Dear Marketer, keep calm and watch "Friends"

"Friends" is having a cult-like resurgence on several streaming platforms. The prominence is so much, that H&M came out with a Friends range to meet the demand. So here I am, watching Friends once again, now with my teenage daughter who is also hooked onto it. I was wondering what made the series tick with this new generation, and realized that there is a vast amount of marketing thought behind the characters, The series holds lots of lessons for Marketers.

Allow me to elaborate on one possible marketing lesson, by taking a look at the lead characters.

Ross: is incumbent in a position that suits his intellect. He is a subject matter expert and is revered by his peers and his students for his knowledge. Ross strongly defends his point of view with numbers and facts in all circumstances.

Monica: has an ability to develop a unique way of doing things and achieving great results, as shown by her culinary skills. As a Chef, she is sought after by lots of people, particularly restaurant owners. She is a stickler for doing things in a particular way and being overtly structured and orderly. Moreover, she is never surprised by anything and knows everything about anything.

Joey: Life and work can be complicated, but Joey somehow makes everything simple to understand and comprehend like ?eating a sandwich“. Perhaps the one that sees positives in every role (or odd job) he undertakes, Joey never has a hidden agenda and is always transparent about his intent. You know exactly what his ? How you doin“ means!

Chandler: is the friend that has a successful career path and is well networked in the corporate world.?He is quick to generate new ideas and learns from mistakes. Chandler is one of those who adopts early to the latest tech and responds to the external environment ala re-inventing his corporate career by joining as an intern. Chandler also brings in humility, humour and a healthy dose of sarcasm into the picture.

Rachel: Arguably the best communicator in the group and that is just one of the many sales characteristics she has. She forms an instant connect with others. She also uses different and effective ways to interact with segments of stakeholders - a silent connect with her boss Ralph Lauren or being loud and commandeering while teaching Joey. Rachel can sell a vision of the future and convince people to buy into the vision.

Phoebe: You cannot miss the street-cred that Phoebe brings with her. She has been there, done that and is experienced in the grit and rigour of overcoming complex problems. She is extremely resourceful and also is very innovative when it comes to finding solutions to real-life challenges. Phoebe also changes her approach conditionally (tone/ language / accent/?physicality) depending on who she speaks to or where she is at.

Did I mention lessons in marketing? Dear Marketer, If you ever think of identifying Influencers or Opinion Leaders for your products, try starting with a checklist based on the behaviours and attitudes highlighted in BOLD against each of the characters above. I am positive that you will find the list handy enough to identify the influencer and opinion leader that could really add positive value to your products or marketing campaigns.