And I thought I was just going to play guitar on Rock Band to unwind at the end of a hard day.
Little did I know what Rock Band would teach me about business…
It’s deceptive…and addictive.
You start out playing the easy mode and can barely survive.
Then you start to get the hang of it and move up to the medium level.
Then the addiction kicks in and you’re getting 90%+ on the hard levels and checking out the expert level.
You let the kids play the drums…but you don’t connect the drum controller so the kids won’t ruin your high scores.
You want more.
You get through the series of songs…and want more.
So you buy another song CD.
Then you download from “Live” through the internet connection (they make it easy to feed your habit).
You now want to have the full band experience so you buy the stage effects and turn your house into a rock amphitheater.
So how did this start???
It doesn’t really matter at this point, does it?
I gotta give these guys some credit though.
They’re marketing geniuses.
How?
Let’s list the ways…
1) COOL: The Rock Band guitar looks like a real Fender Stratocaster – you look cool right off the bat.
2) INTERACTIVE: You can play with others – either in the same room or online – so it’s a social thing.
3) INVITING: Each person can choose an instrument and a level of play – so you can play with different levels of experience at the same time.
4) COMPETITIVE: You can challenge another person – competition is cool!
5) INTERMITTENT REINFORCEMENT: You can unlock more songs and venues as you get better – so there’s a reward for continuing to play.
6) COMMON ENEMY: You can download unlock codes to cheat the system and get all the songs…but that also means you end up buying more songs sooner – pretty sneaky, huh!
7) VARIETY: You play some awesome rock songs of many different genres – variety is the spice of life, right?
8) FANTASY/COMMITMENT: Your avatar can upgrade his wardrobe thorough his performances …the better he does, the more swag he gets.
9) EVOLVE: You get to upgrade your transportation, support staff, etc. as you progress – hey, you want to go out in style, right?
10) FEEDBACK: If you play well the crowd shows its love by cheering and singing along – always love the positive feedback.
11) RISK/NO RISK: If you suck they throw you off stage and you have to start over…but there is a “no fail” option so you can still play with your pathetic friends and not get too upset.
12) FANTASY/ESCAPE: The sound quality is excellent so you can crank up the music and really feel like a rock star!
The end result is you get to experience the fun of being a rock star, without the years of hard practice, blood, sweat and tears…it’s a fantasy life, a great escape, and a fun way to end the day.
So how can you generate the same level of commitment?
What could you do in your business to make it so your employees and customers were as committed and excited as you get playing Rock Band?
Give ‘em an escape!
People like fun and fantasy – if you can give it to them, whether it’s a noble cause, an inspirational work environment, friendly competition or recognition - you’ll get more committed employees and clients and enjoy your business a whole lot more.
Brainstorm away!
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