By now, most young people and perhaps even adults worldwide have probably heard of South Korean rapper PSY’s catchy dance tune, “Gangnam Style.” How did a song so culturally Korean-based expand universally to top even the American iTunes chart?
Firstly, Gangnam style “intentionally lacked a copyright.” This effectively makes the song “more ownable;” the lack of a copyright allows people to easily create parodies of the song, re-stylizing it with their own personal flair and spreading it along to others.
Another important thing to note from a marketing perspective is that PSY used “crowd sourcing” to choreograph the dance “instead of relying on his internal team.” By taking in suggestions from the entire Korean dance community, PSY was able to “increase creativity” and produce the now famous “invisible horse dance.”
Gangnam Style also possesses an “emotional denominator that resonates across cultures.” Unlike most other pretty-boy pop stars, PSY’s appearance much more resembles the common man. Furthermore, the anti-materialism theme during a global recession has helped broaden the song’s appeal. These factors have allowed Gangnam Style to spread across the globe, even breaking the culture and language barrier.
Gangnam Style’s marketing strategy: get people in on the fun.
References:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/marketing_gangnam_style.html
http://www.allkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/20120820_PSy_Gangnamstyle.jpg