K3
Published March 18 2015
Even though this is not exactly about a world famous group, I really think this is worth writing about due to my interest in music and marketing. What this group has managed to achieve, is pretty spectacular.
K3 is a girl group that had their break through in Holland and Belgium 16 years ago (!). They captivated a very young audience time and time again. Personally, I’m not quite sure if that was the plan all along, because the first song was just a regular pop song, but the group attracted really young kids and very quickly marketed themselves towards that. And with major success. They sold over 4 million albums, not to mention countless merchandising. Kids wanted it all and funny enough, K3 created things even the parents didn’t mind; the famous rainbow dress, the lunch box, the cds etc. The group even got their own TV show, theatre tours and rides in amusement parks. Did I already say, they’ve managed to keep this up all throughout the last 16 years?!
A lot can happen to a person’s life in 16 years, so the girls who started out in the girl group became women, and women become mothers. Not at all a problem for this group. Their young audience embraced it all. In the years, dreams may change, and so it did for one member. In a talent show on TV the remaining members looked for her replacement about 6 years ago. And the fans embraced her too. The new blonde bomb shell even attracted some new audience as dads were now showing up more at the shows. The newest member also brought growth to the group. A “Friends”-like sitcom gave them a bit more maturity.
All these things are tell tale signs of great branding to the T. The brand K3 has become bigger than the members itself. And this is now being put to the test even further. Today the group has announced their split. Or rather, the members have decided to call it quits, but the group will continue. A new TV show will start the search for new, younger, members and then all will return to normal. Very interesting stuff to watch.
