Steve Jones - Brand Like A Rock Star: Lessons from Rock n Roll to Make Your Business Rich and Famous

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Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press
Austin, Texas
www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2012 Steve Jones

All rights reserved.

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Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60832-273-2

Ebook Edition

This book is dedicated to the rock stars in my life:
Sue, Isaac, and Matthew. John Lennon said, A
dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream
you dream together is reality. Thank you for making
my reality better than any dream I could have ever
dreamed alone.

THE OPENING ACT

B rand Like a Rock Star was born on a beautiful night, just southwest of Austin, Texas. The day had been hot, but in March it cools quickly in south Texas once the sun hides behind the hills. Under an umbrella of stars, I relaxed on the patio with a cold beer. A Jimmy Buffett song played quietly from a stereo inside. It amazed me to think of how rich and famous Buffett became thanks to that one simple, little hit song, Margaritaville. Some musicians create chart-topping hit after hit and never have anywhere near the staying power of Jimmy Buffett.

Meanwhile, Buffett has quietly turned that one song into a massive, million-dollar brand. The Buffett brand includes a chain of restaurants in North America and the Caribbean, an extensive clothing line, endless merchandise, a popular beer, a line of tequila, blenders, footwear, two minor league baseball teams, and of course, a record company. His estimated annual income is more than $100 million a year. Yet Buffetts track record on the charts isnt very impressive:

Come Monday struggled to reach number thirty in 1974. Hardly a hit song.

And then Margaritaville peaked at number eight in 1977.

Although he recorded many albums between 1977 and 2003, not one Buffett song cracked the top thirty after Margaritaville until Alan Jacksons song Its Five Oclock Somewhere went to number one on the country charts and topped out at number seventeen on the pop charts. It wasnt a Buffett song per se, but it featured a prominent Buffett appearance as he sang a reply to Jacksons question: What would Jimmy Buffett do? That cameo put his name near the top of the charts for the first time in twenty-six years.

Jimmy Buffett isnt just a musician. Hes a brand. He is a lifestyle. As I began to ponder the magic behind his career, it became clear that it wasnt just magic at play. Yes, there was karma and circumstance and good fortune, but Buffett made smart decisions that evolved his brand into what it is today. Buffetts experience got me thinking about all the cool branding lessons hidden in the music industry:

The Grateful Dead became one of the highest-grossing bands of their era without ever hitting the charts.

KISS turned merchandising into an art form and demonstrated to the world that being different was far more important than being better.

U2 showed how having a message, and living up to it, can create a deep connection with fans.

AC/DC built a consistent brand that any business could learn from.

The list goes on and on.

That night on the patio, sipping my beer, before my mind declared the idea crazy, I reserved www.brandlikearockstar.com and created a blog that became, over the course of two years, a popular destination for fans of bands and brands alike. The blog remains my outlet for observations about branding viewed through the lens of the music industry.

The connection between music and business has been the basis for my entire career. Despite failing miserably at every musical instrument Ive ever tried to play, I have been fortunate enough to make a living in the music industry. Instead of creating music, Ive spent the past twenty-seven years programming music on radio stations in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Getting paid to listen to music is no doubt a dream come true, but the stakes are high. Successful radio stations can make millions while unsuccessful stations can easily go broke. As my career evolved from on-air DJ into management, I was exposed firsthand to the impact a powerful brand can have on success. There is a reason that one radio station wins and another loses while both play essentially the same music. The reason is branding. Powerful brands win. Weak brands lose.

No matter the size or nature of your business, the situation is the same: strong brands make more money, are more likely to survive recessions, and last longer. Weak brands usually fade away quickly. From time to time, some weak brands become successful despite their faults, but usually it is because they are the first in a new product category. Those brands are usually the first to fall when a well-branded competitor attacks. Building a brand has never been easy, and it isnt getting any easier. New products and services are everywhere, and the rise of outsourcing, crowdsourcing, and instant digital communication has removed many traditional barriers that kept new competition from starting out. As the caretakers of brands, those of us who manage and grow businesses are in a tough fight. Throughout my career, whenever things got tough, I listened to music. So lets turn up the tunes and learn what we can from them.

Exploring brands through music is what makes Brand Like a Rock Star fun. There are plenty of excellent books on branding, marketing, and advertising. What makes Brand Like a Rock Star uniqueand hopefully engagingis that it illustrates the ingredients and best practices of successful brands through fun stories from bands and singers we know and love. Ive tried to remain neutral on the bands and artists Ive written about. It really doesnt matter whether or not I like their music; all that matters is what they can teach us about building killer brands. Certain artists, such as Buffett, KISS, and the Grateful Dead, turn up more often than others because of the wealth of lessons their experiences can teach us. Ive found lessons in all types of music, from classic rock to hip-hop to country. Some of the lessons are vital to a brands success, and others remind us how we can top the charts in our own businesses.

Brand Like a Rock Star doesnt end with the publication of this book. Every day new songs and bands emerge and share new lessons about what to do, and what not to do, when establishing a brand. Your comments, opinions, and feedback will continue to inspire us all in the never-ending process of building better brands.