Jackie Huba

It’s not just crazy outfits, over-the-top performances, and catchy tunes that have made Lady Gaga one of the most successful pop stars of all time. Marketers have also been awed by her unconventional customer loyalty strategy. With 33 million Twitter followers and 55 million Facebook fans, she blows away her peers on social media. She has methodically built a grassroots base of what she calls her “Little Monsters”—passionate fans who look to her not just for music but also for joy and inspiration.

Marketing expert Jackie Huba unpacks the method behind Lady Gaga’s success and isolates the seven strategies businesses can apply in an engaging and interactive presentation based on the research from her book, Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turn Followers into Fanatics. They include:

Focus on your “one percenters.” Gaga spends most of her effort on just 1% of her audience, the highly-engaged superfans who drive word of mouth.
Lead with values. Gaga is consistent in her message of being yourself and loving others for who they are. That display of values creates a deep emotional connection.
Give them something to talk about. Whether by wearing a meat dress or ‘dying’ in a pool of blood onstage, she knows what will get people talking.

Key takeaways:

How Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta became the Queen of Pop
Gaga’s philosophy on how to build a long term customer strategy
The 7 lessons of how Gaga engenders customer loyalty
How to build a “monster loyalty” in your own customer base