Marketing Lessons From The Beatles.

It was 29 years ago that John Lennon was murdered.

Hard to believe. Almost 30 years gone.

The Beatles, his band, the band he started and fearlessly led, are still as relevant as ever.

It was the music above all. But The Beatles were also an amazing and groundbreaking brand, and I’ve always marveled at their savvy, in an era before there was any rock and roll marketing savvy.

The logo. They were the first pop band with an actual logo design. The famous ‘drop T’ on Ringo’s bass drum that made sure fans understood the pun Lennon implied when he named the band. Pop music was called ‘beat music’ back then, and more specifically ‘merseybeat’ in Liverpool, which lay beside the River Mersey. As they say, if you can co-opt the benefit of an entire category and make it yours, you win. (The name was also an entomological tribute to one of his favourite bands, the Crickets)

The hair. It was revolutionary. So radical. So singular. A huge zig in a world built on zag. Coming out of the crew-cut 50s and slicked-back Elvis era, long hair on men was outrageous and dangerous. It separated The Beatles from all the competition. The very definition of a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

The matching suits. The Ed Sullivan show was their launch, and the outfits were a shrewd design choice on behalf of their manager, Brian Epstein. He instinctively knew that America would have a hard time swallowing four rough long-haired rockers in leather jackets (their look when Epstein met them), so he chose a calculated mixed message. The hair and music signaled a revolution, but the suits suggested respect. Kids went wild, and the grey-hairs in the broadcasting/music establishment accepted them.

The memorabilia. Toys and games and puzzles and jewelry were great brand extensions, and an enormous source of revenue. Name another band in that era with a "toy license" column in their accounting ledger (a 15 year-old Gene Simmons must have been watching wide-eyed). Most of the memorabilia was quality and stood the test of time, as collectors like myself will attest to.

The movie. Taking a cue from Elvis, the Fab Four made their first movie, but instead of making a silly one where the Beatles played lame characters (witness Elvis playing ‘Lucky Jackson’ in Viva Las Vegas, made the same year), they played themselves having fun being chased by fans. A Hard Day’s Night was a big, exciting, two-hour branded content show for the band. Where the Beatles couldn’t go, the movie did.

The tours. During their all-important early years, they toured relentlessly to keep the buzz going. They knew personal appearances were events. Going to a Beatles show was not like any other concert. It was a life-altering experience. Concerts gave dimension to their image, generated press, and ignited a record-buying frenzy. It was experiential marketing.

The Beatles came in four flavours. Paul the cute one, John the intellectual, George the moody one (see above) and Ringo the comedian. What other band offered four such distinct characters to appeal to all tastes? Keith Richards once said to Lennon that the Stones "only had one frontman, but the Beatles had four."

Their message. Fun, peace and love. There couldn’t be a more seductive, inclusive and meaningful premise than that. In a world of wavering standards, they stayed on brief with their core message.

Lastly, the ultimate test of a brand is its staying power. The resonance of the message, the impact of the imagery, the ability of the brand to weather the years, the changing tastes of its customers and multiple shots over the bow from newer and younger competitors.

Let me say this about that:

The Beatles 1 CD, released in 2000, has sold over 30 million units worldwide.

30 years after the band broke up.

Most bands never sell 30 million CDs in their entire career.

Beep beep ‘m beep beep, yeah.