Reasons to Love Lady Gaga
You have heard me say it before: I think Lady Gaga is amazing. Most people I know do too -- from the trainers who use her music in their classes, to the salesreps who use her as inspiration during market week, even to the tech geeks at the Computer Electronics Show. I predict she will have the same impact on fashion, film and music as Madonna did in the eighties. 
Last week, the WSJ chimed in on Lady Gaga's brilliance. In his article "The Lessons of Gaga," John Jurgensen writes:
With a digital dominance, business savvy, a niche-busting sound and 1,001 wardrobe changes, [Lady Gaga] is a new model for success.
I couldn't agree more. Lady Gaga harnessed the power of social media including YouTube, MySpace and iTunes, to build a solid and loyal fan base. Her attention-graping outfits, including those worn to meet the Queen of England and on Oprah, have raised her national profile. Now she has deals with major companies like Polaroid and MAC.
In sum fashion designers: while the clothing you produce is the foundation of your success, in today's world you need to incorporate social media, multimedia and a little bit of outrageousness to make your customers go "Gaga" over your brand.
photo credit: mtv.com
ps -- it case you missed it last night, Lady Gaga opened the Grammys [YouTube clip], which included an amazing duet with Sir Elton John and took home two awards).
completely agree. She is a genius. Completely breaks from traditional stardom. she transcends the madonna pop icon route by reinventing herself at every public event, rather than waiting for a new album!
Thank you for your comment!! So true.
I think the deal with Polaroid was particularly genius -- pulls in a whole new audience for her. Check out this story for more on that deal: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20100113_10010_10010