The Beatles took America by storm in 1964, but the band is as popular as ever today. How did it happen?
Sixty years after the Beatles took America by storm—during an iconic live appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964—Beatlemania is still going strong. In some ways, it’s only gotten bigger. Much, much bigger.
You can buy a myriad of Beatles merchandise, watch a Beatles Cirque du Soleil show, visit Beatles museum exhibits, see a range of Beatles-themed cover bands in concert, even take a Beatles cruise. Only half of the quartet is still alive, more than 50 years since the band’s breakup, but the Beatles still have nearly 4 million followers on X, 5 million on Instagram and 37 million on Facebook. The band even won a Grammy Award in February (yes, 2024) for Best Music Video for its song, “I’m Only Sleeping.”
The Fab Four are not only one of the most popular musical acts in history, but they kickstarted the idea of going from band to brand—a pop culture unicorn with merchandise, their own record label, movies and, of course, a huge following.
“They changed the landscape of music,” said Melissa Archpru Akaka, a professor in the Daniels College of Business Department of Marketing. “It absolutely was unprecedented at that time. Artists have come close to replicating it, but nothing has been quite as impactful as the Beatles themselves.”
How—and why—did the Beatles achieve such massive success? Was it intentional? Are other musicians following in their footsteps? Akaka offered the Daniels Newsroom some answers.
Let’s go back (or, in Beatles phrasing, “Get Back”) to the beginning. What spurred the band’s massive popularity?
A lot of it has to do with timing, opportunities, the allure of their music and the novelty of it all. In part, it’s because they were traveling and performing and exposing a lot of people to their different style. And it was appealing to many different audiences in a way that people had not experienced before. At the same time, I think it was a time in which society was really ready for a shift in entertainment and media. The media certainly has a lot to do with the way in which a brand like that is built. We saw them on TV and these forms of media, which gave them new outlets of fame. Getting to see them perform through different modes enabled their success to exponentially grow.
Pop stars and celebrities can surely look to the Beatles to curate a brand more easily today. But do you think the Beatles consciously chose to become a brand? Or was it more organic?
In part, it probably was intentional, but I don’t think they could have planned for the level of success that they had. Shifts in technology and the media created this exponential effect of fandom. Essentially, the band itself was always a brand, but the reach that the brand had—because of media opportunities, changes in music technology and the band’s ability to travel—absolutely created a frenzy around this identity that they captured.
Why you think their popularity has sustained and, in some ways, even grown?
I think nostalgia has a lot to do with it. Many people who were around at the time that the Beatles [were recording and performing] are still alive, so the original fans of the Beatles are able to share their experiences and reminisce over them. That is, in part, how the brand has continued to carry.
How would you define a brand within music?
It starts with identity, in this case, the identity of the group. It’s establishing who they are and who they want to be, and then translating it to the people who are listening to their music. Those people resonate with that identity and want to be part of it. We see a lot of collective groups of fans today who don’t just identify as a fan of the band, but actually a member of the band and brand. Look at Taylor Swift and her Swifties. That’s a connection with a community of fans, not just the band itself. I think the group identity potentially has more strength and sustainability than the individual artists.
You mentioned Taylor Swift, who is experiencing a high level of success currently with her fandom, her record-breaking Eras tour and the film of the tour. Is her brand similar to the Beatles?
I think so. She’s been very intentional about fostering a community around her to support the fans and also to have them support her. As an artist herself, she is really in tune with her fan base and how that fan base evolves. But, even with her, it’s hard to tell how she as a brand will be sustained over time.
Because the Beatles brand built such a strong community so early on, that community has been able to support itself, even as the band evolved. What makes the Beatles so spectacular is that their brand really did grow out of their band and continues to be recognized as the iconic symbol of a really meaningful era.
What’s the lesson here when it comes to branding and marketing in general?
The big thing is that anyone wanting to develop a strong and lasting brand needs to meet their consumers and fans where they are. They need to think about not just these individual and transactional moments of engagement, but how can your brand engage with a broader community over longer periods of time? The ideal result is something like Beatlemania.
