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Steve Jones: Brand Like A Rock Star
Successful artists might be able to show you a thing or two about being a creative genius, but are there other lessons to take away? Steve Jones sees some teachable moments in the ways many artists and bands have built such powerful brands over the years.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen
Brand Like A Rockstar
Jones, who oversees branding for Canada’s Newcap Radio, explained during his presentation, “Brand Like A Rock Star,” that rock star brands command attention, grip people, and ignite emotional reactions in those who interact with them. Of course your name doesn’t have to be Beyoncé or Bono to have a brand that rocks. Anyone with some savvy and creativity can do it, especially if they keep in mind what Jones dubbed the top 10 traits of rock star brands.
From the top, Jones said being consistent – number 10 on the list – is key, as exemplified by AC/DC, which in the past 40 years has stayed consistent in terms of style and sound as a band that just wants to rock.
“They’ve been able to outlast disco, new wave, punk, hair bands, grunge,” Jones said. “Now in the age of Mumford folk and EDM they’re still going strong and back on tour this summer. … It takes guts, it takes talent, skill and creativity not to waver from your mission album after album, year after year.”
But just because AC/DC found success in staying the same doesn’t mean great brands can’t evolve. Jones applauded The Beatles for embracing consistent change over the band’s career in terms of sound, songwriting and style. “Rock star brands are incredibly consistent,” Jones said. “They know what their fans expect of them and they deliver over and over again.”
Starting out small ranked No. 9 on Jones’ countdown, and he used Bob Marley as an example of an artist who made music that was close to his heart who was able to find fame after reggae exploded into popularity. Jones also cited Starbucks, Apple, ESPN, as companies that were driven by core values from their modest beginnings.
“All rock star brands start out small,” he said. “Let your core values define you instead of your desire to get rich.” The No. 8 trait of rock star brands is to be different – don’t be better, because there’s so much competition out there that simply being a tiny bit better isn’t going to make you stand out from the crowd. KISS started out as Wicked Lester, but never found fame and was on the verge of breaking up until two members of the band decided to try something dramatically different. They changed the group’s look and its name and ended up landing their first world tour two years later.
The band got there “by being dramatically different than everyone else,” Jones said. The seventh tip on the countdown is to create an experience for your customers.
Jimmy Buffett has made millions off “Margaritaville,” its associated franchises, and fans’ desires to experience the beach bum lifestyle, Jones said. And for those who prefer something a little edgier, there are brands like Harley Davidson, which sells the badass experience to middle-aged men that often make close to $100,000 per year and are hardly likely to run off and join the Hell’s Angels.
Living up to the expectations of your fans is sixth on Jones’ list. He documented U2’s ups and downs through the ’80s, when the band was beloved for producing music from the heart, to its eclectic period in the ’90s, to its move back in a direction fans liked, which has made the band a huge concert draw.
“The only thing that matters is the perception the consumer has of you,” Jones said. “Rock star brands understand what their consumers believe to be true about them and they live up to that in everything they do.” No. 5 on the list is to find your one thing, like Lynyrd Skynyrd did with the anthemic hit “Sweet Home Alabama,” or Ikea did with furniture that people assemble themselves.
“What is the one thing you represent? The one phrase, the one word. What is the one thing that defines you?” Jones asked. Taking smart and calculated risks is the fourth trait of rock star brands, and Jones used musician Al Kooper to illustrate how taking a smart risk changed music history. Kooper, a guitar player and songwriter, met a producer named Tom Wilson, who invited him to come watch a recording session with Bob Dylan. During the session, the organ player was moved over to piano because they didn’t like the way the organ was sounding, and that’s When Kooper sprung into action. “I said to Tom Wilson, ‘Let me play the organ, I’ve got a great part for this,’ which was a total lie,” Kooper said. “I didn’t have anything for it. I just wanted to play on that session.”
When Wilson left the room to take a phone call, Kooper jumped on the organ, but the headphone mix was turned down and he couldn’t hear what he was playing. “I would wait an eighth note before I came in to make sure it was the right chord. It turned out to be the only complete take of the day,” Kooper said.
When the take ended, Wilson called them into the control room to listen to the track. “Dylan says to Tom, ‘Turn the organ up,’” Kooper said. “And Tom Wilson says, ‘Hey Bob, that guy isn’t an organ player. He’s a guitar player.’ Bob says, ‘I don’t care what he is, make the organ louder.’ That’s the day I became an organ player, and that was the take they kept for ‘Like A Rolling Stone.’”
Rock star brand rule No. 3 is knowing your enemy. Jones explained how the enemy so often helps define the protagonist. “If there was no Lex Luther, there would be no Superman,” Jones said, noting that your mission shouldn’t be to put your competitors out of business, but to keep them around, “barely making payroll for the rest of their miserable lives. Because they help define who you are.”
The second trait on the list is to have fun and be real, taking a cue from someone like Taylor Swift. Jones took the young daughter of a friend to a meet and greet with Swift, where he witnessed the singer give herself completely to the girl for about 90 seconds to talk about boys, clothes and music.
“Margaret Anne felt like she was the only person that mattered in Taylor Swift’s entire world,” he said. “There wasn’t a second of disinterest or dishonesty – completely real and raw and very human, and through that, she built a fan for life.” Successful brands are able to achieve the same by connecting with customers on a human level.
“Humans do not fall in love with perfection,” he said. “We fall in love with other human beings, and every one of us is somehow scarred, bruised or damaged. As a business and brand when you exhibit that kind of humanity and warmth, people fall in love with you.”
Lastly, and most important, on Jones’ countdown of tips for rock star brands is to always turn it up to 11. Every night Pete Townshend smashes a guitar at the end of a show is a reminder to fans that he played the life out of that instrument. And some say that Dave Grohl will play until his fingers bleed. Artists do this because they understand it may be their only chance to connect with that fan. “Great brands and bands remember that and deliver all they’ve got every night by turning it up to 11,” Jones said. “Rock star brands know they have that one chance to make that lasting impression.”