If you wanted to make millions in the music business during the 1980s one solution was to produce and release “best of” albums. To build awareness, producers would hawk these albums using whatever gimmick they could dream up. Advertising campaigns were then broadcast on television across the country.
One iconic example of this marketing and distribution model is the American rock compilation “Freedom Rock.” The commercial for this album featured a “far-out” hippie played by Michael Beard. Beard became famous for his lines and performance in the commercial. Decades later, fans continue to approach Beard and repeat his iconic lines: “Hey man, is that Freedom Rock? Yeah man! Well turn it up man!”
While distribution models have changed over the years, intentionally using a gimmick or joke that becomes part of popular culture is a marketing trick still works today.
