World Cup or Mozart?

Column The ambivalence between
sophisticated high culture and dull everyday culture is the core of the
marketing strategy recipe for success.
Why "or"? "Mozart and the World Cup are coming
don't get in each other's way" - as the feature writer surprisingly reports in
of the NZZ, after taking a look at his busy schedule with the
irritating title: "With Mozart through the World Cup year".
Anxiously, he tries to imagine this successful coordination of appointments by
explain that "the target clientele may be interested in both".
interested".
The obvious irritation about this can be justified by the
possibility only with a deeply rooted idea that
high culture and everyday culture are clearly different and that
Football clearly belongs to the latter and Mozart to the former
is. However, both fail to recognize the real connections and ignore
This also represents a key aspect of the attractiveness of football and
Mozart. For what both have in common is their ambivalence precisely in relation to the
traditional juxtaposition of (sophisticated and "honorable")
high culture and (dull and "stultifying") everyday culture. This
Ambivalence is virtually the core of their respective
marketing strategy and marketing technology
recipe for success.   

Nowadays, the feature writer can no longer succeed in
intellectual or poetic football fan a guilty conscience
when he gets football fever. He only imagines himself
himself offside. Franz Beckenbauer is certainly the time once again
is a little ahead when he declares football to be high culture. But it is
Obviously, football is no longer just for the regulars' table.
is discussed. Peter Bichsel, for example, openly confesses
on football: "I'm interested in it and I like it." And he
deals with him no less than 65 times in his columns -
and also critical and differentiated. With the famous "mixed
Feelings". This is how everyday culture becomes acceptable.

And it is probably exactly the opposite with Mozart. His profile is
initially also and above all ambivalent. His name now stands for
demanding operas and for easily digestible sweets. Those with him
connected products range from the catchy tune to the barely
Repertoire capable. Its sales team includes mass marketers
and avant-gardists. His life story has since been published in
has produced many and varied images. The feature writer
(Die Zeit) can't get hold of him: "Mozart is a
Simple-Difficult. Is a child-God-angel-man. Is a
Joke-serious-night-sun-artist. Is a
Preserver-completer-renewer."

For him (the feuilletonist), the ambivalence of the Mozart images
almost unbearable consequences. The current marketing success of the
"Pop Mozart" would only be despicable to him if it were based on that,
that he "supposedly wrote music that everyone in the world
understands". In this view, high culture loses its meaning the moment
Brilliance when it becomes suitable for everyday use. The "high-spirited comedian"
may we forget the "ironist, the sarcastic player with
Deception and truth" into our hearts.

ambivalences, at least when they cross the dividing line between high and low.
everyday culture, do not seem to be to the taste of the
feuilletons. From a marketing point of view, however, they are
obviously not a problem. Many of us like them. Certainly also because
we can deal with them well.

 Jürgen Häusler is CEO of the Interbrand Zintzmeyer and Lux Group in Zurich and an honorary professor at the University of Leipzig.