I just read Steve Martin’s memoir about his early years forging ahead into the entertainment business, Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life. It’s an unpretentious, honest, and insightful romp into the heart of storytelling, the naivete of youth, and the inescapable truth that success takes patience, perseverence, and roll-up-your-sleeves WORK.
One of Martin’s experiences in particular struck me as a great metaphor for MARKETING and BRANDING.
You remember The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, right? Remember how an appearance on Carson was often the make-or-break litmus test for anyone trying to make it in show biz – especially comedians? Martin shares what the reality of his first “Big Break” revealed:
There was a belief that one appearance on The Tonight Show made you a star. But here are the facts. The first time you do the show, nothing. The second time you do the show, nothing. The sixth time you do the show, someone might come up to you and say, “Hi, I think we met at Harry’s Christmas party.” The tenth time you do the show, you could conceivably be remembered as being seen somewhere on television. The twelfth time you do the show, you might hear, “Oh, I know you. You’re that guy.”
Martin’s first appearance on The Tonight Show was in October of 1972. After a few appearances, he experimented with a schtick that got him “demoted” to appearing with guests hosts instead of Johnny himself. Still, Martin showed up whenever he was invited, and kept working on his material, doing his best, and sharing his style. After proving himself, he was re-invited to a Carson-hosted episode (on which Sammy Davis Jr. was also booked), and he finally got his Big Break. The camera panned over to Carson doubled over in laughter during Martin’s routine, and thus a Comedic Star was endorsed to millions of TV viewers.
This happened on Martin’s 16th (!!!) Tonight Show appearance, in September of 1974.
Martin started dabbling in magic and entertainment as an employee of Disneyland in the summer of 1955. That means it took 17 years just to play and dabble and fail and put things OUT THERE before he made it to the Tonight Show stage for the first time.
THEN it took TWO MORE YEARS of: Working things out in clubs, in his head, and on paper; sharing, honing, and experimenting with content to all types of audiences; saying “Yes!” to opportunities at inopportune times; trusting the process; not getting all down and gloomy when “results” weren’t showing up as quickly as he thought they should have, etc., before Martin’s work really paid off, in his own estimation.
Doesn’t this sound like the small biz owners’ experiences with marketing? We want our one-shot efforts to PRODUCE RESULTS, darnit! We want to know our time, energy, and money aren’t wasted, that we’re investing in the right things to make our businesses successful.
But like all good things in life, building your Content Kingdom, your Brand, and your relationship with your Ideal Audience TAKES TIME.
Wanna know the funniest thing, though? After his killer appearance in 1974, what Martin himself said was “…the first one I could really call a smash,” he had an encounter with a woman in an antique store the very next day. She asked him if he was the boy who was on The Tonight Show the night before. When Martin said yes, she blurted, “Yuck!”
It just goes to show that even when you’ve done your job to the best of your ability, even when you’ve put as much of your message, mission, and vision OUT THERE for your Ideal Audience to consume in as many ways as you can with the time and resources you have on hand, you’re still not right for everyone.
Guess what? You’re not supposed to be! Martin himself ended up being one of the most successful, commercial, influential comic talents of all time, going on to write books and screen plays, star in movies, and win prestigious awards like Emmys and Grammys and such. Turns out the opinion of that chick in the antique store didn’t really thwart his own ascent too too much.
So while you’re thinking about new ways to have fun connecting and communicating with your own Ideal Audience, enjoy a clip of one of Steve Martin’s appearances on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, below. :)
