Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. <a href=”http://www.tomoson.com/?code=TOP347926a2650c2520e9b5658ff0287c92″ rel=”nofollow”><img style=”display: none” src=”http://www.tomoson.com/images/front/pixel.png” /></a>
Marketing and writing are totally intertwined nowadays. Writers are often called upon to help with social media work and marketing folks are asked to write all the time. The lines have been blurred so much in the past few years, that having both skills will absolutely get you lots more paying work!
One Direction Craze
I have an absolutely beautiful, smart, and sweet granddaughter that just turned twelve in February. I could tell you the story about her miracle birth, but then I’d be sobbing all over my keyboard and would not be able to get another thing done tonight. Suffice it to say she is very special, even as first grandchildren go!
But lately, it seems that her brain has been infected by this little boy band that her Poppa calls “Wrong Direction.” I am not sure when or how it happened, because unfortunately her and her younger brother and sister live in Tennessee–which is about 600 miles away from us. But she seems as addicted to this band as if she were on some sort of illicit drug. So what is the World’s Best Grandma supposed to do in a situation like this? That’s right– feed the addiction! There are One Direction concerts this summer– guess who is gonna be there? (Anybody I can talk into taking her besides me!)
One Direction Bracelet
Whenever there is something that is uber-popular (The Partridge Family, Star Wars and Journey while we were growing up– how’s THAT for dating myself?) all sorts of merchandise, pictures, and news stories are created around that brand– One D is no exception! Marketing keeps them at the top of every twelve year old girl’s mind– and keeps that money train rolling.
One great thing I found is this way cool leather bracelet with silver hearts and a One Direction plate that Penny Auctions Canada asked me to review for them. My Erica has not seen it yet, but she is gonna love it. It is made of 
braided pink leather and is absolutely adorable. It really is a nice quality, and is the perfect size for her as well. It comes in black, red or pink– and there are lots of other types on the website, too. I’d not seen this site before, but they have some really cool jewelry, clothes, and things for the home as well. Just neat stuff that is really unique. So please go– check them out and give them some love! If you have a “Directioner” in your house or your family– they will love this bracelet. (By the way, if you are going to that One D concert anyway….)
Marketing Genius!
Just how does a band filled with young, not so remarkably talented boys from the UK become the hottest thing going in the US? Sound familiar in some ways? Do the Beatles ring a bell? John, Paul, George, and Ringo turned out to be amazingly talented and they left us with a lasting musical legacy that will live on long after the last of them is gone and buried. One Direction, not so much! 
What did happen was multi-faceted campaigns on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and YouTube that built them an insatiable tribe of young American girls, even before they landed in the United States for the first time. Yes, X-Factor judge Simon Cowell is behind all this genius marketing strategy, which started on the internet four months before their first single was even played on American radio. During that time, the band increased their Facebook fan following by almost 400,000.
So back to that Beatles comparison– both of these bands came from the UK and both set America on fire! It seems that American teenagers have not changed much in the past 50 years, and someone (Uncle Simon, apparently) was smart enough to recreate that winning formula to put Liam, Niall, Harry, Zayn, and Louis on top. 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href=”http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOM347926a2650c2520e9b5658ff0287c92″ rel=”nofollow”>Tomoson.com</a>. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
All opinions are mine.
