B 2 C

B 2 B

Estera Kaszen

Managing & New Business Director 

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(Illustration source: Internet,  Illustration author: Martiszu)

Get some fame

In markets big fame is no accident. If you will look closer on what Lady Gaga, Madonna, Adidas, Burger King, Patagonia and other brands are doing, the patterns reveal. 

At the heart of fame building is one simple phenomenon: surprise. Be a surprise machine.  You really have to surprise to make organic reach, headlines, feed storysharing, boost PR'ability of your brand. But surprise is not an empty or superficial concept.

In markets, following amazing marketing effectiveness evangelist - Les Binet, surprise consists of:

• using provocative causes,
• extreme humor,
• breaking rules or taboos,
• game changing collaborations,
• creative excellence of any communication act
• unconventional media use.

So taking for fame building case study a young polish band from Gdansk - Immortal Onion, appears to be very interesting topic.

What drives fame in Immortal Onion's music and brand imagery?

One of the main distinctive features of Immortal Onion's compositions that contributes to their success is their unique blend of different musical genres.

And one of the key fame generating factors is a: SURPRISE.

Immortal Onions bold, fresh, distinctive and fame building strategies could be a marketing blueprint for many new bands:

• creating "onion" brand hero made of pixels (in line with digital natural environment of the Trio and with digital musical references)
   
• creating informative yet disruptive brand name where pathos of Immortality clashes with triviality of onion - a formula, that for sensitive ear, will be quickly reflected in their music. Beauty, pathos and funny trivia meet each other on regular basis in Immortal Onion's tunes.

• creating own funny merch clothes and beanies, 
   
• creative excellence not only in music but also in branding and what is extremely important to their very aware and demanding audience - in merches  (t-shirts, beanies etc.)

• social media presence with humor, playing the memes around in creative ways - not meaning the reposting but creative reusing and repurposing
   
• visual language referring in totally postmodern way to different mythologies (funny onion riding crazy-wild snake), totally disrupting the jazz category

• using memes in music (there is drumming solo with famous meme referring to popular John Paul II quote)

• very wide-reach collaboration with Hania Rani (Cercle concert)

• not neglecting Facebook as a influence channel, what is being practiced by many of their Z-gen equal)
   
• choosing not-so-obvious-for-a-jazz band experimental and innovative musical label - U Know Me Records
   
• usage of extreme humor - "Yesterday Ziemowit Klimek has died (been freezing)" - some of the groups social media posts was joke generated by very subtle misspelling of one letter, where in polish language "freeze" looks like "died". Ziemowit Klimek is member of the band and the post was published by another member. The telephones rung like crazy.

• breaking the band members image scheme: here everyone is interesting, engaging in their own way, or to inverse the scheme - the double-bass player appears to be (we do not state here that he is) a leader, a front-man, where many memes comment on bassist as secondary not heroes.
   
• Irreverence in their young blood - though jazz music invites minds of great dignity and respect, the tension this young musicians bring to category comes from the fact that their mix irreverence of the youngsters with noble dignity of jazz tradition. Fantastic "clash"! To understand value of irreverence in mass communications and fame building watch legendary Levis campaigns creative director - Sir John Hegarty's lecture on this topic: 

Their music have been described as progressive jazz but also as... gay pop. 

It seems to be totally stylistically decentralized, digitally fragmented, which makes this a really Z-gen jazz, or jaZZ.  

The trio is like encyclopedia of music genres, a true almanach of musical micro-discoveries all combined absolutely seamless into sometimes very intricate, multi-level compositions like Asthenia or Information Architecture. This is a true rule-breaker - it is hard for reviewers to call this jazz. Jazz becames only abstracted definition here of what is new and what is improvised. The rest is just sometimes mind-blowing trip trough music history: where else can you hear combined black metal with game-like midi intros, classical uplifting harmonies and melanholical cinematic piano?

They create a dynamic and experimental sound that sets them apart from other musicians in their genre, but somehow they are out of the genre, they trigger the name-labeling because listeners find them hard to classify. So here we have a "surprise machine turned musical". They are also known for their use of complex rhythms and time signatures, which adds to the unique and experimental, challenging, unpredictable nature of their music.

Another distinctive feature of Immortal Onion's compositions is their use of improvisation taking definition of what is jazz to another level. Jazz is just a new improvised music, new in a very strict sense of the word. The trio is known for their ability to seamlessly blend different musical styles and improvise on their respective instruments: piano, digital midis, moog, double-bass, drums with all its side instruments and effects. Immortal Onion's compositions often feature collaborations with other musicians and artists like Hania Rani and Michał Jan, where Hanna Raniszewska have really taken IO to the world stage, as they deserve it. Such game-changing collaborations, as we already know, is a fame supporting factor. Especially when collaborations somehow surprise and refreshes the bands image and contribution.

Immortal Onion's drummer - Wojciech Warmijak and double-bass, moog player - Ziemowit Klimek accompanying Hania Rani in her online live performance at Les Invalides in Paris 2023.

Overall, the distinctive blend of different musical genres, improvisational approach, and collaborative nature of Immortal Onion's compositions contribute to their success. Their ability to seamlessly combine vast, decentralized encyclopedia of musical elements and styles, and experiment with new sounds sets them apart from other musicians in their genre, and appeals to a diverse range of listeners.

Anatomy of fame - other compounds of surprise

Immortal Onion's brave and fresh, surprising approach to music-making is a strong factor that contributes to their success. They are not afraid to take risks and push the boundaries of their genre (in marketing sense they are even shaping new category that maybe named some day, as Grime's music have been officially classified as a whole new genre). Their complex compositions are also challenging and enjoyable to listen to.

Trio's distinctive image (pretty bold image of the double-bass moog player indeed), humor oriented marketing strategies, social media presence, and engagement with their fans have also played a role in their success. They regularly update their fans on their music, share behind-the-scenes footage of their creative process. They even life-streamed piano solo of Tomir Śpiołek during live show. Solo was filmed and published on Instagram Stories by his band mate Ziemowit Klimek. This group also engages with their fans through live Q&A sessions and online concerts. This has helped them connect with their audience on a deeper level and create a sense of community around their music.

Overall, Immortal Onion's success can be also attributed strong engagement with their fans. As they say the love to exchange energy of standing-dancing crowd, they like beholders to be involved, instead of passive life performances where audience only body movements are applauds after musicians performing their solos. Energy differences between studio and live recordings of their first album "Ocelot of salvation" are pretty apparent.

Fame surprisingly possible across generations

Immortal Onion's jazz music attracts cross-generational audiences due to a variety of factors. Firstly, the trio's unique sound is a blend of jazz, classical, and electronic music, which appeals to a wide range of listeners from different age groups. This diverse sound creates a bridge between different generations of music lovers, as it combines elements of both traditional and contemporary music styles.

Image source: Immortal Onion Instagram

This music has potential for very broad reach. Improvisational nature of jazz music appeals to many generations - encourages experimentation, spontaneity, and creativity, which makes it exciting for audiences of all ages. Immortal Onion's use of improvisation in their music creates a sense of unpredictability and excitement, which can appeal to younger listeners who enjoy more experimental genres, as well as older audiences who appreciate the traditional roots of jazz. 

Technical proficiency of Immortal Onion's musicians is appreciated by both seasoned jazz enthusiasts and younger listeners who are interested in learning more about music.

All this contributes to their cross-generational appeal. They engage with their fans through live performances, online concerts, and social media platforms, which allows them to reach a wider audience across different age groups.

Their music appeals to a diverse range of listeners, making them a standout act in the jazz scene that can bridge generational gaps and bring people together through their love of music.

Jazz can mean: totally new improvised music, surprising almost improvised marketing, unconventional improvised use of new media and communication platforms (i.e. live streaming drumming solo during concert by one of the band members), and many more!

To gain fame, surprise in consistent and designed way. Stay irreverent, question status quo, also with humor. Use chutzpah (bold impudence) and some ruthlessness (strategic focus combined with saying "no").

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