your enemies
closer".
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When the time was right, the organization focused on a
Brand Extension by making a move to Vegas. Once again using a
viral approach to business growth by getting Johnny Fontane to fill the casinos
by utilizing his famous and popular celebrities friends. Sometimes celebrity
endorsements work.
The most consequential difference between the Corleones and SCD&P boils down very simply to leadership. Corleone's leadership kept the brand consistent and directed, while motivating the entire family. When you look at SCD&P, there isn't a leadership focus with all those egos getting in the way of a singular focus, both for the company and their clients. In the search to create an excellent corporate machine, Corleone eliminated the loose cannons in the organization due to their own carelessness or at the behest of the Godfather. |
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Of course I
wouldn't really want you and your agency to "go to the mattresses" and use
criminal and gangster tactics. I do, however, like looking for the marketing
strategy behind successful operations. It's
fun to think through all the similarities between this great movie The Godfather
and the power of Branding, Research, Social Media and
PR.
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Leave the
gun, grab the cannoli.
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