No public figure has made a more complete transformation in the last decade than boy-bander turned pop sensation Justin Timberlake. From eleven singles and two studio albums to his recent role in the critically acclaimed "The Social Network," Timberlake, 29, is the perfect example of image transformation.
Not that his prior image was a negative one. But it's hard to name many performers who've gone from boy band to Emmy-award-winning performer and a solo artist that is equally popular among men and women, with four Hot 100 number-one hits.
Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He's released more than a dozen tracks, has appeared in feature films, has formed his own record label, Tennman Records, as well as other ventures like his own fashion label, William Rast, and two restaurants, Destino and Southern Hospitality.
On top of that, in an age where every day it seems another star is entering rehab, Timberlake has remained out of the tabloids.
Solo Hits: 11 singles including "Rock Your Body," "SexyBack," "Summer Love," and "Until the End of Time," featuring Beyoncé.
Movie Appearances: "The Social Network," and 13 other titles including "Alpha Dog" and "Black Snake Moan." Timberlake has also worked behind the scenes, on soundtracks in a number of films.
TV Appearances: Saturday Night Live, where Timberlake performed in skits and SNL music videos and even won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, 2009. And two other titles. Timberlake has also worked on the soundtracks for nearly 20 TV series.
So how'd he do it?
Well, in addition to a slew of solo hits, Timberlake made his mark across TV and the Big Screen. In addition to Facebook and Twitter.
He's also teamed up with other big-name performers including Beyonce', Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Tibmaland, Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, Reba McEntire, Duran Duran, Madonnna, T.I., Ciara, Jamie Foxx and others. That's just good positioning.
But if you break it down, Timberlake followed a simple formula.
His formula: a) release music people want, b) be visible, c) connect with fans & listeners.
What can we take from it?
The formula for successful branding: a) deliver quality content to your audience, b) be visible and on top of their minds, c) connect with your customers.
It worked for Justin Timberlake on a much larger scale -- allowing him to evolve seamlessly from an 'N-Syncer to pop icon and build a filmography of more than 30 titles -- so it could work just as easily for any one of us, in our industry, to our audience.
Just follow the steps. A, B & C.
