Huh?
Lionel Richie, the pop star. Baghdad, capitol of Iraq. Believe it or not, the two go together perfectly. At least judging by the musical taste of Iraqis.
The story of Baghdad's obsession with Richie is reported this weekend, although its been a musical love affair that transends wars and politics. For some reason - one that nobody, including Richie, can explain - the singer's music is everyone's favorite. True story: When the tanks were rolling through the streets of Baghdad in 2003, the night air was filled with the sound of Richie's hit, "All Night Long". Many Iraqis can sing complete Lionel Richie songs in English, despite not knowing the language.
The sales lesson: Sometimes, there's an "X-factor" that beats out all the marketing studies, all the conventional wisdom, and all the perfect sales strategies. Sometimes, something just works for no apparent reason. Likewise, your perfect marketing and sales strategy might fail for no apparent reason. What music industry marketing expert would have targeted Baghdad as the focus of a Lionel Richie marketing campaign? None, of course. But something just took hold, and the rest is history.
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