Forget Mad Men, Hire the Corleone Family

FORGET MAD MEN,

HIRE THE CORLEONE FAMILY

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

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.

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.

Leave the gun, grab the cannoli.