Viral Video Sensation, Grammar Champ, & Entrepreneur: Weird Al

What’s hot this summer? Believe it or not: Weird Al Yankovic!

There are many things that Entrepreneurs can learn from Weird Al including his current social media viral video success.

His YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/user/alyankovic) are getting in the tens of millions of views and apparently it is the first time he has hit the Number 1 spot on the music charts, despite many prior successes.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic hits No. 1 with ‘Mandatory Fun’
By Todd Leopold, CNN
…”{Yankovic’s album sales were no doubt boosted by the videos he released for each song on the record, a number of which have gone viral. YouTube has set aside a whole row for Yankovic videos on its “Popular on YouTube” page, including “Word Crimes” — a parody of “Blurred Lines” that’s received more than 10 million views — and “Foil,” a parody of “Royals” that’s topped 12 million views. The king of musical parody also has made an excellent showing on Spotify’s “Viral 50” chart of most-streamed songs. He currently holds the top four slots with “NOW That’s What I Call Polka,” “Handy,” “Word Crimes” and “Foil.”}”
See full Article and Interview at: http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/24/showbiz/music/weird-al-mandatory-fun-number-one/

True Entrepreneur
‘Weird Al’ is the personification of a true Entrepreneur, persistence, longevity, dedication to his craft. Like many Entrepreneurs he found a niche and worked hard to succeed in it. He now dominates his category of song parodies. I don’t know for sure if he had a lot of competitors in the parody category (I haven’t heard many others but imagine there were quite a few other imitators over the decades) but either way his hard work, creativity, dedication to his vision, and persistence has resulted in his ultimate success.

My own personal side note – I have a long time respect for Weird Al and my wife is a huge fan. We have been to quite a few of his concerts over the years and actually planned a vacation to Albuquerque one year to see him perform there in concert. He always entertains and makes me laugh with his comic genius. Anywho back to the point…

Adapting to the Times
Not only has he adapted to the times with current music of the day but also with the way he promotes and markets his work. The decision to go directly to social media and release his music videos for the latest album (I guess that is what is still called) has paid off handsomely. He released a new video each day to create a buzz of anticipation for the next video and let the consumer decide which of the songs and videos they liked best or would be most popular (instead of promoting to music channel and radio station executives).

Better Communication from the Grammar Champ, Weird Al

One of his videos, Word Crimes, shown here can teach your ‘millennial’ generation employees a few lessons on grammar, for example to avoid use of texting shortcuts throughout their communication with prospects and clients. He not only brings humor to bad grammar, but illustrates the importance of proper communication, something that is critical in business success.

Weird Al’s ‘Word Crimes’ Could Actually Make You a Better Communicator
By Jason Fell
…”{Communication is a critical element of what entrepreneurs and other business professionals do each day. How you use language to communicate — and whether you do it correctly — can be a major reflection on you personally as well as your brand. Apparently musician-parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic thinks so, too. His latest music video is called “Word Crimes.” In it, he calls out some of his biggest pet peeves when it comes to spelling and grammar. (It’s a parody of the Robin Thicke song “Blurred Lines.”)}”
Read this article athttp://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235687

More Grammar for Business
While we are on the topic we found another good article to help your organization improve on writing in a business environment.

6 Grammatical Errors That Need to Stop Now
By Jonathan Long
…”{You should be a grammar stickler for many reasons. Do you want to risk turning off potential clients, employers and connections because of grammatical mistakes? Many people are so concerned with what they are saying in an email or text message that they completely forget to pay attention to how they are saying it. If you chose to turn grammar mode off when you are communicating with friends, that is one thing, but there is absolutely no reason to send a professional communication that contains errors.}”
Read the details on six grammatical errors that are so simple, yet such common offenders at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248162

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Stop and Smell the Roses…Remember to Enjoy being an Entrepreneur!