Marketing Lessons from Ivan "Urban Action Figure"

Who is Ivan "Urban Action Figure" and what marketing lessons can he teach you?

Although I rarely watch TV, I watched the latest episode of Master of Champions last night. And I was reminded of some valuable marketing lessons I want to share with you.

First, in case you don't know what Master of Champions is, it's a talent show that features people with amazing off-the-wall skills.

For instance, last night, they had two guys who do amazing on-stage acrobatics and breakdancing, a guy who cuts vegetables by throwing playing cards at 90 miles per hour, another guy who uses hydraulics to jump cars up to 7 feet off the ground, and two teams of yo-yo masters.

A pretty eclectic group, wouldn't you say?

Anyway, I want to talk about Joe Eigo and Ivan "Urban Action Figure"—the two masters of aerial acrobatics.

If you saw their performances, you'd be hard-pressed to say which one is more talented. Nevertheless, all three judges unanimously agreed that Joe Eigo's performance was technically more difficult and better executed.

So why did Ivan "Urban Action Figure" win?

Because despite what the judges said about the technical aspects of Joe's and Ivan's performances, the crowd liked Ivan better!

And why did they like Ivan better?

Because he connected with them. He made them feel like they were a part of his performance. The louder they cheered, the more Ivan performed.

Joe, on the other hand, removed his shirt at the start of his performance to show off his ripped pecs and abs. Women cheered, but guess what? The entire time, Joe seemed to be on a pedestal. The crowd must have thought, "Wow, he's awesome, but he's not one of us."

The crowd embraced Ivan because they felt a strong connection with him. Ivan seemed more real.

So what's the marketing lesson here?

In the end, marketing is not about what you're selling, but rather about how you connect with your audience. If you don't connect, it doesn't matter how excellent your product is. Your audience won't buy. But if you connect, and your product is "good enough," you'll sell your goods by the truckload.

Learn from Ivan "Urban Action Figure". Connect with your audience and profit.

P.S. There's a 2nd marketing lesson here. Can you spot it? Post your guess in the comments and I'll let you know if you get it.

Comments

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan

Connecting with your audience...and knowing that you have THE BEST shot to connect with that audience...marketing classics.

As for my guess as to the second marketing lesson...

Brand recognition? With Ivan having the nickname "Urban Action Figure"...that is immediately recognizable.

Now what do I win? ;)

Joe Ratliff
Professional Copywriter
http://www.perfectwebcopy.com

[Ryan Healy]

Joe - You're spoiling the fun for everybody else. ;-)

Yes, branding is the 2nd lesson.

By the way, when I wrote this post, it was easy to find Ivan's web site because I remembered his moniker.

But with Joe, all I could remember was "Joe". I didn't remember his last name. So I had to do some serious digging to find his site.

Branding, done properly, can be very profitable.

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan,

And now, a year later...I have learned the lesson.

The Profitable Business Edge 2

Now, what do I win?

Heeheheh

Joseph Ratliff
Author of The Profitable Business Edge 2
http://josephratliff.name

[bBoy ARieL]

First, scuse me for my english, I'm a french person.
Second, we have to make a difference between Ivan and Joe Eigo. I check some Joe's videos on Youtube and it's truth that is acrobatic skills is a little bit higher than Ivan, but Ivan is a breakdancer and Joe is a gymnast. The difference between us is the style. Gymnasts have no style, no attitude and no dance skills. They don't interact with the crowd. Ivan is one of the greatest bboy in the world. He battles with the best and has the respect of the breakdance community. If you know bboys, ask them if they know who were the best dancers in the 90's, they probably say Ivan and they will talk about his appearance in Freestyle Session 3 and his famous battles versus Iron Monkey or K-Mel. (Check on Youtube, you will see. In these battles, he doesn't make flips, he's just using is original steps). Check some of his videos and you will see that he's not just doing flips, his dance skills is umbelievable and he is very original. Ivan is the greatest. Respect.

[tower defense]

Ivan is one of the greatest bboy in the world. He battles with the best and has the respect of the breakdance community.

[Small Business Answering service]

Marketing is not about what you're selling, but rather about how you connect with your audience. If you don't connect, it doesn't matter how excellent your product is. Your audience won't buy.

Ben Cliff