Do you know what that is – a Tombstone Piledriver?
So, what is it?
It’s the “finishing” move of superstar wrestler, The Undertaker, whereby he flips his opponent upside down and slams the poor guy’s head into the ground.
You might cringe at the thought of sitting through one of these shows, or maybe you can name all the members of Nexus…Either way, the fact is that the World Wrestling Entertainment empire is one of the best brands in the world.
WWE has been on TV for fifty years, and delivered via Pay-Per-View outlets for twenty years. WWE.com attracts over 12.2 million unique visitors each month. Yes – you read that right – 12.2 million. The site averages 376.5 million page views and 28.6 million video streams each month.
The WWE has even distributed 23 – that’s right – 23! – New York Times Best Sellers.
So what’s the secret to their success? Is it simply that they bill themselves as the “best value in entertainment” during harsh economic times? Did they luck out?
Brand true
Nope. While they always stay true to their original brand, the key to their success lies in a few key ingredients: Flexibility, customer input and willingness to try new things.
Geof Rochester, Executive VP Marketing, WWE says, “We embrace change…so today it’s all about viral networks, social networking, we’re all over those spaces…so obviously today, because what’s popular is the interactive stuff, we’re all over that and we’re doing very successfully with it. But I think underneath that is this flexibility and this willingness to try and adapt new things.”
The WWE puts companies who claim to listen to their customers to shame. Through their own social network, the WWE Universe, marketing executives allow fans to impact everything from over-arching story lines to which wrestlers will step into the ring to fight on a given night. Fans can build their own profile pages, post videos, comments, and interact directly with superstars and other fans in live blogs and forums – proving people support that which they help create.
Brand resources and support
The WWE Universe also provides the marketing team with key information needed to launch other marketing initiatives, including mobile technology strategies – they have now targeted over 100 million mobile phone users, and provide special offers to subscribers of their mobile site, including original video content, ringtones, wallpapers, mobile voting and text alerts.
“It enables us to surround the customer with 360 degrees of marketing,” said Jonathan Zerden, WWE senior director, Internet technology. “We get to see how they interact with mobile platforms, how they interact with us, how they interact with their arena, and how they interact with their cable company.”
So, what do we learn from men in flashy tights running around (and outside of) a wrestling ring?
Listen to our customers, and use the information they give us. Give something extra special to the ones who listen and talk back. And always be flexible enough to adapt to changes in how they want to talk and listen.
Learning how to execute a perfect tombstone piledriver probably doesn’t hurt either.
