What’s the Story Referral Glory?

On the face of it, this article ticks two of the boxes that can wind a lot of people (including me) up.

One: The “Lessons I learned” from something personal which can be infuriating, disingenuous and fake. 

Two: A thinly humble brag. (This one about me being at the first night of the Oasis comeback tour)

But the thing is, I genuinely did think these things, either during or afterwards. So here we are. And at least I’m not going to fill the article with puns. It’d be far too easy and I respect you as the audience, and I don’t want you to look back in anger.

(Jokes, I promise that’ll be the last one. Please keep reading.)

But before we dive in, I do want to acknowledge something that none of us are Oasis. We don’t have a massive, loyal fanbase and decades of worldwide fame. In a business context I guess it’s kind of like Apple - in that whether you love them or hate them, you can’t deny their popularity, how they use it, and that whatever side of the coin you’re on people still talk about them - peak word of mouth and herd mentality. But what we can all do is use human connection and word of mouth to get people talking about us in a way that spreads. And not much has spread quite like this tour. Cardiff was buzzing. Manchester, from what I’ve heard, was basically Oasis-ified two weeks before the gigs even started there. On the train home, my friend who I went with had messages pouring in from people she hadn’t spoken to in years, all asking what it was like because they’d seen her post about it on Facebook (yes, we’re old. I was 14 when Definitely Maybe came out). It’s a real moment in time. And yes, a lot of that buzz would have happened anyway, but they’ve done so much to support and amplify it.

So, here are my thoughts, with the first couple being all about human connection - which is at the core of all relationships, and therefore a successful word of mouth strategy.


Let’s start with getting people to feel something. And yes, as I’ve already admitted, it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re Oasis, when people associate you with a certain time in their lives, a certain song with a certain memory.

That said, it was spectacular. Half the World Away was something else. I can still get goosebumps just thinking about it. And a lot of the other songs seemed to mean something different now than they did the first time round, and what really helped was that everyone else was feeling the same - it was one of the most joyous, euphoric gigs I have ever been to. 

So look, we all know it the more you can connect on an emotional level with your audience, the deeper that connection is going to run, and the more memorable you’ll be. Which means the more people will talk about you.But if you can get a bunch of those people together - be that an event, in a shared digital space, a focus group (wherever) the effect of that is only going to be amplified. You can either leave it as that, or maybe even bring your prospects into the same space to feel that love directly?

But it wasn’t just nostalgia that helped create the experience. Another thing they absolutely nailed was the setlist. They went all killer, no filler. They gave the people what they wanted. Yes, with a back catalogue of their size there were always going to be personal favourites that didn’t make the cut (She’s Electric for me). But by and large, they delivered the tracks people came for (80% from the first 3 or 4 years recording) when plenty of acts would have given a more complete run down of their time as a band. This kept the energy high at the gig, the rave reviews flowing, and has helped keep the buzz alive long after the gigs

And here’s the business parallel - give people what they want, not just what you feel like giving them.

In my view, especially if you’re in the knowledge sharing space where this is easier, give your best stuff away for free. The people who can go and implement it themselves were probably never going to be your clients anyway - but will absolutely sing your praises. But whatever space you operate in, whether it’s a workshop, a live session, or just sharing valuable content openly, make sure you’re delivering what your audience actually wants. That’s what gets people talking about you and referring you.

I feel very proud that I get a bunch of people connecting with me on LinkedIn and booking into my online masterclasses as they’ve been recommended to do so by fellow contacts.

(And yes, I get the irony here in me force-feeding you “lessons from an Oasis gig”. But hey.)

Then there’s audience participation. Now, I’m not normally a fan of crowds singing all the way through gigs. If I wanted to hear that, I’d go to a cover band night or karaoke. I’m here to hear the artist. But with Oasis? I can unashamedly say it was one big sing-along. BUT, they made sure the sound system was loud enough that even though everyone was singing, the band and Liam were still crystal clear. You could see everyone singing their hearts out and loving life but not hear them! .

So in a business context - experiential all the way. Whether it’s a live event, a keynote, or an online experience, participatory always beats passive. The more you can make your audience part of your marketing, your event, or even your product itself, the more invested they become. And the more invested they feel, the more they’ll talk about you. The key thing, though is as much as you want (and need) to get people involved, make sure they still know who the real expert is. Who’s in charge. Just like Oasis. Get that balance right, and your referrals and partnerships will flourish.

And speaking of partnerships… that’s where the next lessons lie.

The key to any effective Nearbound strategy is clarity - knowing exactly who your ideal target market is. Oasis absolutely nailed theirs. They know exactly who they appeal to, despite that demographic spanning generations. They understand the common denominators that unite those fans, and they’ve leaned into that in a big way.

From there they built out the ideal partners. Starting with the right partner to support you.

For Oasis, this literally meant the support acts. On before them was Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve). He played a fantastic set of songs everyone knew and sang along to. But with his more acoustic vibe, there was never any risk of him overshadowing Oasis. Not that he could have anyway. I’ve been to gigs where this wasn’t the case - where the support act was actually more engaging than the main band. In business it’s the same: you don’t have to be the “main act” in every partnership, but you also don’t want to be seen as playing second fiddle. Unless, of course, the opportunity is the equivalent of supporting Oasis on their comeback tour. So whether it’s an ongoing collaboration or a one-off content partnership, choosing a partner that complements you, aligns with your audience, and doesn’t upstage you is essential. 

But that knowledge of their audience meant they also chose their commercial partners superbly - and in this case, the merchandise. 

My friend commented it felt a bit like a fancy dress gig. At least a third of the crowd were in branded Oasis gear. And another third were in era-appropriate clothing (Including me, in my 1991/92 season Adidas blue diamond Man United away shirt. If you know, you know - it’s a classic). So what had Oasis done to capitalise on this?  Partnered with Adidas for their merch. That move let them hit multiple markets, price at a premium, and still sell out. Bucket hats were £35 and still selling like mad. And because the merch was Adidas, not generic tour stock, it’s far more likely people will wear it repeatedly. Which means more visibility, more conversations, and more people going online to hunt it down.

It’s a masterclass: know your audience, pick the right partners, and align what you offer with what they actually want. That way, you don’t just drive engagement - you also maximise the commercial return.

Well played Oasis. Literally. It was an absolutely unreal gig.

So there we have at it, hopefully there’s something there to give you food for thought, and for slightly more practical tips check out some of our other articles, or upcoming masterclasses on Nearbound lead generation