Steve Jones Interview

 1. Brand Like a Rock Star is a very refreshing and well-researched book about branding. How did you come with the idea of writing it?

I’ve spent the bulk of my career managing radio station brands, and in that capacity I had a front row seat to the rise, and sometimes fall, of some legendary bands. I worked with the bands and labels to promote new releases, concerts, and stunts. Through my radio career I also watched other companies spending literally hundreds of millions of marketing dollars on campaigns that sometimes worked, and sometimes didn’t. So I came away with a unique perspective that combines both business and music… my two passions. Combining them led to the very enjoyable experience of researching and writing the book.

2. Nowadays, social media is becoming a crucial issue for every company around. What is the most effective social media campaign done by a band that you have seen in the past couple of years? 

One of my favorite social campaigns recently happened virally and very much on the spot, when Oreo cookies created a meme during the famous Super Bowl power outage. They created a visual of an Oreo cookie in the dark with the caption “You can still dunk in the dark”. To me, great social campaigns are ones that tap into a moment in culture when we all come together. The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in North America, and in that moment millions of people could relate to a fun and observational moment that Oreo gave us to share with our friends.

3. In your book you dedicate a very eye-opening chapter to the value of scarcity. According to you, what are the most remarkable cases on this sort of “less is more” branding strategy? 

As human beings we have an innate scarcity mentality. It is part of our animal instinct to value what is in short supply. Unfortunately in an effort to maximize profits, most companies fail to take advantage of that instinct. A restaurant that always has a line up out the door wants to expand, but forgets that nothing attracts a crowd like a line up. When getting a table becomes easy, the restaurant becomes less exclusive and getting in makes you feel less special. That leads directly to a decrease in perceived value of that table. The equation to remember is that Demand + Scarcity = Value.

4. Sadly, many musicians die before their time and sometimes exploiting death seems to be a usual way to boost sales. What do you think of this “brand by death” way of do marketing? Is there any company or service that can be linked to?

While “brand by death” isn’t a strategy that you would want to employ, it does work. Look at the recent case of Twinkies. Hostess went bankrupt and announced that they would no longer make Twinkies. Suddenly there was massive demand for Twinkies! Hostess will still go under, but they will sell the license to create Twinkies for millions of dollars. The very fact that this iconic American snack food was close to death led to an immediate increase in demand. It is another example of scarcity (or threatened scarcity) leading to increased demand and perceived value on a product.

5. After reading your book it becomes clear that bands or companies that stay true to their core values are eventually rewarded. But, can you tell us a case where core values have been betrayed or significantly modified and has ended disastrously?

In music there are plenty of examples. KISS still gets heat for recording a disco song with “I Was Made For Loving You”. Coke made the mistake of trying to emulate the sweeter tasting Pepsi with “New Coke”. McDonalds betrayed their core values in their quest to become a pizza destination in the 1980s. In both cases the brands survived, but only after losing millions upon millions of dollars to learn the lesson.

A more recent example is the Jeep Compass, a non-SUV Jeep. It doesn’t compute to the consumer. Jeep, to the consumer, doesn’t just represent the Jeep Wrangler, but it has become a term that represents all four-wheel drive SUVs. So when Jeep itself creates a non-SUV vehicle, the disconnect is tremendous. Jeep continues to pour millions into the Compass, but in the end the betrayal of core values will be an expensive failure.

6. What’s the most over the top or surprising merch products that you have seen from a band or company? The one that you have thought “I can’t believe they sell this”.

My vote goes to the KISS Coffin. It takes a special fan to want to be buried in a casket decorated with KISS logos!

7. In the chapter “Death by Hype: Learning from Axl’s mistakes” you dissect Guns n Roses’ Chinese Democracy. What is the most notorious case of “hypecide” that has happened after Brand like a Rockstar has been released?

The Blackberry Z10 launch was more than a year in the making, and it felt like a let down because of it. The Blackberry Z10 contains features that moved the BB platform ahead a great deal, but really only caught it up to the competition. It is a very dangerous strategy to hype an evolution that brings your product up to the accepted standards.

8. And now one last -more fun and relaxed- question. We’ll give you some rockstar names and we want you to tell us with which company or product could they be related.

Lemmy (Motörhead)

He already has his own Vodka. You can’t get more perfect than that.

Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)

I think Eddie would make a great sport team logo.

Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe)

Magnum condoms.

Ozzy Osbourne

Rosetta Stone language software.

Marilyn Manson

Make up and nail polish.

Amy Winehouse

Oooh… feels too soon. Cigarettes?

Brian Wilson (Beach Boys)

Prescription medication, maybe Viagra.

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana)

The nicest guy in rock. I’d buy anything he is selling me… but it feels like a Grohl beer would work. It sounds German and authentic, and Dave is the kind of rock star who would buy his fans a beer.