Devoted to online marketing, viral marketing, and web marketing

When Ryan Adams threw a tantrum at a performance in Minneaopolis, it made me think about branding and marketing.

Adams has cultivated an image of a bad guy, and so throwing a tantrum about the sound system, especially when he got a lot of press coverage the last time he did in 2003 at his First Avenue performance, isn't surprising, or necessarily "shocking" to his fans. This was an obvious attempt to milk that past situation and draw attention to himself by doing it again.

With Adams' reputation, this isn't too bad a move, as it doesn't go too far off of who he is as a brand. The problem is he took it a little further this time and screwed the fans by not coming out for an encore, and was booed once it was realized he had taken off.

Entertainers have some leeway with fans, because they expect some bad behavior on their part, but it can go too far, even with them.

With Adams not coming out for an encore, and the recent number of concert cancellations, these are areas where fans are less forgiving, unless there's a legitimate reason for doing so.

The point is, when our brand represents something, we need to remain true to it; our marketing will then reflect that brand. Yet, no matter what our brand represents, we have to still come through for our customers or fans.

Still, doesn't matter what our brand represents, fans or customers will make us pay if we show we don't care. Adams showed disrespect for the fans by not coming out and giving them an encore. That's going too far. I think he'll pay for it as word spreads about his actions and poor judgment.

Getting mad or angry about something is one thing, to make our customers pay for it is another. Adams was wrong in how he treated his fans here.