Does your brand have a frontman?

Image via Wikipedia

Certain bands are known for their frontman — the guy (or gal) who is most associated with the band. Think Mick Jagger, Pete Townsend, Bono, or Steven Tyler. These larger than life entertainers are most associated with their bands, even though the bands aren’t named for them. Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney would automatically be the frontmen because the band is named for them. Makes sense, right?

What about Van Halen? That’s a little different. David Lee Roth was the Van Halen frontman for the early 80s. (He also pwned MTV.) But then he didn’t. Establishing the rules for the frontman and the relationship that person has with a band and its audience is a little difficult. These people have such strong personalities that it’s often difficult to separate the person from the band — for good or bad. Now let’s talk about business.

Who is the frontman for your brand?

Who is so closely associated with your brand that the two become almost synonymous. Think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson. None of the companies they are strongly associated with are named for them. Yet it seems impossible to separate one from the other. Just look at Apple. Mere rumors about health problems for the Apple frontman was enough to put the stock into play.

I think that strong brand personalities are important. They should be cultivated and encouraged. But I also think that brand frontmen need some rules. They need to share the spotlight. They need to introduce the others in the brand. And they should probably avoid wearing the tight leather pants to formal corporate parties.