Bringing the Magic of Harry Potter to Your Business

What can your company learn from Harry Potter (other than how to levitate objects or fly)?   According to Susan Gunelius author of  Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon.  The business of Harry P.  is all about 5 key elements:

1. A Good Product
No matter how clever the marketing or wise the merchandising, a company won’t have longevity if it lacks a quality product.

2. Emotional Involvement
Harry hits the heart!  According to Susan “to achieve consumer emotional involvement in your own product, business or brand, you need to have a good product that meets their needs consistently, and that product needs to deliver what I call the “3 Ss” of customer loyalty. That is, creating feelings of stability, sustainability, and security. Without that kind of emotional involvement, your success will peak long before the phenomenon status comes into view.”

3. Word-of-Mouth Marketing and an Online Buzz

Harry caught fire initially not by advertising but as a result of what I call it “peopletising.”  In essence, the phenomena lept person-to-person!

4. Tease and Perpetual Marketing

Harry grew through the “dribble out a little info”  approach used so well by Apple.  Susan notes, “By leaving consumers wanting more, each marketing tactic implemented to promote that brand (directly or indirectly) can build upon the one before it until the anticipation and buzz reaches a fever pitch.”  And finally…

5. Brand Consistency and Restraint
Harry met customer’s expectations at every turn and J.K. Rowling carefully protected the brand even by refusing to let Harry appear on a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

In the end, Susan reminds us of what I think Harry Potter really teaches,  ”it’s the consumers who experience a brand, make it their own, develop emotional involvement with it, become loyal to it, and advocate it who are actually responsible for the success or failure of a brand. Let them experience your brand, and you’ll open the doors to the potential success known to leading brands like Harry Potter.”

So how will you open up the doors and let the consumer fully experience and emotionally connect with you?

Are you creating the 3S’s of stability, sustainability, and security for your customers?