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Do you have a favourite t-shirt? Hat? Maybe it’s from your favourite team. Or that band you supported back in the day when nobody knew them. Whatever it is, we seem to instill articles of clothing with sentimentality. Part nostalgia, part bragging rights? Proof that you were at that seminal concert tour – or you knew the band before they were famous. Whatever the reason, we have this strong relationship with the brand – team, band, product – that we want to share with anyone who’ll listen!
Give this song by Foo Fighters a listen and fly along with me as we see what the experts are saying this week.
Tech Brands in 2023
How do your customers interact with your brand? Are they loyal and vocal? Or are you lookin’ for a sign of life every time you reach out to your clients? Net Promoter Scores (NPSs) are used to gauge the public’s perception of a brand or product. In my experience with B2Cs and franchises, I’ve seen businesses that absolutely obsess over their NPS on a daily basis.
Check out this list of PC Mag’s best tech brands for 2022. These are brands that have high NPS and strong brands – with Tesla at the top of the list.
Of course, there is a flip side – this is the corresponding list of the most despised tech brands. You’ll see some super successful companies on this list, which begs the question: do we really care? Can a product or brand be successful without being adored?
How do you think this list will change for 2023? And what’s the impact of company leadership on the brand’s reputation? Has Tesla’s brand been damaged by its leader and all the recent Twitter controversy?
The Show Must Go On
Foo Fighters have announced their return to the stage and it’s sooner than some might expect. Since Taylor Hawkins’ passing, there has been speculation about the future of the band. However, they’ve announced a slew of major concert dates for 2023.
A band is also a brand and a business entity. And some members are tightly integrated with that perception of the brand, similar to business leaders. We’ve all seen examples of bands that have decided to pack it in when a member passes (such as Led Zeppelin). But we’ve also seen examples where the band has continued and had major success (like AC/DC).
How do your customers perceive your brand? For many clients, their interaction with your brand is through their Account Manager – and that person has an unbelievable amount of influence on how your clients perceive the overall corporation. Scary, right? So hopefully you’re doing the right things to positively influence those perceptions, and not just lookin’ to the sky to save you…
And Speaking of T-shirts…
We’ve all bought cheap t-shirts at concerts and sporting events. Sure, they may have been sold out of the back of a van, but they were much cheaper than the t-shirts at the venue, right? Well – looks like there’s been a recent case where a UK woman selling unlicensed concert shirts of bands like Foo Fighters and the Rolling Stones was ordered to pay back £140,000.
Merchandise is big business, and contributes a large part to a band’s touring revenue. In the ’80s, bands like Van Halen pioneered the art of selling merchandise and turning it into its own profitable revenue stream for the band and the record label. They were also notorious for aggressively cracking down on any unlicensed merch vendors operating outside their concerts.
It’s all about the brand, right? When merch is unlicensed, the band/team loses control of their brand and trademark, and these other products could be inferior and negatively impact the brand. Bands – and brands – are lookin’ for something to help them burn out bright. And being able to control their brand and how it’s perceived might be the best way to get on that best brands list, right? Right?? What do you think?
As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!
Looking forward,
Rick
Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat