Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus marketing genius a lesson for all businesses

I know, I know, Hannah and Miley are the same person....

For those who don’t know this weekend has two major activities happening. The Super Bowl on Sunday and the beginning of a one week run of the Hannah Montana 3D movie.

Maybe Disney holds the ‘magic’ behind the genius of Hannah Montana but whoever thought of the latest marketing has done an incredible job.    The movie is basically a recording of Hannah’s concert tour with some back stage coverage. The movie is only in theaters for one week and almost all theaters have sold out of tickets in advance. What is so great about the marketing? 

1. I don’t know of anyone previously releasing a movie of their concert tour especially while still touring. Just think of the increased reach Hannah has created. How many more tickets is she going to sell to concerts and now movies because of this release? I suspect this is a huge financial win all around.
2. The news of the movie was spread via word of mouth and tickets were sold out almost a month in advance in some areas. I guess it helps that the fans are primarily 6-12 year old girls...but I know some mothers chatting about the movie and making sure they and their friends purchased tickets in advance so that they don't upset their girls.
3. Only in theaters for one week. She created scarcity for something that normally is very scalable.

1. Give yourself two names... no seriously:
2. Think about alternative ways to distribute or communicate your products/services.
3. Think about what is worth talking about. Do you have customers who want to talk about your business? Spread news for you? 
4. Create scarcity of your product. (Limited time, limited availability etc). If your product is worth having, then no one wants to be left out or miss an opportunity. Think about how you can create scarcity for your business. Sometimes scarcity can create some buzz in the process.
5. Creating a brand pays off. Like it or not Hannah Montana has a brand that resonates with her target market and delivers what her fans want. Are you branding your business to best serve your clients?

So if you are thinking about catching a movie check if your theater is playing Hannah Montana 3D. If they are, you might want to prepare yourself for lots of screaming girls...