Madonna is the perfect example where drive and ambition resulted in her fame and success, not the direct pursuit of money and fame. Madonna had very little musical background and no contacts when she arrived in New York. However, that did not stop her. Even with this lack of training she knew that she needed to meet more people and have more exposure to get ahead. She watched and listened to current trends in music and adjusted her career to the dance music industry that was becoming popular. Madonna was a great relationship builder and motivator. She used those skills to gain more exposure which eventually led to a very successful stint with Warner Records. Madonna also realized that she needed to expand beyond music; through movies, through children’s book publishing, through a distribution deal with Warner Records, and through a contract with Live Nation. She has always managed to stay just enough in the public eye without drawing too much attention, but was very aware that when needed she could turn it on and reinvent herself. She is a brand, and the quote by the London Telegraph says it best, “What doesn’t change and hopefully never will, is Ms. Ciccone’s hypercaffeineated zeal to make the world pay attention” (“Madonna mistress of metamorphosis,” 2008).

As our book points out, strategy is about winning. Madonna has shown this through a continued understanding of what it takes to be a success. Madonna whether she realized it or not, was constantly performing SWOT throughout her career. She knew her strengths; developing relationships, understanding trends. She knew her weaknesses no real musical training or musical industry contacts. She knew when opportunities arose such as when she got out of the warner deal or when she fought for the Evita role that she had to go after them. Then last, she knew that if she at any point just tried to skate by that she would be left behind. She was constantly developing a new strategy and plan to make sure she was always in the best position to succeed. Madonna can really be looked at as a master strategist. Madonna was always aware and in control of her career. Every decision she made from marriages and friendships and even the birth of her children were part of a plan to maximize the Madonna brand. Her overall goal was not to be rich, it was to be famous. This directly parallels the concept that a company motivated directly by profit is never as successful as a company motivated by other things such as their core values (Grant, 2010).

Madonna’s keen business sense can be used as an example by many companies today. A business needs to continually look at oneself to see where they are, where they were, and where they need to be. They need to make sure every decision is in line with their vision and strategy so they can be successful within the market in which they compete. Businesses also need to realize that every decision has to be looked at within the concept of the bigger picture. Madonna is a great case study for strategy as her main concern was increasing the value of her brand by continually reevaluating herself. Businesses need to do the same and make sure they continually look at how they are doing business. If a business never reevaluated itself, how does it know how it’s doing? This is why there was massive failure in the auto industry. They rested on their laurels and never changed. They figured we have been doing it this way for many years, we will be fine. Madonna doesn’t do this. She is continually changing to ensure she stays on top.

References
Grant, R. M. (2010). Contemporary strategy analysys. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Madonna mistress of metamorphosis. (2008, August 10). Daily Telegraph.