3 Ways to Spark a Brand Breakout

I remember when Green Day's album called "Dookie" hit in 1994.

I became a huge fan of it. You'll find a song on it called Welcome to Paradise, which was one of the many hits on that album. It reached number 56 on the Billboard charts. Did you know that song was actually on the previous album? It was released three years prior.

So Welcome to Paradise did nothing in 1991. And then it did something in 1994. It's the exact same song note for note lyric for lyric. What changed?

This is a lesson for us here as brand builders, because when you have a breakout, people are orienting themselves to you in a different way. Green Day's content was always great, even before they had their "breakout." And you have great material right now. It's just, you haven't had your breakout.

Luck and timing have a lot to do with it but there are 3 elements that help:

1. Have a point of view. Green Day had a unique blend of punk and pop that was established very early on. And they hammered it, hammered it, hammered it.

2. Encouragement. They cultivated a fan base. I encourage you to find your own fan base for nothing else than a spiritual lift, surround yourself with people who are encouraging you.

3. Patience. By the time I bought Dookie in 1994, Green Day went through seven years of gestation. I did not even know Green Day existed before my mind was blown with Dookie. After seven years, Green Day finally got to a point where someone with influence said "Yes, let's do this."

Are you willing to wait that long for your breakout?