You have not misread this title. Iron Maiden, in my opinion may be the greatest band ever. Some people see scary Eddie (their mascot) and may immediately dismiss them as a bunch of devil worshippers, but that is not the case (it is just powerful imagery as their lead singer says). I discovered them back in the day, watching skateboarding videos before the internet was a thing and remember schools banning their shirts (which as parent I now get, but also have a lot of them).
So what makes Iron Maiden so great and what could you learn from them in business? and why did I release this article on Christmas? Keep reading to find out.
Branding
Their logo is really easy to spot. Fans only need to spot a couple letters to recognize what it is. I once was wearing an Iron Maiden shirt to a Christmas party since they were actually formed on Christmas in 1975 (fun fact). My wife asked me if I was seriously going to wear that shirt to which I explained the story. First thing someone says to me when I get to the party, is that an Iron Maiden shirt (as I had a zipper sweater on 3/4 done up)? Years later I am picking my kid up from school wearing an Iron Maiden shirt to combat the mood of selling a car via FB/Kijijji. My sweater was almost fully zipped up but the crossing guard asked if I was wearing an Iron Maiden shirt. I laughed and opened up the sweater to reveal its glory and buddy was stoked. He recognized it from seeing one letter. He then turns to my son and says “Do you like Iron Maiden?” To which my son yells Eddie!!! Proud parenting moment right there.
The point here is how do you make people excited to see your brand? I used to have Iron Maiden griptape on my skateboard (about 10 boards in a row) and was endlessly stopped by people telling me it was the greatest skateboard they had ever seen. Only downside to the griptape was I could not also wear a Maiden shirt as it was a bit much.
Having a good front man
Bruce Dickenson (again in my own opinion) may be the greatest frontman for a band ever. This guy is a certified pilot and flies his own plane from show to show (because they have a lot of pyro). He is also a professional fencer, writer, beat cancer and has too many accolades to mention. But it wasn’t always that way, they originally had a different front man, but they didn’t truly shine until Bruce and when he left for a bit, it hurt the band.
Performance
If you have not seen them live, I would really recommend it. It is almost like rock theatre. The stage changes on almost every song, Bruce is running and jumping from obstacle to obstacle, while singing and occasionally shooting a flame thrower. It really makes other shows pale a bit in comparison when the ticket price is the same. Between songs they speak out about real issues with the world, mental health and more. Checkout this video to give you a taste of what I am referring to. How can you make your company’s performance make your competitors pale in comparison and really give your fans their money’s worth?
A strange brotherhood/sisterhood of sorts
This one is hard to explain unless you have been there and felt the energy and hear Bruce talk. There is something different about Maiden fans. Maybe cause we are blood brothers 🙂 But at their shows, I have never seen a band with more shirt coverage (everyone has got a shirt and it’s awesome) and you can strike up a conversation with anyone near you as they are likely as excited to see them as you are. I have bonded with people that I don’t speak the same language as, just because we are both wearing Maiden shirts. It’s really kinda cool.
The band really creates a sense of family. A couple years ago, a principal of a school in St Catherines was tried to be removed from her job, due to her love of the band and posting photos wearing their merchandise on her own personal Instagram. The petition to have her removed had 553 signatures, while the petition to support her had over 20,000.
The jist of this point is how do you turn your users into a community? With some businesses this is not possible, but if you can achieve it, it is invaluable.
Being Original & Authentic
They march to the beat of their own drum. Who makes an almost 20 minute song about a plane that crashed in 1930? (Empire of the Clouds). So many people sing or rap about how great they are, or relationship stuff whereas they will sing about historic events, mythology (Flight of Icarus), personal struggle (Brave New World), self discovery (Fear of the Dark) and more. For example, Run to the Hills talks about when the white man came to the Americas. What is cool here is that they write the song from 3 perspectives. The native Indians, the colonizers and those who profited from both sides. The lesson here is to not just look at what everyone else is doing, but to do what you feel is right. Unless you are legit weird of course haha, then pretend to be someone else.
Longevity and ability to adapt.
With a discography of 17 albums spanning over 4 decades, Iron Maiden has stood the test of time. While they have kept their core sound, they have been open to experiment with new styles to keep them relevant. Much of their longevity could be credited towards the band’s founder (as well as only original member) and Bass guitarist/song writer, Steve Harris as he went through numerous lead singers for 7 years until they found Bruce. Their guitarist Adrian Smith also stepped up and out of his role to write some classics for the band (Wasted Years). Their success was not infallible as Bruce and Adrian left for a number of years until they likely realized the magic combination and got the right band back together again. They have also put in the work, touring all over the world and putting crazy effort into their shows.
Conclusion
So that just about sums up what I have to say on this topic. Depending on who is reading this…
- If you are new to Iron Maiden, Book of Souls is an incredible album and one of their newer albums if you want to start somewhere.
- If you are a parent and your child likes Iron Maiden, nothing to worry about here.
- If you are offended by Iron Maiden, perhaps their t-shirts gave you the wrong impression.
- If you are an Iron Maiden fan, Up the Irons!! 🙂
- If you are a business, be original, authentic and have good branding.
