Brand insights from the antichrist

1. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E
antichristM A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
B Y P H I L I P E L L I S F O R O G I LV Y & M AT H E R

2. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E A N T I C H R I S T :
M A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
Antichrist
SUPERSTARROCK STAR, PAINTER, writer and self-proclaimed
‘god of fuck’ Marilyn Manson has been a
consistently controversial brand for over
20 years, and admits that way back at the
beginning, he had his persona, costumes
and stage presence all planned out before he
wrote a single song. He’s never been worried
that his image would overshadow his music,
quite to the contrary in fact; “I worried my
music would overshadow the image.”
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3. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E A N T I C H R I S T :
M A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
BORN
VillainCREATIVE THINKING HAS ACTUALLY saved Manson
from a prison sentence. While touring
in Detroit, he simulated a sex act with a
security guard — a spur of the moment
move which landed him in court. He
recalls how, when asked to justify it, he
experienced a moment of clarity and simply
replied; “it was a theatrical gesture.” Five
words that potentially saved his life.
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4. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E A N T I C H R I S T :
M A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
He Doesn’t
Like The Drugs,
BUT THE DRUGS
LIKE HIMSPEAKING ABOUT HIS CREATIVE PROCESS, Manson says 3am was often
the golden hour when it came to pinning down the muse (helped
by copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, naturally). “It was
the time that my brain would go impossibly off the rails,” he
says. “Sometimes I’ll wake up, look at my notebooks, and it’s
like a Christmas present, not knowing where it came from.”
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5. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E A N T I C H R I S T :
M A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
SHOCK
Is DeadYOU MIGHT RECALL the ‘Mechanical Animals’
album cover, on which Manson sported
prosthetic breasts. “I really wanted to see
if that cover would get banned,” he says,
before remarking that nipples are his
absolute favourite body part. Millennials
are harder to surprise than audiences in
the Nineties; “they’re more cynical, there’s
more information available to them.”
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6. B R A N D I N S I G H T S F R O M T H E A N T I C H R I S T :
M A R I LY N M A N S O N ’ S M A S T E R C L A S S I N M A R K E T I N G
DISPOSABLE
TeensTHESE DAYS, EVERYBODY IS A BRAND in their own
right, but that doesn’t necessarily mean
they have something to say, and shock
value alone is meaningless. According
to Manson, far too many people believe
that their opinion makes them important.
“Having an avatar isn’t the same as having
an identity,” says Manson. “Having a persona
isn’t the same as having a personality.”
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