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Why Musicians Love the Instrument that Changed Music

This video, titled ‘How the TB-303 Changed Music', resonates and engages with me in a way that epitomises how the Roland TB-303 acid synthesizer has reached the pinnacle of Keller’s model for building CBBE. It demonstrates how the product has, after initial failure, become so successful due to intense and active experimentation between musicians and the product, which ended up creating an entire sub-genre of electronic music.





This video shows that the TB-303 (1) highlights the importance of a compelling product story, (2) demonstrates how history and heritage shape brand meaning, and (3) how brand judgements positively contribute to brand responses, all of which culminate in an attitudinal attachment and active engagement with the brand, along with the sense of community which is shared between users of this product.



1. How is the importance of brand story reflected in the video?

At 0:46 seconds, Dave Smith explains how when the TB-303 was released it was extremely unsuccessful and unfashionable. The video goes on to explain how the product, which was originally designed to simulate a bass guitar (and did so poorly) was re-appropriated for a different purpose as a result of active engagement and intense experimentation. This almost rags-to-riches story reflects the connection between the base of Keller’s brand equity theory: brand salience, and the apex of brand resonance. The video highlights how initial failure and experimentation has formed part of the brand identity of the TB-303. This describes how the consumer can have brand awareness of the product through these associations.



2. How Does History and Heritage Contribute to Brand Meaning and Resonance?  

In the video, multiple artists explain how the initial failure and subsequent success of the TB-303 is not just a component of brand imagery but is the defining feature of the brand’s imagery. I think brand meaning is also perfectly reflected in the performance of the product, which is described as both unique and favourable by artists in the video.  I think this perfectly describes how how brand story, performance, and imagery are essential to the second step of the customer-based brand equity pyramid.



3. How are Brand Judgements Explored in this Video? Is this Important to Brand Resonance?

I believe that the video provides social approval, and other positive brand feelings to support the view that the TB-303 is the original and superior creator of acid bass. I believe this sense of superiority, demonstrated by Dave Smith’s words ‘of course we would all kill to have one now’ shows that the TB-303 is at the top of the consideration set for acid sound.



Conclusion: How Does this all Result in Brand Resonance?

I believe that it was the TB-303’s ‘hard to program’ design that meant intense and active engagement with the product was essential in order to derive any benefit from it. This meant that artists really had to dedicate themselves to the product to enjoy its unique and incredible sound. Ultimately, it is the combination of its difficulty-to-use, its utterly compelling story, its incredible performance/sound, and its widespread social approval which culminated in a love for the product which epitomises brand resonance, the peak of Keller’s CBBE.

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