Why jazz has made me a better marketer

I recently spent 10 days in jazz heaven at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. I have been attending this festival for 16 years. In fact, in the early days my company volunteered our marketing services and was also a sponsor. Now I am just a blissful fan.

Like many locals, I treat jazz week as a staycation. This time I was also juggling a critical deadline in the midst of the music. I managed more than 20 performances in 10 days and got the book to the publisher. When the spirit is willing, the music and words do flow.

Since I have already shared thoughts on how writing a book has made me a better marketer, today I'd like to riff on how jazz has made me better at my craft. A warning -- I am going to take jazz slang to the limit.

I'd like to illustrate some ideas by sharing YouTube videos of four acts I saw that blew me away. I had not heard any of these musicians before Jazz Fest. Their performances were true gifts. I urge you to take a few moments to listen and don't get impatient because performance greatness often comes after the first couple of minutes.

Chops. The ability to play an instrument, a highly refined technique. 

The Donny McCaslin Group has chops, particularly sax player Donny McCaslin. The group has become more well-known since collaborating with the late David Bowie on Blackstar. Interestingly, Donny was panned by a local critic at the festival because he is experimenting with some pretty crazy techniques that get sounds out of his horn that most people have never heard before. I loved it. Yes, he definitely pushes the boundaries of what many people think of as jazz, but he pulls it off because he is so good.

Marketers who have chops are also able to push boundaries. They master their craft and then take it to the next level. In my view, going beyond mastery starts with having a vision. If your marketing lacks vision, then chances are you will lay down some real clams (mistakes while playing music). Yes, great creative can make a campaign feel like the bomb (very cool), but it probably won't yield any bread (a jazzman's word for money) if it isn't grounded in a clear vision of what it will do for both the client and the client's customers.

18 Karat. All the way, full out.

My mouth hung open the whole time I saw Youn Sun Nah perform. I have not heard a vocalist like this in a very long time. We are talking seriously 18 Karat. Words really don't describe. Take a listen to her interpretation of Metallica's Enter Sandman. And make sure you get to the 2:30 mark because that's when the woman goes full out.

What examples have you seen recently of 18 Karat marketing? I like this campaign for LensCrafters from Truth Collective. Not only did they get the advantages of the product out there, but they connected it in a highly integrated way to positivity -- See. Good. Daily. I also like this work by BNO featuring star soccer player Tim Howard to help bring awareness about Tourette Syndrome. The GREATS tells a story in a powerful and simple way with language and visuals. Equally important, it incorporates specific engagement and call to action that allows people to get involved. Both campaigns go full out because these small agencies are focused on going all the way for their clients.

Chill 'ya. When an unusual "hot" passion gives you goose pimples.

I was stunned by Shabaka and the Ancestors. Their unusual passion touches you spiritually and politically. Sax player Shabaka Hutchings combines traditional Nguni rhythms from South Africa with blues, spiritual hymns and Caribbean calypso to create music that is about rebellion and resistance. It is music that chill 'ya.

As marketers, I think we need to seek out those who have a hot passion and are rebelling against standard ways of doing things. I am particularly excited by new ideas be driven in influencer marketing and usability.

Patrick Ip, the founder of Unity Influencer, has a really cool and pragmatic model and technology that matches influencers to brands. Keep an eye on this ex-Google marketer who really gets the power of connection and recommendation. I believe this company is going to be smokin' (playing your ass off.) Another marketer I really like is usability expert Heidi Trost who knows how to help companies put real life into the virtual world. She has come up with The L.I.V.E. Method, a human-to-human approach to improving the way people interact with websites, apps and digital products. Very cool.

Burnin. Used to describe a particularly emotional or technically excellent solo.

Ronnie Foster gave a burnin performance when I saw him. The guy's been playing the organ for a really long time with musicians like George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Chet Atkins. To be honest, while I have always enjoyed the organ, it never stirred a lot of passion in me. Then came Ronnie Foster whose facial expressions reflect every note as his magic notes pull out the stops. I feel like I discovered a new instrument.

So what makes burnin marketing? I think it must be both emotional and technically excellent. Emotions are easy to understand in marketing. Does it move me? Does it make me laugh or cry? Does it tap into my humanity? Does it make me feel deeply even for a second?

Technically excellent is getting more difficult and complicated to define. Take video, for example. A decade ago, high production value would be a mark of technical excellence. Not so much anymore. Today, we are willing to sacrifice high production value for authenticity and timeliness in our video.

The challenge for marketers today is to stay technically excellent in a world where new techniques and methods seem to emerge on a daily basis. I personally can get overwhelmed by the constant need to stay fresh and learn more. But, fortunately, I can always escape for a few moments into the world of music and get reinvigorated. And that is sure how I am feeling now!