If bands have such a powerful affect on their fans, why can’t brands achieve the same with their customers?

Bands produce more than music. They create deep emotional connections with their fans. They give them want they want and leave them wanting more. Fans are the customers and the music is the product.

Take mega-bands like ColdPlay, U2, Led Zeppelin or Radiohead. They have legions of worldwide fans and record companies at their mercy (and if not they create their own). These mega brands provide their fans with the music they want to hear, share, recommend or cover. What they do extremely well is reinvent themselves to keep their fans engaged. Something some brands aren’t so good at.

So how can your product or service become a sell-out?

• does your product or service move your customer in the same way music does?
• think about what you produce and how you can continually improve it (don’t be a one hit wonder)
• what can you do with your brand to make it resonate at a deeper level so they become a huge fan of your product and promote it to others just like them)
• think about your customer so they become a legion of unswervingly loyal, all night queuing fans
• think about your name – Led Zeppelin, Thirsty Merc or just Chas n’ Dave?
• don’t rush product development, a great band will take their time to produce that killer album (and it’s often worth the wait)
• who can you partner with to make your next album rock ? (Karen Walker and Swandri or Missy Elliot with Adidas)
• surprise and delight your fans with the unexpected. Whether it’s Bono calling The Pope live from Wembley or Flight of the Conchords playing to a packed crowd at their local video store, good bands go the extra mile
• recognise and acknowledge your fans – give them something special to reward them for their loyalty like early bird tickets, new releases, bonus tracks or a back stage pass (spot upgrades Air NZ?)
• are the critics your fans too? (blogs, media, Consumer, NGOs)
• is your record label (shareholders) buying you?
• make your CEO a rock star (excluding busted up hotel rooms). Give them new material or stories as anthems to sign to the masses
• will your fans beg, steal or borrow to attend your concert?
• will you leave them with an unforgettable experience that leaves them raving for years to come?
• does your brand get critical acclaim and rave reviews?

Take Apple. Through their products (iPod) and services (iTunes) they’ve successfully associated themselves with music. As a result they’re driving a hip, street and in-tune brand. They epitomise cool (or at least the perception anyway). They’ve learnt the power of association with music and bands.

So take a leaf, or piece of vinyl, from your favourite band and think how your brand could be their band. And remember you’re only as good as your last gigs. Without fans, where would you be?