What? Did you honestly think that by now I wouldn’t have an article on JT? Don’t be silly.
I’ve always wondered how JT was able to transform his “brand” from:
to
And how so many before and after him tried yet failed miserably to find success as a solo artist.
Think about it. You’ve got Jordan Knight on Surreal Life, that guy who will only be remembered as the guy that dated Jessica Simpson and countless others from All for One to LFO (who doesn’t like girls who wear Abercrombie and Fitch? Seriously.)
How did JT manage to orchestrate a complete shift in his “brand persona” and launch a highly successful solo career? I can think of a number of brands that could benefit from what I call the “Justin Timberlake Effect” (think Cadillac).
So, how did JT do it? Many would argue he benefited from positive association. After N’Sync disbanded, to the heartache of millions of teenage girls around the world, JT started hanging out with Pharrell (Neptunes) and Timbaland. Marketing nerds would call this “halo effect“.
But this argument doesn’t fully explain why JT succeed and others failed. If the halo effect was the sole reason for JT’s success then other boy-band members could easily replicate the receipe for success. Just hang out with gangstas, or rappers, or gangsta rappers (word 50 cent).
No, that doesn’t completely explain it.
What JT had was a great story. Before JT launched his first album he had a very high profile relationship with none other than Britney Spears BC (Before Craziness).
People loved talking about Spears and JT. They loved talking about their relationships. Their relationship was what Hugh MacLeod would call a Social Object.
But then something happened. She cheated on him. JT cried a river and turned it into a hit song. And now JT was the social object. People loved to speculate on what exactly happened, was “Cry Me a River” really about Britney? Who was he dating now?
The point is JT had a great story that people loved talking about. It’s the combination of these different factors from positive association, having a great story to being a Social Object that helped JT find success as a solo artist and that’s what I call the Just Timberlake Effect.
There are a number of implications for brands but I will leave that for another post. For now just remember there’s no magic formula for changing a “brand’s persona” - it’s not an either/or equation it’s an AND equation.
So, stop trying to find that one solution fits all idea. It doesn’t exist. Yes, that means a lot more work. But the options seem pretty clear - either your brand can be dancing with Victoria Secret models or become known as that brand that once dated Jesscia Simpson, what was it’s name again?
- Nish
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5 Comments
Nish,
I think what you’re forgetting which has been the key to his transformation is this – a good product. His music was actually good. The NERD team hooked him up with awesome material for his first album. Timbaland hooked him up for his next one. I think having an innovative product makes it much easier to shift a brand. It gives the brand credibility.
That’s why Paris Hilton will never be able to change her brand image. She has no product, so she has no foundation. Without a product, she can’t shift her brand values, appeal etc.
@ Christian, totally agree on the point about having a good product. It’s something I will add in on the brand implications post for the Justin Timberlake Effect. That was the foundation (or the steak as the marketing folk like to say) all of the other stuff (positive association, Britney, break-ups, etc) was the sizzle.
But do you think the other boy bands could of done the same, some of them must have some singing ability and could have teamed up indvidually with a hot producer to produce a good product? There’s something that happens when a boy-band disbands, people start losing interest, they no longer have the same talk value strength that they used to and I think managing that factor plays a huge role in their future success.
Nish, I must say that you have great talent when it comes to writing. I can also tell that you are very passionate when it comes to JT, as am I. My opinion on what you wrote is as follows:
I personally think JT has been able to pull of so many images, brands and identities because he is loved by so many. The “thugs” love him because he has performed with artists such as Timberland, is an incredible beatboxer (“fifth element”) and break dancer. The “teenie boppers” love him because of his initial start in N SYNC. Romantics seem to like him because of his catchy lyrics and heart-felt slow songs. Parents have yet to disapprove of him or his music because he hasn’t taken part in half the scandals some of the Backstreet Boys have. The music industry just cannot get enough of him and, obviously, media loves him because he is absolutely beautiful.
The problem with other artists is that they normally cannot camouflage into more than one crowd. Do you think a “thug” would ever be caught dead listening to Nick Carter? Do you think a “teenie bopper”, or parents, would ever listen to Eminem?
JT has it in with everyone. That’s what makes him different from the rest.
@ Neha - you’re right JT has had great success partly because of his cross-over appeal. It’s interesting that he was able to do that and not get type-casted as being just another guy from a “boy-band” like all the others. I also don’t think he was loved by everyone before, it was the result 0f some well calculated moves that helped him receive acceptance from a diverse set of ppl.
PS - love your URL!
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