I’ve never admitted this to anyone before:
I don’t always change the radio station right away when a Nickelback song comes on.
See? That first line wasn’t hyperbole. How embarrassing.
Here’s about how far I’ll let “How You Remind Me� play before finding something else to listen to:
“Never made it as a wise man
I couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing
Tired of living like a blind man
I’m sick of sight without a sense of feeling …â€?
(And if you also couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing, make sure to check out Sonia’s post later this week about developing effective, non-sleazy selling skills.)
Nickelback is a famously hated rock band
Personally, I don’t get the big hate-fuss. When I don’t like something, I just ignore it.
Nonetheless, if Nickelback is the butt of a joke during a conversation, you’ll find me laughing and making facial expressions of disapproval about the music.
That’s the socially acceptable reaction.
So, when a radio station plays “How You Remind Me,� I’m always a little shocked, which prevents me from immediately turning it off.
Why is this song still in the DJ’s rotation? Don’t they know it’s Nickelback?
It’s just like weak email marketing … the public disapproves of it, but it persists.
After patting myself on the back for a moment about that comparison, I realized my logic wasn’t accurate.
Nickelback serves a purpose
People pay attention to Nickelback.
Let’s start with the lesser-known worldview (at least from my experience).
They are, indeed, a popular band that has fans.
- Nickelback has sold more than 50 million records worldwide since they formed in Alberta, Canada in 1995.
- They’ve played to more than eight million fee-paying ticket holders on their international tours.
- Their breakthrough song in 2001, “How You Remind Me,� was the best-selling rock song of the decade in the U.S.
Then, of course, the widely known worldview among anyone who prides themselves on liking good music is … Nickelback is pathetic.
A plethora of references in pop culture make fun of the band.
For example, the mattress company Purple uses this copy in an ad for their mattress protector:
“Other protectors turn your bed crinkly or stiff. And they make your mattress noisy, hot, and uncomfortable … like a Nickelback concert …â€?
Another form of Nickelback-hate happened in 2011, when the band was announced as the halftime show for the Detroit Lions’s Thanksgiving Day game.
One Lions fan started an online petition to book another artist instead.
In light of that event, and since art often inspires other art, musician Scott Bradlee arranged and recorded a Motown cover of “How You Remind Me.�
That track became part of Bradlee’s album A Motown Tribute to Nickelback, which helped his project Postmodern Jukebox gain popularity in 2012.
The Postmodern Jukebox YouTube channel now has more than three million subscribers — and more than a billion views. Yes, the B-word.
In 2016, Adweek featured Bradlee as one of “20 Content Creators Who Are Setting the Bar for Creativity.�
Nickelback’s music inspires laughter and creativity …
Weak email marketing does not
No one pays attention to weak email marketing.
It doesn’t have any fans and it’s not influential.
It doesn’t help a marketer reach her goals. It makes recipients cranky. It’s both ineffective and a burden.
Strong email marketing is enjoyable for both the content creator and the recipient
Smart marketers know what their audiences truly want and deliver valuable treasures to their inboxes. Think free educational courses, special offers, or both.
The relevant, timely content is just as enjoyable for the creator to craft as it is for the recipient to read.
Are we having fun yet?
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Reader Comments (4)
Neat analogy Stefanie. Popular rock bands sometimes attract a legion of folks who love what they do but are not clear enough to express themselves in honest fashion. These folks are known as haters. If haters genuinely did not like a band, they would ignore it and give no attention to it. Emails that generate no feedback are indeed weak, and those getting love and hate have hit the mark. Always about the critic though, when marketers worry about negative feedback, and never about you. I recall a guy flipping out because I emailed on a Sunday one time. 100% about his anger and lack of religious clarity and nothing to do with the generous service I rendered through the email. I felt like Nickelback that day LOL.
Nice dissection of “the hater,” Ryan. 🙂
When “everybody hates” something, it usually means it elicits a strong response. Just like email marketing, which “everyone hates,” but ends up being super effective when you do it right. So important to use data rather than loud opinions when you’re making decisions!
Right on, Kelley!
It’s so easy to say you “hate” something, but there’s not a lot to “hate” about email marketing when you get an educational piece of content that actually helps you (for free!) or a discount on something you want or need. 🙂
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