These three approaches have in recent years been labelled as paid for, earned and owned media. Perhaps the most reliable approach is to make use of all three, as the safest route to fame has always been to do as much as possible. One of the core strategic principles of the British Armed Forces is called The Principle of Redundancy. The idea is that if you are fighting a war there is no point in trying to optimise efficiency - the only thing that matters is winning. The more tanks, the more aircraft, the more drones, the more ammunition, the more field hospitals you have, the better your chances. Rather than ask ‘how cheaply can we do this?’, the question is ‘how much can we possibly get and how much can we possibly deploy?’. This idea runs completely counter to modern business’s obsession with efficiency, yet it tends to characterise the major land-grabs of fame. A hundred years ago, Coca-Cola won territory in the soft drinks market it has held ever since by endlessly multiplying its mental and physical availability; in the present century, Amazon has won what currently looks like an unassailable position in online retailing by investing more than it makes every year into growing the business. Barnum did not launch Jenny Lind’s tour by booking three concerts to ‘see how it went’ - he almost bankrupted himself in committing to 150, and as a result they all sold out. Excess and apparent wastage are not just important because they accelerate the gain of a dominant position - they also add in themselves to the creation of fame, notoriety, and respect.
