Brand revitalization in the music industry: a case study approach

Sammanfattning: Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze how iconic brands in the music industry revitalize themselves in order to increase sales by making the brand active again. Research questions: a) Why do brands have need for brand revitalization? b) What are revitalization strategies that help these ‘ageing’ music brands renew their image and positioning in the present and future? c) How has digital disruption affected the music industry? How has this affected ‘ageing’ music brands? Design/methodology/approach: This paper will use an inductive approach, using secondary data and literature in order to create a qualitative research study. This is done in the form of two specific case studies of relevant music groups; ABBA and Queen. These case studies are later discussed, connecting the examined literature to these practical applications. Findings: The findings of this paper show that brand revitalization in the music industry can increase sales and capture new target markets. This is done by using retro-branding with nostalgia or increase in brand awareness breadth. Research limitations: The research method did not include primary data findings, due to a lack of accessible representation of the target group. The case studies are also focused on two specific examples, and do not provide an overall conclusion for the entire industry. Originality/Value: This paper gives a unique insight into brand revitalization strategies, the ‘ageing’ of older music brands and the disruption in the music industry. It provides a solution to the gap of literature between revitalization and the music industry. The paper also proves relevant in the current context and trends of nostalgia and recent media communications. Keywords: Brand Revitalization, Retro-Branding, Brand Awareness, Music Industry, Nostalgia, Disruption, Iconic bands, Ageing