How Drake Taught Me the Power of an Ideal Customer Profile

 Back in 2019 - the before times - Tyler the creator hosted his musical festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, and promised attendees a very special surprise performance that evening. The lights dimmed, the smoke machines ignited, and out walked THE most successful rapper/musical act of the time -- none other than Drake.

 Less than 10 minutes later. Drake was booed off stage.  Why, and what is the product marketing lesson here? Enter, the ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

 So, what is an ideal customer profile (ICP)? Essentially it's a list of things that describes the perfect person or group of people that a business wants to sell their stuff to. It's kind of like a checklist of all the things that would make someone a great customer for that business. It helps your marketing and sales teams zero in on what a typical customer who matches this profile will respond to – the sales channels, the content, and the touchpoints, etc. When drafting an ICP, you may consider things like, company size, location, growth rate, situational factors, etc.

Now back to Drake...

 The Drake debacle has within it a clear lesson on the importance of an ICP (Ideal customer profile). The evening of the event, there was wide-spread speculation that Frank Ocean, would be the surprise headliner. What was over-looked by the concert organizer is that Drake's ICP, and Frank Ocean's ICP, couldn't be MORE different. Drake = Pop Rap, Club Bangers, etc. Frank Ocean = Deeper music, more melodic, music with a message, etc. What played out was what happens when there is a mismatch in ICP; people get angry even if what you're offering is THE BEST IN THE WORLD, to a different ICP.

What played out was what happens when there is a mismatch in ICP; people get angry even if what you're offering is THE BEST IN THE WORLD, to a different ICP. 

 So why do businesses (and why concert organizers should) spend time developing an ICP? To name a few reasons, it can help you invest your time and marketing dollars more efficiently (you only spend where you know this ICP will see the message for example), become more customer-centric in your messaging (Because you have an ICP, you know what messages will resonate), reduce customer acquisition costs, increase customer lifetime value, and build customer loyalty.

 A lot of people also wonder how an ICP differs from a persona. Although they may seem similar at first glance, they have a few key differences...IMHO:

ICP = A detailed description of the type of customer that is most likely to buy from a business. It includes factors such as demographics, industry, company size, location, and pain points. Think of it as a broad outline of the ideal customer that a business should focus on targeting.

Persona =  A fictional representation of a specific individual within the target market. It includes more detailed information such as their goals, challenges, buying behaviors, and even personal interests. Think of it as a sketch of a typical customer within the ICP.

Using our Drake Example to illuminate:

 A concert organizer wants to sell tickets to their show. Their ICP might be young people, with X amount of disposable income, who live near Austin. Within that ICP, they may have a few different buyer personas, like, "Stays Up All-Night Sam" or "Trendy Tom." Each of these personas will have their own unique characteristics and preferences.

 ICPs are POWERFUL. So powerful in fact that the biggest name in all of hip-hop, and arguably ALL of music at the time was booed off stage. Not just that folks weren't singing along... booed off stage.

 So. The next time you're planning a concert 😉, or more likely, planning your marketing strategy – take the time needed to refine your ICP. Otherwise no matter how great of a product you have, you just might get booed off stage!