Out of their saddles into the dirt–and thereby hangs a tale.
William Shakespeare
I must say that some may be offended by what I write below. If so, I am sorry. It is never my intent to offend, but I could see where some could take what I write about this topic in the wrong way. My intent is not go glorify “adult” professions, so to speak. Please see beyond that. It’s the spirit of the creativity rather than the letter of the activity I seek. You may love or may hate what I write. I wish I could please everyone 🙂
I love it when I see creative and bold ideas at work.
A few nights ago, my wife and I stumbled across a Fox Reality cable show blending themes from American Idol, reality TV, So you Think You Can Dance, and, a sample of some unique “careers” and Shakespeare. Yes, a clean combo of both the “adult” movie industry and Shakespeare. It was called, “My Bare Lady.” To make a long story short: it was both creative and different. Well, kind of.
Curious now?
The concept was to audition 25 leading female “adult” movie stars and see if four had what it takes to become Shakespearean actors. Normal theater students had three years to prepare for this London, West-end test. These ladies had three weeks. We are talking memorizing copious amounts of scripts, acting and dancing lessons, and performing in front of a live audience. No easy task, even for experienced actors.
The culmination of the show was an actual performance in a famous London theater before a live audience. One of the four women would then have the opportunity to change, or enhance should we say, their existing career, by becoming a theatrical actress in London. Detailed profiles and biographies were injected into the show so you had a feel for where, hence forth, these four ladies came.
I have to say, at first, I was skeptical and a bit taken back. However, as the auditions progressed and the final four were selected, they all showed talent, skill, and the potential worthy of a Shakespearean audition and performance. All four grew on you. We came to admire them as people–very human people–irrespective of their profession in the “adult movie industry.”
Now I must say, I am not condoning the life and career of a porn star. I do have concerns about the ethics and role-models that such a profession exhibits. And, it’s an industry I wish did not exist, however it’s a reality. Having said that, I must admit I was impressed with the intelligence, personality, beauty, and hearts of these four women. Indeed, they had issues, but they did have the courage to attempt such a feat outside of their normal line of work.
Now that the “stage is set,” what can we learn from such an innovative experiment? From adult videos to Shakespeare, marketing, and beyond. Both questionable yet bold at the same time. I have to admit, the producers and creative directors at Fox Reality came up with a novel idea. Below are some quick thoughts:
- Marketing is about finding connections between concepts. How many “hidden” concepts are you missing in your product or service?
- Brainstorm before jumping into a product launch.
- Blend the creative with the analytical in your marketing. If you miss either, you could miss a key selling point.
- Draw from the classical and the common guts of life. You never know when the two may intersect in ways that drive your product or service to new levels.
- See the human side of people, no matter who they are or what they do for a living.
- Seek to understand why consumers buy what they buy. Not just who (demographics), they are but why (psychographics), customers buy or consider your product or service.
- Ask yourself, “What can my product or service can do for this customer?” Not just the product features, but the product solution.
- Don’t be afraid to think outside your marketing box, but don’t compromise your ethics in the process.
- Don’t be afraid to go “out into left field,” and then return. Evaluate, but consider the possibilities.
- Remember, a good idea can come from anywhere!
What do you think?
By Stuart Atkins
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