Will The Police Brand Implode Again?
June 1, 2007 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
It’s been over twenty years since The Police broke up. In the early 1980s, they were one of the most popular bands on the music scene, when suddenly, amid rumors of internal turmoil, they announced they were disbanding. Sting and Stewart Copeland went on to create rewarding careers, and I honestly don’t know what Andy Summers has been doing.
As most popular bands from the past several decades have been doing lately, The Police reunited for a tour which kicked off in Vancouver this week. Unfortunately, the rumor mill is at it again thanks to Stewart Copeland’s public criticism of the band’s first shows. Hopefully, they can stay together long enough for me to see them in July when they will come to St. Petersburg, Florida. I already have my tickets, and I’d like to see the concert.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about bands and celebrities and the brands they represent. Yes, it’s true that celebrities start out as artists but often turn into a brand as their success grows, which many businesses rely on to generate sales and income. As a brand, should the individual celebrities be required to present an image conducive to increasing sales? Should Stewart Copeland keep his mouth shut about his disappointment in the band’s performance and refrain from sharing his negative review with the media to maintain the brand and keep the business machine moving?
There are so many examples of celebrities ruining their own brands. Britney Spears is one of the first to pop into my mind. Tom Cruise is another example of a brand whose image was tarnished by the celebrity’s perplexing public behavior. As a result, the crowds have not come to see his movies in the large numbers he was once used to, and many businesses suffered. It makes me think about where the line can or should be drawn between the celebrity as a person and as a brand. It certainly seems if Stewart Copeland has his way, The Police will continue to live up to their prior brand image as a band with a lot of talent and a lot of discord.
I agree that when your success as an artist reaches a certain degree and becomes a money-making career that you may have to sacrifice some artistic freedom for that to flourish. Unfortunately, you then risk the stigma of becoming a “sell out” when you’re no longer true to the art or yourself. I personally think most musicians should probably keep their differences and feuds a bit more private, but again what other creative career forces these people to be with one another almost 24×7 when touring or in the studio.