Our analysis focuses primarily on bands that have had an impact in the marketplace for 20 years or more. They have proven their ability to attract fans, connect with them emotionally, and keep them engaged over the years. Some of you will like their music and others will not-frankly, it doesn’t matter. The lessons their stories offer are not about music preference; they are about long term brand dominance in a fickle marketplace. The following is an introduction to the bands that are featured in this article.

Elton John Ask most baby boomers about the special moments in their lives, and they are likely to tie an Elton John song to several of them.

Some boomers may think of his 1970 breakthrough hit, “Your Song,” while some of their children may think of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” from Disney’s 1994 megahit, The Lion King. Though known for his Liberacesque costumes and style and his 30 year string of top 10 hits, Sir Elton’s career has roots in classical piano.

John studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a teenager but left the world of classical music for the world of rock and roll to reach larger audiences and make the most of his talents and passion. He partnered with lyricist Bernie Taupin to create a string of hits spanning three decades.

Elton John is the very definition of how to blend music and marketing, providing stellar lessons on how to grow profits with segmentation, driving marketing and brand development strategies one segment at a time. Taupin and John’s musical creations serve as a blueprint of consumer behavior-the science of understanding why people buy and motivating them to buy from you with appeals to consumers’ lifestyles and most basic motivations. John also serves as a classic example of balancing the functional and emotional elements of a brand to delight customers, a strategy flying high at the airline JetBlue. Like JetBlue, John knows how to turn brand equity into sales, whether he is promoting his latest CD, concert, Broadway show, or commercial endorsement. He went beyond appearing in Coca Cola ads by placing the product on his piano during his concerts, pumping up sales in grocery stores.

Sound familiar? The world of commerce is filled with a myriad of products and companies in similar predicaments. A great idea is only that, unless it is executed well in the marketplace-but few ever are.

In fact, they frequently fail to leave the space of their inventors’ brains. Just because a product may be technologically better than an existing one doesn’t mean it will automatically squash its competitors. The same holds true for the role of talent in the formula for creating music megastars.

Stephen Swid, founder of Spin magazine and chairman of SESAC, Inc., explains, “Sure, the core of what you produce has to be at an acceptable level, let’s say at least a seven in terms of music sound and quality. But, after that, it’s what happens in the areas of image (design, visuals, marketing) and delivery (performance experience) that makes one band a phenomenon and the other a flop.” He adds, “In competitive arenas, which the music business definitely is, not everyone that is successful can be the best, but each has to be good enough to deserve a spot on the field. If everyone were the best, then there would only be one brand of everything-from toothpaste to rock star-and that would make for a boring world.” It takes more than quality for a product or a company to succeed in the marketplace, just as it requires more than musical talent for a band to reach megastar status. Some call it passion; some call it fire in thebelly enthusiasm. Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones describes it as a force that just takes over. At the opening for a collection of his paintings held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he explained his passion for art-in this instance painting rather than music. “When I’m really grabbed by it, there’s nothing I can do. I just have to drop everything.

And then there’s Elvis-proving that even though an artist may die, a legendary brand lives on and continues to sell, sell, sell. The Elvis brand, like those of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, has remained a favorite among all sorts of people for decades. Such longterm market presence is amazing, especially when you remember how fickle people can be; what’s hot one day isn’t the next. Staying ahead of changing tastes and preferences is difficult. The question is how to create a brand strong enough to remain popular with customers over time-especially in the wake of a constant onslaught of new competitors armed with new promotional and communication campaigns designed to steal attention and loyalty. An intense look at the music industry sheds some light.

For every band like the Beatles, there are tens of thousands of Sassy Peppers (Never heard of them? Our point precisely!) and thousands of Men Without Hats (anyone into popular 1980s music knows “Safety Dance,” this band’s one and only hit). Most rock and roll artists spend more time clawing their way up the music ladder and sliding dramatically back down it than they spend perched at the top of the charts.

For many, their 15 minutes of fame is exactly that-15 short minutes.

Actually, they provide great lessons on how not to create long lasting brands; however, we are most intrigued by the living legends that have kept their fans over the years, continue to create new ones, and, as a result, sell millions of dollars of product. Some of these legendary bands are truly talented in their musical ability-mavericks and visionaries in their art form-yet others are not. And for every rock and roll legend, there are thousands of others who may be just as talented musically, often with better voices or more musical training, who never even make it into the recording studio, let alone to the top of the lists in Billboard or Var ie ty.