Does a tribute band contribute the original brand? Stefan Engeseth thinks so, after chatting to one of the members of Waterloo, an ABBA tribute band in Sweden. American fans have approached Katja Nord (as Anni-Frid) and commented on how young she still looked, thinking her to be the original. In our conversation tonight, Stefan informed me that Waterloo’s research into the original ABBA costumes, for instance, is incredible. Like Elvis impersonators, they keep a legend fresh for new generations.
   But do such tribute bands and impersonators further the original brand? Or are they so commonplace now—Elvis and the Beatles are done time and time again—that they do little for positive brand associations? Parodies of TV shows on, say, Saturday Night Live can’t be said to improve on their reputation; the difference is that many impersonators and tribute groups like Waterloo take their act incredibly seriously. Like Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman in The Man on the Moon, they become the character.
   But brand equity depends on one thing: the name. The proprietary brand assets, in David Aaker’s parlance. These tribute bands and impersonators are like cues: they remind you of something, but this one element of the brand is not necessarily enforced. Not even for a supergroup like ABBA—who look to Mamma Mia! and other avenues for living the brand today. Posted by Jack Yan, 11:52  permalink

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