Branding the Beatles Ryan Acosta

Branding	
  the	
  Beatles	
  	
  
                          	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  

                  Ryan	
  Acosta	
  
	
  

 

           Every	
  individual	
  at	
  any	
  corner	
  in	
  this	
  planet	
  can	
  identify	
  the	
  picture	
  on	
  this	
  

cover	
  page.	
  Some	
  don’t	
  know	
  their	
  names	
  while	
  others	
  can	
  give	
  individual	
  names,	
  

match	
  names	
  to	
  faces,	
  retell	
  stories	
  and	
  biographies.	
  Even	
  people	
  who	
  weren’t	
  born	
  

in	
  the	
  Beatles’	
  era	
  (such	
  as	
  myself)	
  and	
  others	
  who	
  aren’t	
  interested	
  in	
  the	
  Beatles	
  

ironically	
  still	
  know	
  who	
  the	
  Beatles	
  are.	
  While	
  the	
  Beatles	
  were	
  known	
  for	
  their	
  

musical	
  talent,	
  phonetically	
  pleasing	
  music	
  and	
  unique	
  personalities,	
  the	
  image	
  of	
  

the	
  band	
  overshadows	
  each	
  and	
  every	
  one	
  of	
  them.	
  While	
  their	
  personalities	
  is	
  

probably	
  what	
  made	
  them	
  famous,	
  there	
  is	
  something	
  about	
  the	
  band	
  that	
  leaves	
  an	
  

indelible	
  mark	
  on	
  today’s	
  culture	
  and	
  society.	
  	
  

           Since	
  I	
  am	
  a	
  Business	
  and	
  Non-­‐Profit	
  Management	
  Major,	
  I	
  am	
  particularly	
  

interested	
  in	
  writing	
  about	
  the	
  Beatles	
  public	
  image.	
  This	
  essay	
  will	
  investigate	
  and	
  

discuss	
  the	
  Beatles	
  from	
  a	
  branding	
  perspective;	
  how	
  manager	
  Brian	
  Epstein	
  was	
  

able	
  to	
  brand	
  the	
  Beatles	
  into	
  a	
  national	
  and	
  international	
  icon.	
  	
  There	
  are	
  so	
  many	
  

things	
  that	
  can	
  affect	
  a	
  person	
  or	
  bands	
  public	
  image	
  but	
  I	
  will	
  stick	
  to	
  their	
  physical	
  

appearance	
  and	
  their	
  personalities.	
  I	
  will	
  also	
  cover	
  the	
  branding	
  process	
  of	
  the	
  

Beatles	
  until	
  the	
  album	
  Help!.	
  	
  

           Before	
  I	
  get	
  into	
  the	
  Beatles	
  image,	
  I	
  think	
  it	
  is	
  important	
  to	
  talk	
  about	
  their	
  

personalities	
  because	
  it	
  defines	
  them	
  as	
  a	
  band	
  and	
  contributed	
  to	
  their	
  success.	
  I	
  

will	
  not	
  discuss	
  every	
  individuals	
  personality	
  because	
  I	
  could	
  write	
  a	
  novel	
  on	
  that	
  

topic	
  alone.	
  The	
  Beatles	
  in	
  retrospect	
  of	
  the	
  era	
  they	
  became	
  famous	
  in	
  were	
  known	
  

for	
  having	
  “unorthodox	
  personalities”	
  and	
  “cheeky	
  attitudes”	
  (Emerick,	
  page	
  40).	
  

This	
  in	
  part	
  could	
  be	
  a	
  reflection	
  of	
  the	
  current	
  situation	
  they	
  found	
  themselves	
  in.	
  

	
                                                                   1	
  

The	
  Beatles	
  were	
  all	
  raised	
  in	
  Liverpool,	
  which	
  was	
  a	
  post	
  industrial	
  city	
  that	
  had	
  

suffered	
  the	
  bad	
  recession	
  caused	
  by	
  the	
  loss	
  of	
  industrial	
  jobs.	
  The	
  Beatles	
  were	
  

humble,	
  middle	
  to	
  lower	
  class	
  citizens	
  that	
  grew	
  up	
  with	
  little	
  to	
  nothing.	
  Despite	
  

the	
  circumstances	
  they	
  were	
  raised	
  in,	
  the	
  Beatles	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  create	
  unique	
  

personalities;	
  the	
  Beatles	
  were	
  positive,	
  determined,	
  humorous,	
  joyful	
  and	
  witty	
  but	
  

yet	
  serious.	
  The	
  Beatles	
  were	
  never	
  afraid	
  of	
  a	
  challenge,	
  both	
  musically	
  and	
  

approach	
  to	
  the	
  media;	
  the	
  Beatles	
  were	
  beyond	
  honest	
  with	
  their	
  feelings	
  and	
  often	
  

expressed	
  what	
  they	
  thought/felt.	
  The	
  Beatles	
  didn’t	
  need	
  anymore	
  character	
  than	
  

what	
  they	
  already	
  had;	
  they	
  possessed	
  all	
  the	
  characteristics	
  (and	
  more)	
  to	
  become	
  

a	
  popular	
  band.	
  	
  

            The	
  Beatles	
  didn’t	
  always	
  rock	
  the	
  black	
  and	
  white	
  suits,	
  the	
  grey	
  collarless	
  

tailored	
  suits	
  by	
  George	
  Millings	
  or	
  the	
  mop	
  tops	
  hair	
  design	
  (Barker,	
  page	
  1).	
  In	
  

fact,	
  there	
  was	
  a	
  time	
  in	
  which	
  the	
  Beatles	
  didn’t.	
  Early	
  in	
  their	
  career,	
  when	
  the	
  

Beatles	
  played	
  in	
  Hamburg	
  in	
  1960,	
  the	
  Beatles	
  lived	
  a	
  “fierce	
  fashion	
  style”	
  (as	
  

described	
  by	
  Barker,	
  page	
  1);	
  the	
  Beatles	
  wore	
  “motorcycle	
  jackets,	
  jeans	
  or	
  leather	
  

pants,	
  cowboy	
  boots	
  and	
  slick	
  pampadours”.	
  This	
  style	
  was	
  “a	
  Brylcreem-­‐and-­‐

popped-­‐collar	
  homage	
  to	
  their	
  musical	
  heroes:	
  Gene	
  Vincent	
  and	
  Elvis	
  Presley”	
  

(Barker,	
  page	
  1).	
  This	
  fashion	
  style	
  also	
  resembles	
  the	
  type	
  of	
  lifestyle	
  they	
  were	
  

living;	
  Hamburg	
  was	
  a	
  temptation	
  for	
  the	
  Beatles	
  social	
  life.	
  Even	
  though	
  they	
  were	
  

young	
  and	
  curious,	
  Hamburg	
  gave	
  the	
  Beatles	
  the	
  freedom	
  to	
  do	
  what	
  ever	
  they	
  

pleased	
  and	
  this	
  was	
  evident	
  in	
  the	
  way	
  they	
  acted.	
  The	
  Beatles	
  would	
  swear,	
  drink,	
  

smoke	
  cigarettes	
  and	
  display	
  other	
  unprofessional	
  behavior	
  on	
  stage	
  (Frontani,	
  

page	
  10).	
  After	
  events,	
  the	
  Beatles	
  would	
  stay	
  up	
  late	
  and	
  party.	
  Nevertheless,	
  

	
                                                                  2	
  

Hamburg	
  proved	
  to	
  be	
  the	
  place	
  where	
  the	
  Beatles	
  started	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  sense	
  of	
  group	
  

identity	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  a	
  big	
  step	
  towards	
  a	
  more	
  improved	
  quality	
  of	
  musical	
  creation.	
  	
  	
  

           In	
  the	
  midst	
  of	
  this	
  “bad	
  ass”	
  appearance	
  that	
  the	
  Beatles	
  had	
  inherited	
  from	
  

the	
  lifestyle	
  and	
  attitudes	
  while	
  performing	
  in	
  Hamburg	
  and	
  later	
  in	
  Liverpool,	
  Brian	
  

Epstein	
  joined	
  the	
  band	
  in	
  1962	
  as	
  manager	
  of	
  the	
  band.	
  It	
  was	
  Brian	
  Epstein	
  who	
  

cleaned	
  the	
  Beatles,	
  “sanitizing	
  the	
  rougher,	
  more	
  rebellious	
  image	
  that	
  had	
  been	
  

developed	
  in	
  Liverpool’s	
  Cavern	
  Club	
  and	
  on	
  Hamburg’s	
  Reeperbahm”	
  (Frontani,	
  

page	
  10).	
  Epstein	
  would	
  introduce	
  the	
  suit	
  and	
  tie	
  teen	
  image,	
  which	
  was	
  a	
  

standardized	
  image	
  for	
  commercial	
  musicians	
  at	
  the	
  time.	
  There	
  were	
  few	
  things	
  

that	
  differentiated	
  them	
  from	
  the	
  rest,	
  which	
  were	
  the	
  mop	
  top	
  hairstyle,	
  “length	
  of	
  

their	
  hair	
  and	
  their	
  Britishness”	
  (Frontani,	
  page	
  10).	
  	
  	
  

           It	
  is	
  quite	
  the	
  mystery	
  how	
  Epstein	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  accomplish	
  this	
  feat.	
  He	
  took	
  

a	
  bunch	
  of	
  young	
  musicians	
  that	
  were	
  known	
  to	
  be	
  rebellious	
  in	
  terms	
  of	
  behavior	
  

and	
  he	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  straighten	
  them.	
  The	
  taming	
  of	
  the	
  Beatles	
  is	
  in	
  fact	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  

whole	
  “story”	
  behind	
  the	
  phenomenon	
  (Frontani,	
  page	
  10).	
  The	
  Beatles	
  spent	
  much	
  

of	
  their	
  life	
  under	
  Epstein’s	
  relentless	
  control.	
  The	
  reason	
  why	
  Epstein	
  had	
  done	
  this	
  

was	
  because	
  he	
  wanted	
  to	
  associate	
  the	
  Beatles	
  with	
  a	
  new	
  type	
  of	
  image;	
  he	
  wanted	
  

to	
  change	
  the	
  public’s	
  image	
  of	
  the	
  Beatles	
  into	
  “wholesome	
  entertainers”.	
  	
  

           The	
  Beatles	
  music	
  had	
  changed	
  over	
  time.	
  Along	
  with	
  the	
  Beatles	
  music,	
  the	
  

Beatles	
  image	
  had	
  also	
  changed	
  over	
  time.	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  illustrate	
  the	
  changes	
  in	
  

physical	
  appearance	
  that	
  went	
  along	
  the	
  changes	
  in	
  personalities.	
  These	
  changes	
  

over	
  time	
  depicted	
  the	
  maturation	
  of	
  the	
  Beatles	
  as	
  they	
  grew	
  older.	
  I	
  had	
  stopped	
  

talking	
  about	
  the	
  Beatles	
  at	
  or	
  around	
  the	
  time	
  of	
  the	
  album	
  Help!.	
  The	
  following	
  

	
                                                                    3	
  

years	
  to	
  come	
  would	
  be	
  another	
  stepping	
  stone	
  in	
  their	
  public	
  image.	
  In	
  order	
  for	
  

the	
  Beatles	
  to	
  be	
  as	
  successful	
  as	
  they	
  were	
  and	
  recognizable	
  decades	
  after	
  their	
  

discontinuance,	
  they	
  needed	
  a	
  strong	
  public	
  image,	
  appealing	
  music,	
  and	
  the	
  

personality	
  traits	
  of	
  great	
  people.	
  If	
  one	
  of	
  those	
  three	
  factors	
  does	
  not	
  take	
  place,	
  

the	
  Beatles	
  wouldn’t	
  be	
  as	
  influential	
  as	
  they	
  are.	
  “It’s	
  the	
  combustion	
  triggered	
  by	
  

bundling	
  them	
  together	
  that	
  gives	
  brands	
  life	
  and	
  true	
  ingenuity”	
  (Graj,	
  page	
  1).	
  	
  	
  

Sources:	
  	
  

Emerick,	
  Geoff,	
  and	
  Howard	
  Massey.	
  Here,	
  There	
  and	
  Everywhere:	
  My	
  Life	
  Recording	
  

	
         the	
  Music	
  of	
  the	
  Beatles.	
  Penguin,	
  2006.	
  

Gould,	
  Jonathan,	
  and	
  Richard	
  Aspel.	
  Can't	
  Buy	
  Me	
  Love.	
  Bolinda	
  Audio,	
  2013.	
  

Barker,	
  Olivia.	
  How	
  The	
  Beatles	
  brought	
  Fab	
  fashion	
  to	
  our	
  closets.	
  USA	
  Today,	
  	
  	
  

	
         	
  February	
  3,	
  2014.	
  

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/02/03/beatles-­‐fab-­‐fashion-­‐

collarless-­‐suits-­‐moptops/5193987/	
  

Frontani,	
  Michael	
  R.	
  The	
  Beatles:	
  Image	
  and	
  the	
  media.	
  Univ.	
  Press	
  of	
  Mississippi,	
  

	
         2009.	
  

Braj,	
  Simon.	
  The	
  Beatles:	
  The	
  Brand	
  Behind	
  The	
  Band.	
  Forbes:	
  CMO	
  Network.	
  June	
  	
  	
  

	
         	
  25,	
  2012.	
  http://www.forbes.com/sites/simongraj/2012/06/25/the-­‐

	
         beatles-­‐the-­‐brand-­‐behind-­‐the-­‐band/	
  	
  

	
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