My Tribute to Michael Jackson

I once wanted to be Michael Jackson. It was third grade, Thriller had just been released and I wore penny loafers with white socks to school. It is thus with great sadness that in today's post, I pay tribute to the King of Pop.

While much will be lamented over his music and his art, I hope to laud his marketing (surprised?).

By most accounts, Michael Jackson was either apathetic and aloof with regard to his business matters or he was an exceptionally shrewd businessman. There was little in between. Jackson faced any number of lawsuits for both personal and professional reasons. Most cases boiled down to the debate between ignorance and intellect.

Time will tell in the long run. His legacy will be the ultimate measure of his impact.

However, one point is difficult to debate: Michael Jackson created tremendous value.

The role of a business, as is well-documented, is to get and keep customers. And how do you do that? By creating value. Value is what generates followers, customers and revenue.

Michael Jackson was a value-creating machine. His voice, his music, his moves, his style and his art generated throngs of followers.

If the true measure of a business is how much value is created, MJ was the tops. Sure there was tremendous controversy, but what genius achieves 100% acceptance?

From a very young age--5 if you believe the record-label marketers, 8 if you believe the biographies--Michael has been a very public figure. Michael learned how to manipulate the media, how to draw attention to himself and how to stay top of mind for a very long time.

Michael, your presence will be sorely missed on this planet. But know that we thank you deeply for the value you created and we will do our best to play your music for generations.