The Idea: He was misunderstood by the mainstream, has been both criticized and celebrated for his distinctive voice and poetic, provocative lyrics. In the 1970’s he broke through with the hit “Walk on the Wild Side”, but the masses never embraced him. He left a deep imprint in the next generation of artists including Morrissey, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Rage Against the Machine, Artic Monkey, David Bowie and U2. Bono is quoted as saying “Every song we’ve ever written is a rip-off of a Lou Reed song.”
That’s leaving more than an imprint. He left a crater.
Lou Reed’s first band – the Velvet Underground – only sold 30,000 records over the first five years. By all accounts, this was unimpressive. However, producer Brian Eno later said that, “everyone who bought that first record started a band.” Indeed, posthumously the band’s record sales are in the millions. Relevance and longevity trumped momentary judgment.
Lou Reed’s legacy has always been bigger than his sales. His art had an amplifying affect with everyone who encountered it. His music was for those who cared, and spoke to artists and influencers and that’s largely why we know it today.
He created a community of influencers who took his style and brand to the masses. Reed was known to have said, “So I console myself thinking that some things generate their rewards in a second-hand way.”
Most companies love to tell the world how many Facebook followers they have accumulated or the number of “likes” they have massed. But it’s the next level response that makes you relevant. Are you shareable? Do you inspire? Does your community bring you to the masses?
People conform to others they admire. We conform because others we admire have an insight into something we don’t understand. Research has found that we are likely to accept a person’s opinion based on our overall impression of them. Monkey see, monkey do.
How do you know if you have a zealous community following you and why are influencers important to a social strategy?
According to ODM Group 74% of consumers rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions. And recent Nielsen research shows that 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations. Only 33% trust ads. We are all tuning out traditional voices, unless they are voices we personally trust.
Lou Reed inspired a generation of passionate musicians to start bands. Do you undervalue the importance of a small group of zealous believers in your tribe and do you overestimate the masses?
Margaret Meade reminds us to “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”
