Marketing and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tips and Tricks

Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been off the air for 12 years, its overreaching impact affects pop culture to this day.  While on the surface, it initially appeared to be nothing more than a silly show about a teenager fighting vampires, its themes and characterizations rang true with people of all ages. In fact, there have even been college courses focusing on different themes of the show. Few television program can boast about that.

So what does Buffy and the Scooby Gang have to do with marketing? Let’s take a look at that…

What’s in a Name?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer used the main character’s name as a focal point throughout the series. Creator Joss Whedon’s reasoning for the name is that “Buffy” represents the cliched, gum-chewing cheerleader who would run from the first sign of danger … and he wanted to spin that cliche on its head. His creation of this brand — and that’s what it truly is — was instantly recognizable. So when you’re creating a product, service, or even a company name, think about how its name will resonate with potential customers.

Identify the Soul of Your Business

The idea of a person’s soul was a common focal point for the Buffy series. In fact, two of the characters (Angel and Spike) were vampires with souls. It may sound a little cheesy, but that’s what you need to find about your business if you really want to make an impact in the business world. You want people to immediately be able to understand what you stand for.

Go Right for the Heart

Everyone knows that a stake (or even a pencil, at times) straight through the heart will turn a vampire to dust. Luckily, this sort of violence isn’t needed in the business world. What you should take from this is that when you’re selling a product or service, you need to know what is driving a customer to seek out your product, or how you may be able to tap into their emotions in order to make the sale. This is all part of the Buyer’s Journey. Master this technique and you may not save the world, but you will make some tidy profits.

Know Your Enemy

Buffy and her friends would never go into a vampire den or demon lair without knowing exactly what they would be up against. The better you know your enemy, the better chance you have at defeating them. In the context of the business world, this translate to learning everything you can about your competition … what attracts people to their product or service, what they’re doing right, what they’re doing wrong, how they’re promoting themselves, etc.

Delegate Responsibilities

The cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best collections of characters on television. The series often referred to the fact that slayers always died at a young age. The reason that Buffy was able to survive so long (even though she died twice) was because she surrounded herself with a strong army of friends, each with their own unique strength and ability. That’s what your business should do — delegate responsibilities so that some of the burden will be taken off you. Hire a marketing expert, outsource your blogging, assign a marketing liaison, etc. and you’ll find that all these small parts will make an extremely strong whole.

Even though there was only one slayer for each generation, the same is not true for whatever business you’re in. While that means you have competition, it also means that you have a product or service that people want. We can help you get your brand out to the public and increase your exposure. Contact us today and we’ll get you started!