I know … I know … I really did write that blog post header.
And yes, I really am talking about James Blunt, the man that can make a choir on Songs Of Praise [is that still going] look like Black Sabbath in their prime.
But don’t forget, this is a guy who is disarmingly self aware.
A guy who uses his self-depreciation to turn you from a hater into a fan.
OK, not a fan of his music but – as I wrote here – a fan of who he is.
And recently I saw something that just makes me like him more …
Yep, that’s James Blunt on Tinder.
A man who people think has got laid more than a $2 crack whore in a room of drunk and horny jocks.
OK, so getting laid a lot is part of the ‘rock star’ cliche, but I still find this move to be brilliant.
Not just because he has found a way to make money from his perception.
Not just because he partnered with platform that is the epitome of his perception.
But because he has shown that when you deal with the commentary others have about you directly, you don’t just rob them of their ammunition, you give yourself a chance to change that perception.
I’ve talked about this a lot – I called it the 8-Mile strategy, after the Eminem movie, specifically the end rap battle at 6 minutes 40 seconds – but it’s also something else I wrote about.
The power of unplanned planning.
Unplanned is where a brand speaks in seemingly obvious terms.
Not in terms of what they do, but in terms of what people think you do.
For example, when Scalextric – the model car racing brand – embraced the perception the only reason men want their little boys playing with Scalextric is because it gives them an excuse to play it for themselves.
Did you click on the link?
Seriously, you should – it not only demonstrates what I’m blathering on about, it’s a great ad.
Great because it’s funny. Great because it’s relatable. Great because it doesn’t fall into marketing bullshit.
Can you tell I really, really like it?
So why do I think this approach works when the industry is seemingly so obsessed with talking about bigger purpose stuff?
Because in my opinion, it’s easier to nudge people’s perception of you if you talk in the context of how they already view you rather than spending millions trying to convince them that who you are is totally different to what they believe or are willing to accept.
It is, in some ways, the ultimate demonstration of honesty.
A lot of brands could learn from that.