Marketing is Jazz, But Not How You Think

On the Raffetto Herman company blog, David Herman compares good marketing with good jazz:

In jazz music, the use of improviastion means each performance is different, often affected by the audience listening. A good marketing strategy needs to do the same. By using different themes and avenues, a company can reach a broader customer base with the ability to shift its campaign based on response.

As important to jazz as improvisation is preparation: great jazz musicians spend years practicing scales and arpeggios, memorizing changes to hundreds of standards, and imitating the styles other great musicians, all so that, when the time comes for them to be in the spotlight, they'll deliver their own satisfying, spontaneous, enjoyable performance.

Likewise, a good marketing strategy is still only as good as the planning that goes into it. That gives you the tools you need to respond to any situation--or in the jazz parlance that Herman uses, to improvise on any theme--and win over a customer.