What’s the most difficult perceptual transition to make?
Is it going from good girl to bad girl? Or is it navigating from bad boy to good boy? One extreme to the other is often the move that turns the most heads and generates the most buzz.
The music industry has witnessed many image transformations over the years. Artists like Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears have navigated the difficult turf, starting out as child stars entertaining tweens and moving to dangerous, adult behavior. It doesn’t always work, but it certainly turns heads.
And then there’s the reverse trip – going from shocking and bad to mainstream and acceptable. In many ways, Howard Stern has taken that journey from his image of radio shock jock unafraid to demonize anybody, to a position of true lovability as one of the judges on America’s Got Talent. That show allowed the world to see a very different side of someone who was known for decades as an extreme, highly polarizing radio DJ.
And so Metallica seems to be undergoing a similar transformation. I first noticed the shift while watching Showtime’s Billions earlier this year.
Investment guru Bobby Axelrod (played brilliantly by Damian Lewis) gets an exclusive backstage moment at a Metallica concert, and hangs out with the band, featuring a nice philosophical exchange with James Hetfield. Axelrod and his cronies attend the sound check and spend quality time with Lars Ulrich, Hetfield, and the rest of the band.
And then the next shift occurred recently when men’s fashionwear brand, Brioni, brought Metallica on board as the face of their new line of luxury male clothing. Business of Fashion reports the campaign is being engineered by Australian creative director, Justin O’Shea, who is taking Brioni in a more masculine direction – away from the industry trend to adopt a softer, more feminine style for menswear. The image contrast is a stark one for a band famous for black leather and chains. They’ve come a long way since “Master of Puppets.”
Interestingly, O’Shea has no previous experience in men’s fashion design, and perhaps that’s the reason Brioni brought him on board to transform its brand. As we’re seeing in so many other marketing and positioning efforts, being bold, different, edgy, and against the grain is what grabs attention in a world where shock and awe have become everyday emotions.
Brioni is “all in” with the move, unveiling a new logo that also has a certain swagger.
For a brand eager to sell $7,000 tuxes to a new generation of men, perhaps it’s an innovative move. For Metallica, it’s a statement to its audience that metal goes with…everything. Perhaps it’s even mandatory Metallica.
For marketers, it’s a reminder that a great brand can transform itself into something very different with deft skill and treatment. Playing against type can be an impactful way to effectively gain attention and make a powerful statement.
I’m still trying to picture Howard Stern in a tuxedo.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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