Anneliese LovelieAnnelise Loevlie loves to laugh, ski, write, do BIZ, create, and a whole lotta other things that won’t fit in a two line bio.

This summer I met a man who changed his name because of a book he read.

Hans Lysglimt (“Light-Shine”) formally Hans “Something else”, was a stoic, chisel-faced Norwegian who, over a Las Vegas salade Nicoise and a watered down iced tea, brought to my attention the importance of Romance, yes romance, in everything we do.

As a self-proclaimed romantic, I was intrigued. The idea that romance plays such a major role in everything we do appeals to me, however, I was skeptical.

Romance is magic. It can’t be pinned down, explained, even defined – “How is this going to turn out?,” I wondered.

So, I bought the book that changed Hans’ name, “The Romantic Manifesto” by Ayn Rand, and it turns out this book is the real meat (or heart?).

AND. It has some seriously engaging applications that have transformed my approach to marketing, selling, and creating community.

Rather than venturing into a Romantic Manifesto of my own, (I’ll leave that up to you for later), I’d like to talk about how this concept changed my way of thinking and ignited some serious marketing wicks in my business (and hopefully will for yours too).

Following is, in short, my very brief approach to integrating Art into your business and using it’s magic to convert customers, create loyalty, and stand out from the crowd.

The Allure of Romance

Romance, or Art (used inter-changeably), comes in many forms:

  • Music
  • Dance
  • Love
  • Writing
  • Sculpture
  • Skiing

It’s anything borne from passion and creative expression, that acts as a conduit or connector between people.

  • Art alters consciousness.  It provides an alternative to reality that provokes questions and presents new perspectives.
  • It challenges beliefs and morals, as well as awakens sleeping giants from within.
  • Art is a drug, one of the oldest known to mankind, and it has played more of a role in human evolution than we can even imagine.

When you can connect with another through any medium of art, you have paved a path with marketing gold. You are dissolving the business to consumer relationship and creating a mutual bond.

What is the art in what you do? Find that drug and take it – infuse your work with it, create with it.  Everyone is an artist, what’s your Jam?

Emotional Triggers

In marketing psychology, we know that if you can identify and agitate your target markets’ emotional trigger points, and then present a solution, you have yourself a customer.

Many of these tactics are based on emotions like fear, scarcity, functionality, etc.  ALL of which are perfectly effective and acceptable marketing tactics.

The emotion involved in art is different.  It is more sensual and feeling.  Specifically, emotions associated with art are immediate and profoundly personal (yet hard to define, creating immense value to the person experiencing it.) It is a connection on a deeper level than most people are aware of, making it that much more potent.

So how, instead of providing your customers with a solution to a problem, can you instead, transport them to another reality?  (Hint:  It can be as simple a personalized newsletter with compelling photos, quotes, or raw testimonials from a happy customer.)

You Are A Real Person – Act Like It

I have to keep it short here, so let me say one more thing.

I touched on this briefly above, but the number one most important thing to remember when considering this idea is that people are looking to connect with PEOPLE (not businesses).

The power in personal connection lies in the fact that it IS borne from shared experiences, shared passions.

People CAN connect directly with virtually any one, and any business. They EXPECT to. The more you can do to expose the real people, ideas and drivers behind a business, the better.

Maybe you think this idea is cool and the concept intriguing, but you’re convincing yourself that what you do is not art, it’s business.

This is where I invite you, dear reader, to put this information in your pipe, turn up your favorite tunes, and smoke on it for a day or so – I think you’ll be surprised at what you find.

There is Art in everything.  And Art is magic.  And people like magic.

Annelise Loevlie loves to laugh, ski, write, do BIZ, create, and a whole lotta other things that won’t fit in a two line bio. (editor’s note: she has also done very very cool things with art in marketing over at Icelantic Boards. Check them out on facebook and twitter.)

And she thanks you for reading this 😉


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30 responses to “The Art of Marketing”

  1. dino_dogan says:

    The thing about romance (and by the way, I agree with the Norwegian fellow) is that we all like to be romanced. We all like being pulled into the world of magic and seduction and even while our rational brain is saying “wow…this is crazy”, our emotional brain is saying “shut up, Im in charge and I say we’re doing this”. lol

    Also, your observation at the end was right on. I’ve been saying it through a megaphone and Im glad to see there are like minded spirits out there. People want to do business with people, not corporations. We’re forced to do business with corporations but that doesnt mean we like it.

    Anyways, Ima go download Rand’s book..Im surprised I dont know it, Im a huge fan of hers.

  2. One of my professors in college spent a good deal of a semester talking about the emotional bonds between people and brands (or companies). There are a lot of really fascinating studies about these ties and many of them speak of how they romanticize their connections with their consumers. Think of a type of perfume or cologne you may wear. In a sense that scent becomes a part of you. If they were to stop carrying that scent you would most definitely be distressed. A better example might be Tiffany’s and the romantic ties that company has come to represent. While not all companies can claim to have such a connection. It is worth thinking about how you can connect with customers on a deeper level than just being another product.

  3. ginidietrich says:

    @dino_dogan Have you read any Ayn Rand? So. Good.

  4. ginidietrich says:

    Annelise, it’s such a pleasure to have you guest blogging here! When lisagerber told me you’re a fantastic writer, she wasn’t lying! Thanks for the great content…and the great photo (I’m jealous)!

  7. Wow this post was absolutely AWESOME! Thanks ginidietrich for having Annelise (does she have a Twitter account?) as a guest! Some real gems in here:

    “Art is a drug, one of the oldest known to mankind, and it has played more of a role in human evolution than we can even imagine.”

    and

    “put this information in your pipe, turn up your favorite tunes, and smoke on it for a day or so”

    There were actually a lot more in the article, but I don’t want to copy and paste the whole article! Art has its place in everything in our life, and I think business is a place where art is often left forgotten or on the back-burner.

    “number one most important thing to remember when considering this idea is that people are looking to connect with PEOPLE (not businesses)”

    This is so very true, and art and romance are a good thing to keep in mind when using this information. I’m looking forward to romancin’ with the business world!

  12. lisagerber says:

    I was immediately transported when i read the first couple paragraphs of this post. I love the idea of art and romance coming into play in everything we do. It adds a wonderful new perspective. Thank you for giving us something to think about.

  13. lisagerber says:

    @JonHearty Anneliese was traveling to Germany today. (too bad, I know) and I’m sure she’ll be online soon and check in. She gave us facebook page (above) in which to join her. Glad you enjoyed the post!

  16. @lisagerber Thank you very much for the update!

  21. AnneliseLoevlie says:

    Hi Everybody! I just landed here in Germany, after a loooooong journey from the Mile High City.
    I’m here for the next couple weeks, spreadin the romance to the rest of the world. I have a feeling this concept will be embraced with even more open arms than in the US.
    People over here (from my experience) appreciate the fine things in life a little more than Americans.
    An espresso at an outside cafe with a friend.
    Perfumes and fashion.
    Long, slow meals of whole, fresh foods.
    Ahhhhh….. I do like this way of living.
    There’s an air of romance in even the architecture here – so much care was put into the creation of cities and of dwellings.
    There’s a lot of inspiration here, that’s for sure.

    Thank you all for reading the post – I love that this subject struck a chord in many of you – thank you for commenting!

    I look forward to even more discussion!

    Until Then – Auf Wiedersehen!

    -Annelise

  22. AnneliseLoevlie says:

    @JonHearty ginidietrich Thanks for the comments @JonHearty – I look forward to hearing about your romancin in the business world! Please let me know how that goes!

  23. HollisCarter says:

    Great post, a side of marketing not many think about!

    They say stories sell and this is very true, but what movies always do best in the box office the romantic films! Romance is far more powerful than reality our minds can take a single romantic idea and create massive emotional effects that truly effect us (and our buying decisions.) The ability to let your prospects become your customers because they fall in LOVE with your romantic vision is an ART.

    Take your drugs and get romantically involved with your prospects and customers and see massive results!

    –Hollis

  24. Outdoor_Marketer says:

    Annelise, great observations. In selling (marketing), connections are made in the right brain with emotion. Romance, especially by way of art, is one of the strongest, and advances in neuroscience show us that much/most of these connections happen in our unconscious mind. Left-brain, rational content still plays a role, but a subordinate one. Icelantic is killing it on this front. Keep up the good work.
    Tim B.

  28. hanslysglimt says:

    @AnneliseLoevlie great writeup! Thanks for the article and the mention! :)The world craves the romantic, we should definitely give them what they want.In fact, there is an endless demand for the romantic.How can we tie the romantic aspect into, salt?, skiing, email, consulting, sugar?, cars?

    opportunities are endless.

    Hans Lysglimtwww.twitter.com/lysglimt

  30. AnneliseLoevlie says:

    HI Hans! I was hoping that one day you would find this post 😉 Our conversation that day had an enormous impact on my thinking around business, marketing and the way the world works in general.

    Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to this – I am all in for giving the people what they want.

    Thanks for commenting – and great to hear from you again.