gagaSeveral months ago, some friends asked us to attend the Lady Gaga Concert at the Tacoma Dome on August 21. I confess – my wife Loma and I didn’t really know what we were committing to, but it sounded like fun and a chance to observe a master marketer and communicator. Her two-hour performance, before 20,000 people, provided all that and more.

While baby boomers did not dominate the crowd, age mattered little to this group which was there to enjoy itself, whether that meant dressing up flamboyantly like the singer, clapping, dancing and singing along with their children like many parents, or just absorbing the whole multi-media, social networking, never stop for a second extravaganza. The Seattle Times review by Marian Liu captures it perfectly and also helped me understand some of the symbolism that whirled right by us.

A few favorite moments–the hood of a steaming rickety cab set in a gritty New York city, opened to reveal a piano soon put to new use. Videos and special effects from fire to huge sprays of light were so prevalent they were easy to miss. Despite a big screen version, you’ll have to read the review to fully understand some of the costumes. There was even a segment where she sat at the piano with no dancers or special effects and sang one of her popular songs, perhaps to remind everyone that she is a talented performer with a great voice.

Takeaways–First, she proved that if you give your all (even if you’ve already done the show twice this week), your audience will respond. Second, communication, whether it’s entertaining 20,000 people or trying to get the attention of your prospects, really benefits from using all the tools at your disposal and throwing in a dose of creativity.

Finally, if you want to connect with younger audiences, you better make sure that text messaging, cell phone photos and videos, and websites like Facebook become part of your overall program. Enter Lady Gaga into your favorite search engine for ideas on how to do it.

For Marian Liu’s review, visit the Seattle Times website at:
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2012694681_gaga23.html