Marketing Tips from Adolf Hitler
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 51 seconds
Why in the hell would we want to be like Adolf Hitler? Because he did his campaigning the right way and there are a few things we can learn from him and apply to the marketing that we do for our businesses. Now you might be apprehensive about reading this article, seeing as how Adolf Hitler was one of the most evil men in history, but this is only one of the many marketing tip articles featuring the most unlikely sources. So if you haven’t subscribed yet, take a second to subscribe to the feed and then finish reading this article to see how it will all tie in together.
- Keep a clear and concise message – You may disagree with the nazi’s message (as do I) but they never swayed their opinions. They never broke on their beliefs and they made sure to directly display these messages every chance they got. You should be doing the same with your brand.
- Word of mouth from your tribe – Word of mouth is the soul of social media marketing. Hitler had his entire army of white supremacists leading his marketing by talking to everyone they knew and putting their beliefs and message inside everyones head that would let them. Get together a tribe of people to spread your message through social media and regular every day conversations.
- Power in numbers – Do you think Hitler would have been able to do what he wanted if he only had half of the people behind him and his message? I doubt it. Networking is something you should be doing every day. With social media websites, business expos and other group meet-ups, you should have no trouble gaining a nice network.
- Make people believe in you – Hitler did one thing very well. He gained the trust of people. A large amount of people. Millions to be more accurate. Hitler didn’t just sell ideas, he sold a belief that sparked a fire under everyone who would listen. How can you spark a fire under your customers and make them believe in you and your business?
- Let your leader lead the way – Adolf Hitler was a great leader. He got his entire army of nazi’s and was the forefront of it all. If he said something, they followed him. In your business, make sure there is one clear leader who has the final say-so, otherwise things could get a bit out of hand.
- Keep your visual style clear – In my recent post, I showcased 42 information packed twitter backgrounds. This is a great way to carry over your design brand into other areas. Hitler and the Nazi’s did the same thing. With the army style outfits, the arm bands with the swastika on it and the black boots, Hitler made sure if you were to see one of his followers walking down the street, you knew right away what they were about. Does your design do this for you? If not, it definitely should.
Disclaimer
No, I do not like Hitler. No, I do not approve of the Nazi movement. No, I do not have a single racist bone in my body. So, before the hate filled comments start flooding in, please read this over again. This post is the first in a series of unlikely sources that we can learn marketing tips from. I hope you enjoyed the article.
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Thanks for the brave article. Yeah, it’s true that the Nazis did a lot of bad things, but it is also true that their success was due to a lot of good marketing. They also did a pretty through job at suppressing naysayers, which is one thing marketing companies can’t do, legally anyway.
Hmm, how can modern companies “suppress naysayers” and still keep an ethical business model. Any ideas?
Like C said, it’s not legal and not something marketing companies can do. I’d advise against it and just overpower the negative speech with positive speech.
SD: Some corporations do flex their influence and corporate muscle to drown out their competition. While not on the same scale as the Nazi party (at least, I sure hope not), it’s a similar principal of marketing yourself while oppressing the competition. Ethically though it’s pretty shady and probably illegal in most cases, and like Mike said it’s probably better to focus on selling the positive aspects of something. You’d also need a huge warchest to fund your suppression-related activities!
That’s nice. But the title is unmarketing and pathetic.
I think.
Hitler came from nothing — he was even illegitimate – - and yet he rose up and became the leader of Germany. Yeah, he was evil but we can still learn a lot from his rare and unusual success…and, of course, a lot from his failure too. I was watching a documentary about Albert Speer, Hitler’s favorite architect, and I couldn’t help but marvel at Hitler’s brilliant visual instincts and taste. He really understood design and its role in government. His architectural plans for Berlin were stunning…but thank God he never got to realize them.
Thanks for posting this. I hope no one misunderstands the purpose of this article.
Hitler sells – no doubt about it. As you surely understand.
Didn’t Brian Ferry get into trouble for saying something very similar to this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry
Ever heard of a book called Golfing for Cats? By Alan Coren? It has a picture of a Cat in a Nazi Uniform on the cover, the idea that this is the combination of ideas that would sell the most books.
Mike, writing this was indeed very brave, and, though I fear otherwise, I hope everyone who reads it will read it with a clear mind and understanding of the article’s intent. Ask any historian and you’ll get the same answer about Hitler: ‘brilliant and charismatic, but twisted and evil.” There’s a lot to be learned if we simply focus on the first part of the statement, if we can look for a moment past the direction to which he oriented his genius-level intellect and world-class salesmanship.
@ C, Matthew, Mark & Pariah – thanks for the comments. I am glad you got it. Wait until the next article in the series – people are going to flip
@Robin – thank you for the comment. I appreciate it.
Mike,
First and foremost, I too do not endorse the philosophy of Hitler or his henchmen.
But, anybody involved in marketing, branding or advertising can learn from this particular time and place of world history. Remember, Hitler was elected as chancellor on a platform of change embraced by a public that felt humiliated after WWI. Within three years he had succeeded in nationalizing all of the major industries and wiping out any opposition to his programs. Joseph Goebbels, his minister of propaganda, was a branding genius that drove the marketing aspects of the regime.
Graphic designers were a huge part of this effort. The Bauhaus style that has influenced all graphics since the 1920′s evolved into the legion of artists that were needed to produce all the materials that fueled the message of the party. History has many lessons for designers working in the world of branding and marketing.
Barry Ridge
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Barry. I appreciate it and you’re right, graphic designers did play a big role in the promo/marketing of Hitler.
You got your history wrong. Bauhaus was seriously surpressed by the nazi regime due to their left wing inclinations. Maybe some designers helped but not the ones from Bauhaus
whether you believe it or not
many many people follow, the above techniques mention
but the just dont say that its hitlers stratergy but the follow it
and
we all fall for it
Great post – I’ve read a few of the (lengthy) books on Hitler’s life and his success, and indeed the common theme was his recognition of his strength (charisma and speech) and worked everything else to hid his weaknesses and promote his strengths.
Fascinating topic, in many dimensions.
Great post. The marketing tips look always the same but when we have examples or history facts, we can absorb better the information. Now, can I translate your post and post it in my blog? I would appreciate it. (Please, if yes reply in email)
This is a great post. You may not believe in the message but you have to appreciate the delivery of it.
You are now bookmarked for future reading thanks.