Marilyn Monroe : Marketing the Greatest Sex Symbol of All Time

 

Hollywood's three M's (Jane Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe & Mamie Van Doren)

Hollywood has always been built upon stories and fairy tales, the greatest of which happened exactly 60 years ago when Marilyn Monroe got her first big break in a film called ‘The Aspalt Jungle’.  Only 3 years before she was called Norma Jean and was struggling with bit parts and modelling jobs.  It took her 6 years with very little success to finally break into Hollywood where she became the first, and the greatest personal brand of all time.
Constantly dismissed by many film critics as a ‘dumb blonde’ for her one-dimensional roles, she knew what worked and she kept doing it.  I like how Marilyn tried various ways to get exposure in the 6 years before she became famous, but it was only when she re-branded herself that
she got her big break.  She changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, concentrated on acting, dyed her hair blonde and went to every audition.  Within  a few years she was winning Golden Globes, being voted actress of the year and gracing covers of magazines worldwide (including the first ever edition of Playboy).
It’s funny how the same criticism is still thrown at celebrities today.  Despite what made them famous in the first place, the media still expect celebrities to be good at everything and it makes headlines when we see that they are not.  Seth Godin nailed it in his book, The Purple Cow, because he encouraged us all to find a niche and be remarkable.  The greatest celebrities of all time are all remember for doing something outstandingly well.  I think many people refer to the golden age of Hollywood because their thinking was much simpler than it is now.  We could learn a lot from the philosophy of legendary movie magnate Samuel Goldwyn…
Even in business, it’s always those “one-stop-shops” that are soon forgotten and the specialist companies who seem to thrive.  They find a small area that they are passionate about and concentrate on being the best in their field.  Marilyn was no different, but even then, movie studios were desperate to replicate her success.  Jane Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren where the other studios answer to Marilyn, but people don’t remember their names.
Why be a copy of someone else when you can be an original you?  Because creativity is hard.  It’s easy to look at Facebook for example copy their business model for your own company, but that boat has already sailed.  The success stories of tomorrow will be those that are imagining today where Facebook might be in three years time.

“Hollywood is a small town. When you go out and buy a house with a swimming pool, drive a caddy convertible, or go to Ciro’s, they don’t like it. I am trying to do just two things – act, and live the way I want to live.  Because I refuse to fall into the Hollywood mould, people think I’m a bum and a slob.  Well so be it! I’ve got nothing against Hollywood. But it is a business, and when you’ve made enough loot, the thing to do is to pull out”.  Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando refused to fit in

Virgin for me is a company steeped the kind of attitude that Samuel Goldwyn would have been proud of.  Simple business ideas.  Revolutionary thinking.  And great staff.  I think Virgin are great because they;

“Hire the right people, give them the resources and tools, and then get the hell out of the way”.

Even their business model is innovative; To be the second best in their sector.  Virgin Cola will never beat Coke.  Virgin Airways won’t be bigger than BA.  Virgin Money won’t beat MBNA etc.. They know this and they are ok with it.  They have a simple plan and because they do not have illusions of grandeur (ie beating BA or Coke) it leaves them free to grow other business ideas instead of relentlessly pursuing something that will probably fail.  AOL have taken a similar stance recently by dumping BeBo because it just won’t ever be able to compete with Facebook.
So back to  Marilyn… I think she knew what made her great.  The camera loved her curves and she knew that although she was a credible actress, she was never going to excel in serious roles.  Of the three Hollywood M’s, Mamie Van Doren is the only one still living.  In her own words, the woman promoted as the next Marilyn is still alive because, “I didn’t go down the same road as those girls: the road to destruction”.  She chose her own way and created a career that fit her personality, not trying to be a carbon copy of someone else’s success.
Brands and business could learn a lot from how they position themselves by looking at the cut-throat world of Hollywood.  Every star that has become famous in Hollywood has discovered what they were amazing at, flaunted it shamelessly and built a career on it.  Go and do likewise – and don’t listen when people tell you to diversify.  Specialists always win, one-stop-shops don’t.  So, look ahead and think about how your name might be remembered, because a great story can never be told too often!