Instead of talking about your product, sing about it!

I can't think of a polite way to say it: B2B marketing can be pretty boring.  Sure, there are plenty of creative people out there, putting out some fun and innovative stuff.  But if you look at the majority of B2B online marketing, it's dry and very matter-of-fact.

Enter, stage right:  Epicor Software Corporation's musical about enterprise software.  (Sort of)

OK, it's not really a musical.  But In The Key Of ERP is a creative marketing campaign, well-disguised as a fake stage production.  In fact, it's so well-disguised that some bloggers have thought it was real.  The campaign creators went through the trouble of making up a fake book -- and a fake book website -- that the musical is supposedly based upon.  They mention it's taking place in the recently renovated Pembleton Theatre (also fake), and they're issuing fake press releases too.  It's pretty elaborate.

This is easily one of the most creative B2B marketing programs I've seen in my 8+ years at IndustryWeek.

(Before I go any further, full disclosure: Epicor is a customer of IndustryWeek, although we haven't been involved in any way with this particular campaign.  I simply got an email from one of my contacts at Epicor saying I should check it out.)

A few reasons I like this campaign:

• It tells a story well.
  
  In its most fundamental form, marketing is about telling a story to your target audience.  In The Key Of ERP accomplishes that mission in an attention-getting, creative, and fun way.  It's effective at making senior management the stars of a show...but in a different and less serious light than they're normally portrayed within their companies.
  
  
• It chips away at negative stereotypes about the product category.
  
  ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is a type of software that aggregates information from across a company's different functions, and brings it together to make business processes run more smoothly.  ERP has a reputation for taking a long time to implement, being difficult to implement effectively, and being expensive.
  
  This campaign realistically acknowledges in a subtle way that ERP selection and implementation is a dramatic undertaking within a company.  But at the same time, the In The Key Of ERP campaign could be a first step in breaking down some stereotypes people have about ERP.  This serious business topic is now fun and interesting, and worthy of a fake book and musical!  The five-part web video "mockumentary" -- the heart of the campaign -- entertains people who probably wouldn't normally be entertained by ERP.
  
  
• It's gutsy.
  
  At a rough economic time when many B2B marketers are pulling back on programs that don't generate leads, Epicor boldly invested in this campaign that's -- let's face it -- really subtle.  There are no Epicor logos all over it.  They don't mention Epicor's products or services at all.  The only places you'll find Epicor mentioned are on the Sponsors tab of the In The Key Of ERP website, and in a two-second "made possible by" note at the end of each video.  And even in those two places, they're listed second -- underneath a fake performing arts foundation!
  
  Many viral campaigns take a similar approach, keeping the sponsorship subtle.  Burger King's Subservient Chicken comes to mind first.  The ultimate goal is always selling a product, of course.  But smart marketers recognize the logo-in-your-face approach isn't always the best.

I wanted to learn more about this campaign, so I emailed a few questions to Epicor a couple weeks ago.  I asked whether it was an in-house effort or if an agency/consultant was involved.  I was also curious about the campaign's goals, how long it took, what the budget was, and how they were measuring success.  Unfortunately I never got a response, so I may never know the answers.

One thing I think is missing: Some sort of advertising campaign to get this "musical" out to the masses.  I'm guessing they could use a spark to get the viral aspect going, and advertising would accomplish that.

But details aside, In The Key Of ERP is a breath of fresh air in a marketing environment that is often repetitive and unoriginal.

[Update: Epicor provided me with more information about this campaign, covered in the blog entry here]