Three Marketing Lessons Inspired By Notorious B.I.G.

From the block to the yacht, transcending from negative to positive, Notorious B.I.G.’s rags-to-riches life story personifies the American dream. But what lessons can the late rap icon teach us about marketing psychology? Turns out, a whole lot.

The ability to create great marketing requires an inherent capacity to influence others by delivering a message that resonates and expands into something more significant and profound. When it comes to persuading, neuroscience research has determined that people are more swayed by negativity. This can literally turn a negative into a positive for marketers. In an analysis of how reviews affect sales, it was found that for books by relatively unknown authors, negative reviews increased sales by 45%. This can perhaps be attributed to unsavory reviews being more interesting and therefore more likely to be shared, thereby generating more awareness. Sales intensify when people remember they heard something about the product but have forgotten about the valence.

This concept also makes icons like Notorious B.I.G. so relatable, as we’ve all been in situations that have resulted in less-than-perfect outcomes. But depending on how it’s managed, it can also be one of your best opportunities to get a fresh perspective, helping you connect with your audience. Take the infamous Reese’s Christmas tree scandal. Rather than fighting the failure of the candy not resembling trees, Reese’s responded with an ingenious campaign about “tree-shaming” using hashtag #AllTreesAreBeautiful as the cornerstone.

While Notorious B.I.G. passed away nearly 21 years ago, he still reigns as one of the most revered and influential rappers ever. This is in no small part because of his drive to beat insurmountable odds to better his situation and his finesse to communicate passionately about that forward momentum. As trends come and go, what impacts people’s emotions stands the test of time.

Here are three ways marketers can emulate Notorious B.I.G.'s unparalleled adroitness by positioning your business in the limelight while putting a positive spin on seemingly adverse circumstances.

Simplified Complexity

At first glance, variety seems ideal, but having too many choices isn’t necessarily a good thing. After a while, the abundance of options reduces motivation to complete a purchase. As such, you can help overcome this analysis paralysis with simplicity. A Harvard Business Review study found that brands with a simple purchase-decision journey experienced an 86% increase in purchases, 9% increase in repurchases and 115% increase in recommendations to others.


Simplifying a complex concept takes skill, one that Notorious B.I.G. possessed in excess. He was keen on using rhetorical devices to narrate intricate plots, telling stories in vivid detail, paired with slower-paced, easy-to-absorb dialogue. Creating an easy storyline is an integral component of simplifying your customers’ journey. Everyone wants to understand, relate and be involved in a positive path. TOMS illustrates this with the tagline, “With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need.” This quickly answers the “Why buy from us?” question while making people feel good about helping a cause.

Missing Out
Scrolling through the highlights of other people’s lives on your social feeds can cause anxiety, along with the sinking feeling you are missing out on something that may benefit you, such as a fun experience or a new product. This fear of missing out, or FOMO, is immensely powerful. For marketers, the best part is the action this feeling causes, which can produce more response from campaigns by using negativity (fear) leading to the positive effect (taking action). In fact, 68% of the highly-coveted millennial demographic have made a reactionary purchase due to FOMO.

Urgency and scarcity are tactics based on the premise of telling someone they cannot have something or that there's a limited supply. This often causes a stronger desire to obtain it. This is frequently seen with ticket sales, prompts such as “only five left,” and expiration dates.

People love being included in a group, community or team, especially if it’s elite. However, if everyone gets to join, it doesn’t feel as special. Exclusivity complements scarcity and can be implemented with promotions like VIP memberships or trying products before other fans.


Prior to the proliferation of social media, celebrities like Biggie created a sense of FOMO through music videos depicting party mansions and lavish lifestyles. Although platforms, tactics and influencers evolve, there’s no sign of influencer marketing falling out of trend anytime soon -- influencer content has been shown to generate $285 in incremental sales per 1,000 impressions.

Nobody likes waiting, but anticipation can be fun. When we expect good things to happen, dopamine levels rise, leading to arousal and excitement. Ironically, despite our eagerness to have instant gratification, we derive increased value from anticipation. The pleasure in anticipation can exceed the indulgence itself. The caveat: wait too long to unveil, and you risk your audience losing interest.

A strategy is necessary to build tension for a successful launch. Use social platforms and emails to announce what's coming and why people should be excited, followed by teasers to induce that right anticipation. Notorious B.I.G. followed suit by releasing a trilogy of albums that centered around life and reincarnation, each building off the last, enhancing sales in the process.

And If You Don't Know, Now You Know

The first single on Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, "Juicy," begins with the lyrics: "To all the teachers that told me I'd never amount to nothing ..." The story behind the lyrics: Biggie’s teacher told him that he’d likely be just a garbage collector. After researching salaries, he told his teacher that as a garbage man, he’d earn more money than if he were to become a teacher.

Without his grit and uncanny ability to turn a negative into a positive, he may not have risen to become the greatest rapper of all time. Business success requires this same perseverance. Those who focus on approaching negativity as an opportunity to showcase positivity will rise above the rest. The positive of using psychology to facilitate conversion optimization — higher customer satisfaction and increased revenue — far outweighs the negative.

Source: Forbes.com