University Assignment of reviewing a book that deals with brands and identifying key learning points. BRANDS THAT ROCK is written by Roger Blackwell & Tina Stephan and studies rock and pop music icons as brands
2. What do Gene Simmons of KISS and Sam
Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, have in
common?
3. Written by the co-authors of the best–selling books
“Customers Rule!” and “From Mind To Market”, Roger
Blackwell and Tina Stephan
Roger Blackwell is the President of Roger Blackwell
Associates – also a Professor of Marketing at the Fisher
College of Business at The Ohio State University.
Tina Stephan is the Vice President of Roger Blackwell
Associates.
Together, they have collaborated on eight books,
numerous articles and research projects.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
5. DOES ROCK&ROLL = BRANDS
Businesses and rock-and-roll bands share several goals, including:
Breaking through the clutter and creating awareness among
consumers
Creating and maintaining loyalty among customers
Identifying mechanisms to remain current and relevant in the minds
of existing customers and attracting new customers
Creating lasting brands that are accepted by a culture
Becoming long-term industry leaders
Attracting and keeping talented people who make up the market
and the brand
Identifying one or more market segments and crafting products
that appeal to them
Creating a brand image and promise that will maintain its appeal
from one year to the next
Generating profits
6. Create an emotional connection with your customers; nurture it over time.
Build brand loyalty, one fan group at a time.
Stay fresh in the market but true to your core sound or strength.
Evolve at a rate that doesn’t alienate current customers.
Focus on the entire brand experience, not just the core product.
Develop talent continuously; package it well; relate it through multiple
mediums.
Create realistic expectations that you can meet.
Match your message with your mission and your audience.
Exude energy and passion—they command respect and engage the
audience.
Define the brand by more than just the product; include the functional and
emotional attributes of the brand.
Monitor brand adoption and customer behavior to drive brand adaptation.
Play for cultural adoption by focusing on relevance to, reflection of, and
influence on the culture.
Resist the temptation of overexposure.
Empower your fans to help your brand become and stay successful in the
market.
LESSONS FROM ROCK&ROLL MARKETING
8. Customers Friends (Repeat
Customers)
Fans
Are price-driven Are value-driven Are experience-driven
Shop opportunistically Shop purposefully Shop for pleasure
Want you to sell them
products
Want personalized
products goods and
services
Want personalized advice
and solutions
Need a reason to buy from
you
Prefer to buy from you Are devoted to you and
are yours to lose
Are surprised by good
service
Have a history of good
experiences with you
Automatically assume you
will delight them
Drop you if they’re
disappointed
Tell you if they’re
disappointed
Tell you if they’re
disappointed, want
you to fix it, and are
anxious to forgive and
forget
SIGNIFICANT GRAPHICS
9. Customers Friends (Repeat
Customers)
Fans
Are indifferent to your
company
Feel a connection with you
rationally and/or
emotionally
Actively invest in their
relationship with
you—time, emotion,
attention, money
Don’t think or talk about
your firm
Recommend your firm
casually
Evangelize about your
firm
SIGNIFICANT GRAPHICS
15. Emotional connections turn customers into fans.
Maintaining and adapting existing brands is more
profitable than inventing new ones.
Legendary brands evolve to stay culturally
relevant.
Passion and energy create brands people want to
adopt.
Being the best often evolves by borrowing from
the best.
Baby boomers rule much market demand.
BRANDS THAT ROCK SAYS…
16. Understand, Emulate and Infiltrate
Exercise sex appeal and controversy with caution
- shouldn’t overshadow a brand’s authenticity
Evolve but remain true to your core strength –
and within the parameters of your brand promise
First mover advantage – Doesn’t matter
Emotional Connection – under the skin
Zag
KEY INSIGHTS
17. Reverse Customer Intimacy
Brand Discipline
Theory of Generalization & Discrimination
Grassroots marketing
Discontinuous Innovation
Trans-generational Marketing
Trickle-up process
Fan Inheritance
NEW CONCEPTS
18. Broad stories – learning from an overall business
perspective – could’ve been broken down into
specific disciplines
Lessons on Business, Entry into the marketplace,
Marketing, Branding, Communication (all media),
Technology integration, Merchandizing
Decades depicted – roadmap for prospective
brands and bands
Research Design – Qualitative Analysis of Band
and Brand Histories; Case Studies of their
evolution, impact, reinvention
CRITIQUE
