And, with a good team I did! Over the course of 3+ years I and the team created a petition that garnered 2500 signatures from a fan base from whom it was difficult to get to sign. Further, the signatures came from all around the world which was a feat of its own. Several of those signatures were from celebrities and friends close to the band, like Nile Rogers. We also created a Twitter and Blogger site to raise awareness. Our Blog site received almost 27,000 views from all over the world! We interviewed bands, artists, and Duran Duran super fans as well...inviting them to talk about Duran Duran and their contribution to music and culture. Further, we made local and national press (including the Barrie Examiner in Canada, The Sun Press in Cleveland, Yahoo News, and the Washington Post - links at the end of this article). Since starting this effort, there has also been a rise in talk about Duran Duran and the Rock Hall, as evidenced by several articles that came out after our effort started (see also links below).
We also had a lot of fun. We created a logo and a brand, DDTTRH. We even released a few t-shirts. Further, I created a partnership with The Snow Leopard Trust of Seattle to purchase stuffed leopards to sell to the fans (and raise awareness of the plight of the snow leopard) - I did this to honor the release of the song 'The Man Who Stole a Leopard' when it was released in 2010. DDTTRH petitioned Glee to sing a Duran Duran song and they did (we never got a letter from them, but I don't think the timing of our petition and the song being sung was coincedence). There was also a Mercury News mock vote for the band as well...and thanks to our effort and the help of Duran Duran, we won the vote. Finally, while the effort is not focused any longer strictly on the Rock Hall (in fact we took the 'Rock Hall' out of our name for various reasons), the effort catapulted us into what is now Duran Duran Worldwide...a worldwide fan outreach that is focused on bringing fans together, and on raising awareness to Duran Duran and their impact on culture and popular media. One of our current projects (which is very exciting) is to find references to Duran Duran in books, TV shows, and movies from the year 2000 on. The idea is to prove that Duran Duran is not 'just a band from the 80's', but they are something special that has had an indelible impression on our society. Eventually, I plan to release a book that chronicles this, which is also an exciting undertaking.
What I did and things I learned...
- I started with a commitment to something. Having a commitment and a vision was important as things developed out.
- I was never afraid to experiment...and I did regularly. I did many promotions, did Facebook analytics to improve engagement with our site, and continually engaged directly with fans.
- I had a specific target audience on the outset, but was not afraid to expand that audience as we grew and awareness was raised. For example, the effort started mainly in US and Canada, but expanded its outreach to Latin America and Europe as well.
- It was important for me to realize at an early stage that I couldn't do a grand effort like this on my own. I was able to recruit like-minded and talented people to the effort. We had someone helping with our tech, an editor, publicists, someone who did our interviews, someone who focused on our petition, city representatives that worked to spread the word where they lived, a video creator and editor, artists who made our logos. These people were committed and also became good friends.
- I started by creating a Facebook page, but soon realized that other online entities and ways to communicate with our fan base were needed. We had a blogger site for our articles. We had a Twitter site to share quick news. And it wasn't just important using these sites...learning how to best use them given their limitations and strengths also was critical. Social media builds and feeds on itself. The tools you use facilitate that feeding.
- I learned by making mistakes. Especially when it came to celebrities. Have a publicist saved me several times. Going around the publicist and doing things the way I thought was best never worked and wound up making the effort look bad. There is something to be said for a good reputation...especially when it comes to social media and outreach. A good reputation can really take you places. A bad one can really shut doors and make things sour.
- There are crazy people and trolls out there. In dealing with them, I found it best not to give them too much attention and to distance yourself from them as much as possible. Engaging them only feeds them and makes you look insecure. I could tell you stories...
- We had fun. And, we learned what the fans of the effort found fun and we geared ourselves towards that.
- It was helpful that friends of the band and many very close to them supported my effort. Several of these people became good friends as well. When I felt down about the effort and wanted to give up, they were there to encourage me on. It was nice.
- One crucial thing I learned is to give credit to where it's due. This was especially important as things got more expansive. To that end, here are some special mentions...
Special mentions...
+Jason Henry: Our first staff member from Canada
+Nikki Glista: Also a big help with promoting in Canada
+Christian Helwig: Our amazing tech dude
+Josie Beaudoin, our illustrious editor
+Kandice Purpura: The Petition Duchess
+Anitra Delorenzo (aka Ladyaslan): Did our early artist and band interviews
+Kitty Page and Sharmila Tredger: Helped as publicists
+Jake Crawford: Our video man from Down Under
+Nathan Stack: From the band Autohypnosis, did a major part of our petition write-up
+Katy Krassner: One of the band's media representatives. Although the band could not be directly involved with the Rock Hall effort, she enjoyed it when we made press and there was one time she was able to offer us signed posters of the band for one of our Duran Duran Worldwide promotions when that effort was launched.
+Nile Rodgers: Because he signed our petition and was happy to do so
+M. Douglas Silverstein: A producer and a huge fan of the band. He interviewed with us and supported the effort.
+Nabeel Shahid and Nuno from Portugal: Two of our artists. Nabeel did our original logo, Nuno did the one after that.
+The Scissor Sisters: Fans of Duran Duran and provided words of support
+Your Vegas: Ladyaslan interviewed them and they were more than happy to provide their positive voice to the idea of Duran Duran and the Rock Hall
+Jen Chaney: Washington Post writer. We interviewed each other. That was fun.
+Pranav Chandrasekhar: Owner of Radio Creme Brulee and key in helping promote us
+Jeff Piorworski: For giving us the press in Cleveland - home of the Rock Hall
My family who became my first fans and support
DDTTRH Wiki:
https://duranduran.fandom.com/wiki/Duran_Duran_to_the_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame
Press links:
DDTTRH specific:
Barrie Examiner:
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2010/05/15/duran-duran-fan-with-a-plan
Sun Press, Cleveland: article: http://www.cleveland.com/sun/all/index.ssf/2010/09/university_heights_duran_duran.html
Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-the-effort-to-get-duran-duran-and-other-snubbed-bands-inducted/2011/09/28/gIQABdxy4K_blog.html?utm_term=.033e24f6cc88
Yahoo News:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/blogs/cleveland/two-cleveland-fans-boost-support-duran-duran-weird-182634444.html
Related:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/08/vote-now-does-duran-duran-belong-in-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/05/01/why-arent-they-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-duran-duran/
http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/duran-duran-the-cure-for-what-ails-rock-hall-of-fame
https://books.google.com/books?id=B8BLCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT292&lpg=PT292&dq=rock+hall+petition+duran+duran&source=bl&ots=mxAuV9XnZf&sig=AriwLeuwFKI2QrgNOaZ7NuK_z0E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicmvPasZbZAhUKVK0KHe3xAw0Q6AEIWTAJ#v=onepage&q=rock%20hall%20petition%20duran%20duran&f=false
http://www.futurerocklegends.com/artist.php?artist_id=duran_duran
https://www.stereogum.com/1000982/the-11-biggest-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-snubs/franchises/list/attachment/duran-duran/
https://www.iheart.com/content/2017-10-05-20-bands-snubbed-by-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/
https://www.yahoo.com/music/the-pressures-off-duran-duran-dont-need-the-153052592.html
https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/04/02/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-duran-duran-kiss-the-cars-depeche-mode-make-the-final-four/
https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/04/02/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-kiss-vs-duran-duran/
http://www.metroweekly.com/2015/04/top-25-artists-that-belong-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/
http://www.kissfaq.com/forum11/viewtopic.php?t=85793&p=1829972
Our original logo on a t-shirt (Artist: Nabeel Shahid):
A banner we used with our newest logo by Nuno:
Some banners used on our sites:
Our newest Duran Duran Worldwide logo:
That signed Red Carpet Massacre poster we gave away as a prize:
