BrandFlair

#SXSW plus #HomeAway equals Love

November 29, 2011 By John Boyle 3 Comments

People are already gearing up for South By Southwest (SXSW) 2012 in Austin, Texas after the first wave of speaker, performer and film announcements were posted in November 2011. The #SXSW Twitter hashtag has been alive with anticipation for one of the premier annual festivals for Music, Film and Technology and Interactive content. People stream to Austin for the festival every March from all over the world and hotels fill up fast. Attendees are already running into obstacles finding lodging using the traditional online travel sites.

Enter the “@Brandflair Theorem:”

SXSW + HomeAway = Love

While many reading this are familiar with SXSW and the lodging challenges each year, you may not have heard of a little Austin diamond in the rough called HomeAway. Truth be told, they are not a small fledgling start up. To the contrary, HomeAway is one of the most successful small to mid-size businesses to call Austin home in the past decade (word is they are a great employer as well).

In their own words “HomeAway is the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, with sites representing more than 625,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 145 countries.” This includes Austin, Texas. But wait, there is more. HomeAway also operates BedandBreakfast.com which is another rich source for finding lodging alternatives.

What does this mean to you? If you are traveling from out of town to SXSW this year these are great resources to help book some cozy local homes for the time you are here. If you live in Austin it may be a great opportunity to extend Texas hospitality to those from out of town and earn some dollars on the side.

Finally, I have not heard of any official partnership between SXSW and HomeAway. I did mention the idea to some friends who work for HomeAway but we all know how some things get lost in the shuffle. No matter. As long as this post provides a few SXSW attendees and Austinites help with the festival housing crunch it is a win-win! Just remember to please leave your accommodations and Austin better than you found them.

@BrandFlair Theorem proved!

Links:

SXSW Home

HomeAway

BedandBreakfast.com

Note: I am in no way affiliated with SXSW or HomeAway. But do me a favor and post back if you find a place to stay after reading this post. Would love to know how this helped people out.

Filed Under: Branding and Business, Featured Tagged With: Anticipation, Attendees, Austin Texas, Crun, Crunch, Film Announcements, First Wave, Fledgling, Great Resources, Homeaway, Leading Online Marketplace, Lodging Alternatives, Mid Size Businesses, Music Film, Obstacles, Rental Home Listings, Rich Source, Shuffle, South By Southwest, SXSW, Texas Hospitality, Travel Sites

Engaging Reasons to Attend #SXSW

November 28, 2011 By John Boyle 4 Comments

People have been streaming to the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas since 1987 to interact with the best, brightest and most creative people in film, music and interactive. Three festivals in one draw people together from around the world once a year to engage, collaborate, network and just enjoy each other. Here are Engaging Reasons to Attend #SXSW.

1. A global village!

People come from all over the world to Austin for the annual SXSW festivals which means it is a unique opportunity experience fresh perspectives about film, music and interaction from other countries and cultures. It is a wonderful time to make lasting international connections.

2. Engaging people!

Whether you love film, music, interactive (or all three) there are smart, fun, critical thinking people to engage with at SXSW. Yes, networking it important but the people you meet will get your brain working and endorphins racing. Fellini, Cobain and Kerouac would approve of this wonderful platform for exchanging art and ideas.

3. A celebration of ideas!

4. New cutting edge everything

SXSW has grown into a must attend event because it is a platform where cutting edge ideas, art, music and technologies are discussed, validated and introduced to the world. Many of these burst into the mainstream because of the festival’s response. Not to say that everything that hits SXSW takes off like a rocket, rather it is a real festival with a real audience who give real opinions and feedback. No fluff.

5. Amazing talks

Whether given by established filmmakers, musicians, and writers or by new people looking to make a mark, SXSW offers a smorgasbord of stellar talks on some very compelling topics. It is advisable to get out of your comfort zone and attend talks on topics you know nothing about as well as map out your days with primary, secondary and tertiary plans of what to attend as some of the talks fill up fast.

6. Powerful networking opportunity

SXSW provides a powerful opportunity to make meaningful connections with people in your industry that you might otherwise never meet. It may be intimidating at first but dive in and you will make some fantastic and lasting professional connections.

7. Toptastic food & beverages

If you come to Austin for SXSW you will also be coming for the food whether you know it or not. Ask any local for dining recommendations and you will for sure get a fantastic referral for something great with a smile and “y’all” thrown in free of charge. Texas barbecue, steaks, buffalo burgers, Tex-Mex, breakfast tacos, local beers, vodkas and Mexican martinis are just a few of many tasty treats that call Austin home.

8. Music

Austin is the music capital of the world. Being from Seattle I was skeptical when I moved here and first heard that. I am going to say that it is 110% truth. So much great music comes from Austin and travels through here from out of town it is mind boggling. Any type of music you enjoy you will find in Austin and the people are not worried about a “scene.” They are just passionate about all things music and open to it all. SXSW extends and inserts this passion directly into their music festival. It is a hard hitting week of quality acts that will have your booty shakin’ 24×7.

9. Film

No, not movies. Film! Motion pictures! Art! The SXSW film festival is something any film and art lover must see in their lifetime. The medium of film is such a unique form of expression and it is so impressive that so many talented people create the amazing content shown each year at SXSW. Whether it is a full feature, short film, documentary or film noir you will find it at SXSW. The bonus is you get to talk film with others as passionate as you including the filmmakers themselves. Pretty epic!

10. Social time with your social networks

How many peeps and tweeps do you have in your social networks that you enjoy engaging with every day but have never met face to face? SXSW is the place to change that and build on those unique relationships. It is the ultimate “Tweet-up.”

11. Austin baby!

I have lived here for almost 12 years and love, love, love it. It is a real gem of a community and we are so fortunate that the SXSW team organizes such a great festival each year. It gives us Austinites a chance to show off our town and meet some fantastic new friends. Here is my favorite video clip showing off Austin.

If you have not been to Austin for this tremendous event and convergence of ideas then you must schedule time this year to make the pilgrimage and experience all that is SXSW. If you have attended in the past we await your return with welcoming arms. And if you want to meet the 12 Most team and learn about all about creating and growing a collaborative blogging community please let the SXSW team know your desire to attend a 12 Most panel discussion via Twitter (@SXSW) and Facebook. Of course give them a “Follow” and “Like” in the process.

Photo courtesy of Culturegreyhound via Creative Commons

This post originally ran on 12Most on November 18th, 2011.

Filed Under: Featured, Social Media & Technology Tagged With: Art Music, Austin Texas, Burst, Cobain, Comfort Zone, Countries And Cultures, Critical Thinking, Cutting Edge, Fellini, Festivals, Film Music, Fluff, Global Village, International Connections, Kerouac, Mainstream, Networking Opportunity, Oppo, Smorgasbord, SXSW, Sxsw Festival, Village People, Wonderful Time

Send Treats To Troops And Support Scouting

September 26, 2011 By John Boyle 11 Comments

As an Eagle Scout and current Cub Master for Austin, Texas Cub Scout Pack 2030 I am proud to be experiencing scouting with my two boys Evan and Ian.

Evan, Ian and I will be selling popcorn treats this year to raise money to support their scouting activities. This is the only fundraiser that funds all of the scout activities including camp outs, Pinewood Derby, events at Pack meetings and all other fun events for our Pack 2030! This year the boys are able to sell “Treats for Troops” online and the popcorn ships directly to the Troops!
Please help the boys earn their own way in scouting and support U.S. Troops at the same time. Just click here to make a $35 or $55 Military Product Donation on their behalf; you’ll find the Military Product Donation under Military Donation navigation tab once you enter the site.

From your purchase, Trail’s End will ship a variety of delicious popcorn treats all over the world to men and women serving our country. 70% of your purchase will be returned directly to Evan and Ian’s Cub Scout unit and our council.
The past four years:

Scouts Loading Treats for Troops

Consumers donated over $32 million worth of popcorn to U.S. troops
In 2010 alone, consumers donated over $11 million worth of popcorn to U.S. troops
Over 2,000 tons of popcorn treats have been shipped to hundreds of locations around the world
Consumers placed over 54,000 orders online for the Military Product Donation

Online purchases help us fund fun, educational activities and help more kids experience all the things that make Scouting great. Of course you can purchase treats for yourself or as gifts for family and friends. They are delicious!

Thank you for your support,
John, Evan & Ian Boyle

Troops Unloading Treats Donated Through Scouting

If you cannot click on the link above, please copy and paste this full URL into your Internet browser address bar:

http://www.trails-end.com/estore/scouts/email_referral.jsp?id=16451184

Trail’s End sends popcorn treats to the U.S. Military on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America.

Filed Under: Life Flair, Social Good, Volunteering Tagged With: Afghanistan, Austin Texas, Boy Scouts Of America, Boyle, Cub Master, Cub Scout Pack, Delicious Popcorn, Donation Level, Donations, Door To Door, Eagle Scout, Educational Activities, Email, Family And Friends, Friends, Fun, Fundraiser, Gold Level, John Evan, Military Bases, Military Product, Navigation Tab, Neighbors, Online Catalog, Pack Meetings, Parents Office, Personal Account, Popcorn, Product Donation, Purchas, Purchaser, Sales Goal, Scout Activities, Scout Unit, Scouting, Scouting Activities, Scouting Trail, Ships, Silver Level, Texas Cub, Thanks For Your Support, Treats For Troops, Two Boys, World Consumers

Protecting Your Brand With Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents!

August 31, 2011 By John Boyle 3 Comments

“Who steals my purse, steals trash . . .;
but he that filches from me my good name
robs me of that which not enriches him
and makes me poor indeed.”

- Othello, Shakespeare

What is a Trademark?

A trademark can be words, devices, symbols or a composite of any two or more. It can also be sounds, smells, colors, buildings, package shapes. A trademark helps distinguish your goods or services from others. There is no requirement to register a trademark to be protectable but registration does increase protection. Trademark registration is cheap, but it’s not automatic. The cost is on the order of $1000 for a typical application, and an additional $3000-$5000 in prosecution to achieve registration.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive; term is in force so long as used in commerce.

Cons: Non-use, non-enforcement can destroy mark (e.g., Escalator, Linoleum, Kerosene, Cellophane, Thermos, Aspirin, Yo-Yo and Bikini).

What is a Copyright?

A copyright can be literary works, motion pictures and other audio visual works, musical works (including accompanying words), sound recordings, software, plans and designs, semiconductor masks, etc. Registration enables suit against unauthorized copiers in Federal Court and discourages some copiers. Registration is not necessary to use the ©, but is good evidence that you were the first to write, compose, draw or code a particular work.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive, on the order of $1000 for a typical group of registrations, and copyright term is long (life of author + 70 years).

Cons: Thin form of protection; infringement only when expression copied.

Copyright and trademark registrations are “no brainer” business decisions, if they are appropriate. But we need to think hard about patents. The costs are high so why would we spend that much money for a patent?

Why would I want a patent?

1. To stop others from making, using, or selling your invention.
2. Licensing revenue makes money on your innovation, no matter who is selling it.
3. Marketing the product itself, because we all know that “patented” means “better.”
4. Increasing your company’s valuation.

Apply for a patent immediately unless you want to keep it secret or never want a foreign patent. A patent application should be made within one year (or less) from any public use of invention, offer to sell invention or publication describing the invention. Failure to apply for a patent within one year from any of these events will bar you from ever getting a patent on the invention. The nature of a patent is a complete disclosure of the invention and a 20-year monopoly on it. Whether this a patent is a good deal, depends on your industry and is determined by pace of change, detectability and reverse engineering.

According to the 2008 Berkley patent survey of entrepreneurs, 76% of venture backed entrepreneurs and 67% of all entrepreneurs say patents are absolutely vital to obtaining funding. In Hsu and Ziedonis’ (2008) fixed-effects regression analysis of 813 financing rounds by 269 American semiconductor firms they found that a doubling of a company’s application stock is associated with a 28% increase in pre-money valuations which translates to a value of $2.3 million per patent in 2008 prices. They also found that the signaling value of patents is greater in earlier financing rounds.

The patent term starts on the issue date and ends twenty years from the earliest effective filing date. A patent grants you the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing your invention. It prohibits all use, not just copying.

Pros: Strongest form of protection (protects ideas, not expressions); covers innocent infringers; term is reasonable (20 years from filing date).

Cons: Relatively more expensive and time consuming to obtain and potentially could be on the order of $10,000-$15,000 for an application, and an additional $10,000-$25,000 over five years to get the patent to issue.

Note: The information provided in this post is not legal advice and I am not an attorney. If you want legal advice, please contact a licensed Intellectual Property (IP) attorney in your state who is in good standing with your State’s Bar and seek to establish an attorney-client relationship.

Filed Under: Branding and Business, Featured Tagged With: Aspirin, attorney, Austin Texas, Brainer, Brand Assets, Brand protection, Branding, brands, Business Decisions, Cellophane, Copiers, Copyright, Innovat, Intellectual Property, Invention, IP, Kerosene, Linoleum, Masks, Motion Pictures, no brainer, Othello Shakespeare, Patent, Prosecution, Software Plans, Sound Recordings, Thermos, Trademark, Trademark Registration, Trademark Registrations, Typical Application, Typical Group, Valuation, Yo Yo

What’s Cooking? Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato Fries & Grilled Smokey Cheddar Potato Packs

June 30, 2011 By John Boyle 2 Comments

A new column in our LifeFlair section is “What’s Cooking.” In our house my wife and I plan the weekly meals together every Sunday. She goes through fun recipes on the computer while I go through the refrigerator, freezer and cupboards checking off ingredients we have and ones that need to go on the weekly shopping list. Tip: This is an easy way to save money as you are shopping for what you need and not buying items you already have (think condiments and spices). The added bonus is that it is another thing we do as a couple which I love.

Once the list is done we divide the work for the week. She shops solo (never shop before lunch or with kids – both add to the final total by over 20%) and I cook the meals during the week. We do love the rare opportunities to have a shopping date when the grandparents are in town.

Not all recipes are winners. Ones that go in the repeat folder are economical, easy to prep, easy to cook, healthy and as Rachael Ray says “Yum-O. The first two recipes highlighted for this column are ones we cooked this past week and both were big winners.

Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato Fries

We never eat fish and chips because we are not big fans of fried foods. I have also never really enjoyed sweet potatoes even though pound for pound they are the most healthy item in the produce section. This recipe blew me away for how easy it was to prepare (my son actually prepped the fish after everything was ready) and how fantastic both tasted. I did leave the sweet potatoes in for a bit longer and while the “sauce is boss” the tilapia is very tasty on its own. Clean up is very easy and the overall cost is around $2.00 per person. Great choice!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch by-2-inch-sticks
3 tbsp. flour
1 egg, beaten
12 oz. tilapia, cut into 8 pieces

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450°. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the panko with 1 tbsp. EVOO and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Spread evenly and bake, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a shallow bowl.

On the rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake on the upper rack, turning once, until brown and tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the flour and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Pour the egg into another shallow bowl. Working with 2 pieces at a time, coat the tilapia in the flour mixture, dip in the egg, then coat in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Place on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve the fish with the dipping sauce and sweet potato fries.

Grilled Smokey Cheddar Potato Packs

My was looking for a good side dish and found this recipe for grilled potatoes. We were making steak for dinner that night and we needed something tasty and fast. These grilled potatoes were so easy and tasty and everyone loved them! The original recipe calls for grilling them from start to finish, 60 minutes total. The variation that calls for the potatoes to be par-cooked ahead of time is genius as they only have to cook last 20 minutes on the grill. I used the big brown baking potatoes both times but plan to try other potato varieties as well. I love camping and think this is a great recipe for the outdoors.

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
½ tsp salt
1 Tbls butter
1 Tbls Olive Oil
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup sliced green onions

Directions:
In a large microwave safe dish heat the diced potatoes for 10 minutes, stirring after 5. Place the potatoes a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Toss them with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the salt and bacon. Dot with butter.
Wrap the foil securely around potatoes. Place over a hot grill for about 20 minutes, flipping half way. Open up the foil, and top with cheese and onions. Stir around to melt the cheese. Serve straight from the foil pack. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Cooking, Featured, Life Flair Tagged With: All Recipes, Austin Texas, Bacon, Cheese, Chipley, Choice Ingredients, Cooking Fish, Cup Mayonnaise, Cupboards, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fish And Chips, Fish Chips, Fried Foods, Grill, Inch Sticks, Lemon Juice, New Addition, Panko Breadcrumbs, Rachael Ray, Rare Opportunities, Refrigerator Freezer, Salt And Pepper, Shopping List, Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potatoes, Tbsp Dijon Mustard, Tilapia, Virgin Olive Oil

Apple Sets The Foundation For Innovation With Announcements At WWDC 2011

June 13, 2011 By Kimberly Ohlson Leave a Comment

Apple again set the foundation for the next stage of innovation at WWDC 2011 with their announcement of the iCloud, OSX (Lion) and iOS5. Innovation is key this year as Apple has not invented a new device but rather they are moving technology forward and are the one company who has the foundation set to make it successful where other companies have failed.

The first new innovation is Apple’s iCloud technology and App Store. iCloud is a tool to allow seamless integration into your applications (“not a hard disk in the sky”) whether it’s pages, keynotes, numbers, email and gives you access to those applications and content no matter what device you are using. No more syncing via wire with your computer to update your Operating System (OS), applications or music library. One library connects to multiple devices without any wire syncing occurring. Users can open documents, edit them and then open that same edited document on their computer, iPad or iPhone. Content is now accessible on all your devices. Apple has not given an official release date but it is expected around Fall 2011. iCloud is FREE to those who upgrade to Lion, Apple’s next OS.

Which brings me to the next BIG innovation from Apple – OSX Lion. There are over 250 new features but the top ones that Apple touts are Multi-Touch gestures, Mission Control, Full-Screen Apps and Launchpad. Multi-Touch gestures allows users to use multiple finger gestures on the touch pad to control the interface with their computer, such as full screen swiping and page and image zoom, and three finger swipe down to immediately go to Mission Control feature. Mission Control gives you a view of apps and windows open on your computer so you can quickly look at what you were doing and where you want to go next on your computer. You can create a dashboard or desktop view that take you to all things relevant to a project you are working on, Apple calls it the “Hub of Your System”. The next OSX Lion feature is Full-Screen Apps. In the past with Apple you expanded your app window view to the size you wanted. Now with a simple click in the upper right corner of each app you can expand to the full size of your computer screen or Full-Screen. This is not a major improvement but something Apple needed to incorporate into their applications. Launchpad is a definite improvement on the past method of keeping track of your applications and updating them. In the past if you moved the applications out of the apps folder then your system update did not locate them automatically to get the latest update and it was sometimes difficult to find your application. Now with Launchpad, applications are automatically all in one place viewable via icons making them easier to find. You can group applications that fall into a category such as “Productivity” and place all your Word, Excel, PowerPoint apps in a group, just like dragging and dropping apps on the iPad and iPhone to group apps together. And if that wasn’t enough, the ONLY way you can get this operating system for a mere $29.95 is thru the Mac App Store which now can be on your Mac computer like it is on your iPhone and iPad. No more CDs and printed manuals. One hundred percent all digital is now how Apple will offer all new applications and this is just the beginning we are seeing from Apple. Expect to see other technology companies take this trend but Apple is leading the way with making the digital method the ONLY method to get the new OS.

Finally, Apple announced the iOS5 which is the new operating system for the iPad and iPhone. Again leading the way with over 200 new features in this update with the top features being Notification Center which is an improved method of announcing new SMS, Mail, Event, and WiFi locations without interrupting your current activity. Other features are iMessage, Reminders, Twitter integration, an improved Camera and Photo Streaming, improving your Safari or browsing experience with the smaller screens on iPad and iPhone with tabbed browsing and Reading List generator. But one of the best items added to this iOS is the fact that you no longer have to sync via wire with your computer EVER. You can upload all updates via the iCloud which in turns updates all your devices. This is major as there was always some sync issue with documents not matching up on one device and having to connect via wire and move over from your computer to your iPad or even to make sure your music library was updated on all your devices which drives people crazy trying to keep it all organized together.

Other announcements at the 2011 WWDC include:

No new iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 was announced this time.
R.I.P MobileMe – it’s dead and everything now goes into iCloud – all free for up to 5GB and it will update across all your Apple devices.
The Volume up button can now be used to take a photo on your iPhone 4.
A split virtual keyboard on iPad that allows for easier typing. Our hands thank Apple!
iTunes 10.3 is out. – launch the old one to upgrade.
App Store gets a magazine stand

Apple truly fixed the content sync issue with iCloud, OSX Lion and iOS5 bringing it all together in true Apple form and simplicity and we love it!

Filed Under: Featured, Social Media & Technology Tagged With: App Store, Apps, Austin Texas, Big Apple, Brand, Brand Image, Branding, Control Feature, Dashboard, Desktop View, Email, Flair, Gestures, Hard Disk, Hub, iCloud, innovation, iOS5, Ipad, Iphone, iPod, Keynotes, Kimberly Ohlson, Launchpad, Lion, Moving Technology, Music Library, New Features, Operating System, OSX Lion, Photo Streaming, Release Date, Seamless Integration, Steve Jobs, Swipe, System Os, Touch Pad, Twitter integration, Wwdc, WWDC 2011

6 Iconic Rock N’ Roll Brands And What Makes Them Great!

June 2, 2011 By John Boyle 2 Comments

Countless books advise how to build your personal and business brand. Consumers flock to brands that embody the ideals they admire and help them express who they are and want to be. The most successful of these become iconic brands. Many Rock performers unquestionably build lasting iconic brands and unique visual trademarks.

1) Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones had been frustrated by the bland and boring branding “efforts” offered by their record label Decca Records. Mick Jagger visited John Pasche and hired him to design the “Tongue and Lip Design” logo in 1971, which was originally reproduced on the Sticky Fingers album. It was perhaps one of the first successful cases of rock brand marketing. The pop art design excellently showed off Mick Jagger’s well known lips and the band’s rebelliousness and has been in use by the Rolling Stones ever since. Show anyone old and young the logo and almost every person will associate it with The Rolling Stones. In August 2008, the design was voted the greatest band logo of all time in an online poll. We’ve also all been to gigs where the band did the bare minimum. They showed up, played, and walk off. The Stones have always promised a big show, then delivered every time.

2) The Grateful Dead

In the late 60′s they were the very first musical group to establish a proprietary customer database and newsletter to stay in touch with their growing legion of loyal “Deadhead” fans. In the early ’90s they offered a powerful interactive Web site.
The Dead allowed fans to record their live concerts, an action that goes against every rule in traditional show business. This further fueled the grass roots devotion to the band, which generated high brand equity, affinity and sustainable customer loyalty. Whether or not you love their (we love love it), their greatness came from a unique ability to connect fans to their brand in a profound, emotional way and their brand score’s off the charts!

3) Michael Jackson

Jackson understood how to connect with his fans. The moonwalk that we all tried and most could not do. The glove, the uniform, “The King of Pop” monicker (that stuck because of his hard work and innovation) and Neverland are all burned into our brains. He co-wrote “We Are The World” with Lionel Ritchie in 1985 and sold over 750 million records outside of the United States. Yes Jackson was quirky, eccentric, mysterious and a bit odd, but he also was amazingly generous in giving back to over 40 charities and organizations during his career.

4) The Beatles

John, Paul, George and Ringo. Just their first names are iconic brands. The Beatles broke up almost 40 years ago, but their brand power is almost as strong today as it was when they first played the “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. The band continues to promote the brand, gaining new generations of fans along the way – without the benefit of formal relationships with PR firms or advertising agencies.

Games (“The Beatles: Rock Band”), Albums, iTunes, Films, Media Play, Vegas Spectacular (Cirque du Soleil’s “The Beatles Love”), Tourism (Liverpool pulls in 2.2 billion a year), and Concerts (McCartney and Starr are still huge draws) all contribute to the growing power of their Fab Brand. Apple Record’s brand control accounts for the purity of the Beatles image and authenticity, but in the end it’s the music that keeps making new fans.

5) Kiss

Kiss realized the power of merchandising from day one, made it a priority and executed it flawlessly. At an industry coming-out party before they even had a record deal, the band made their own Kiss T-shirts for female fans were in the front row.

Today, Kiss continues its reign among the merchandising elite? for decades, Kiss fans have been there, done that and got the T-shirts. As well as the mugs, comic books, condoms and coffins. Live Nation Merchandise, which oversees the band’s merchandising and licensing business, says Kiss grossed more than $500 million in the past 35 years, more than any other rock band when tour merchandising, retail licensing, online and international sales are combined. Perhaps making the ubiquity of the band’s merchandise even more impressive, Kiss’ catalog album sales and touring revenue don’t match competitors like the Beatles, AC/DC or the Stones. They know their place in the market and don’t deviate.

6) AC/DC

A classic powerhouse band and always have been. Their sound is powerful, consistent good old-fashioned hard rock. Over four decades they have ignored trends and stuck to what they do best building a great brand. They use iconic imagery to reinforce the brand message. The school uniform, the devil horns, the giant bell (Hells Bells), the cannon (For Those About To Rock), an over-sized train, funny animated videos, a 40 foot blow up doll called Rosie and seemingly endless guitar solos from fan-favorite Angus Young. Rather than make their fans sit through all “the new artistic material”, AC/DC knows that everyone wants to hear the big hits and delivers.

So what do these top bands and their brands have in common? Customer service, niche intelligence, PR control (for the most part), over delivery, hard work, multiple revenue streams, fantastic artwork, great logos and a product that flows seamlessly from generation to generation to generation.

Businesses large and small could learn a lot from these rocking brands.