In February 2018, the 20th anniversary of Falco's death, Austria's most successful pop idol of the 80s and 90s, was commemorated. His global success is based on a simple principle, which Gregor Jasch explains as the "Falco Principle": Do you want to quickly convince your conversation partner, whether in private or in business, with trust and distinctiveness? Then, in the very first sentence, establish a "trust anchor" and address a topic that absolutely corresponds to the truth. Gain agreement from your conversation partner: "Terrible weather today!" would be a start if it is true, but not very original. Your conversation partner will at best agree with you - however, this message does not yet build any special quality of closeness between you and your conversation partner. A better and more convincing approach is a relevant statement that already fits within the context of your positioning. Falco relies here on the fame of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with worldwide popularity as one of the most significant composers of the Viennese Classical era and tells the story of how Mozart, as a follower of the punk scene in Vienna in the 1980s, would have been accepted in society. Falco refers to Mozart as a "virtuoso" and "rock idol" and develops the story from a new perspective - as it had never been heard before. Success confirms the Falco Principle: In March 1986, "Rock Me Amadeus" reached number one in the Billboard charts as well as the Cashbox charts in the USA, the United Kingdom, and several Asian countries. So, what is the essence of the Falco Principle? Really good ideas are absolutely true in WHAT they say and tell the story from an unusual perspective, the HOW. This applies to ideas as well as in communication or positioning. Address a WHAT as a trust anchor that elicits clear agreement from your conversation partner and steers the conversation in the right direction. "What do you think? Isn't Mozart still one of the most popular and innovative composers of his time?" (the WHAT). Then continue with your story and tell it from a new, highly unusual perspective: "Today, Mozart would be a punk rocker" in the style of one of the first German rappers (the HOW) and amaze your listeners. A clear distinction between WHAT and HOW promotes understanding, making you memorable. By the way, Falco was very much inspired by Humphrey Bogart and David Bowie in terms of his staging, until it became his own "Falco Style" and he himself became an icon of style.
Gregor Jasch
Gregor Jasch, expert in the positioning and staging of companies, people, and ideas, is a ✅ TopSpeaker, ✅ Amazon bestselling author, and ✅ Creative Partner for brand, sales, strategic marketing, and business development with mandates in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. In his youth, he shared a rehearsal space with Falco and organized the legendary performance of the political Austro-Anarcho band Drahdiwaberl (Falco's former band) at the New Music Seminar in 1991 in New York. He combines creative and entrepreneurial intuition and the ability to bring both worlds together to the point. Creative work defines Gregor Jasch's life as a musician, composer, lyricist, travel photographer, corporate film producer, and author, as well as for many years as the agency leader and creative director of several advertising and marketing agencies. His works have been internationally acclaimed, and he is among the top experts in his field. Today, he shares his knowledge through lectures, workshops, seminars, keynotes, and online training.
