This last weekend, my wife was sitting at the computer and laughing.  I asked what was so funny, and she showed me a youtube video by Sons of Maxwell, a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, called “United Breaks Guitars.”   The song tells the story of how United Airlines broke the lead singer’s guitar, and the 12 month saga of trying to get reimbursement:

The video does not have a lot of production value, but its got humor, harmony, cheesy mustaches and sombreros. And it’s gotten over 2.6 million views over the last six days. Not bad for a band whose previous top video got about 25 thousand.

What does all of this have to do with software development? 

Some of the same things that make the video a runaway success will help you in developing software that’s a runaway success:

1. Solve your own problems. They’re their own target audience.  They know the subject, what’s important, and what’s not.  own subject.   They know they’re not alone, so lots of other people have this problem.  They’re passionate and that’s the best way to get others to feel passionate about it too.   As it turns out, their problem is shared by millions, and their solution literally strikes a chord with millions.
2. Be yourself. If they had been lawyers, they might have looked to start a class action lawsuit.  But they’re a band that plays whimsical, fun country music, and so they made a song about it.  They’re talented, not pretentious, and the song is catchy.
3. What’s the big idea? It’s pretty simple – United breaks guitars, and they don’t care.  The song has a simple vision, and it takes sides.
4. Have an enemy. Pretty self explanatory in this case, but it’s equally applicable to software:  “One bonus you get from having an enemy is a very clear marketing message. People are stoked by conflict. And they also understand a product by comparing it to others. With a chosen enemy, you’re feeding people a story they want to hear. Not only will they understand your product better and faster, they’ll take sides. And that’s a sure-fire way to get attention and ignite passion.”^*
5. Essentials only. The video production qualities are low, the marketing budget was probably nil, but the song is funny, the tune is catchy, the harmonies are sweet, and the message is dead on.

None of this is a guarantee of success, but it sure helps.

Sounds a lot like Getting Real, doesn’t it?

^* Have an Enemy, in Getting Real by 37 Signals.

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