vance of rock and roll to your firms performance, remember that businesses and rock-and-roll bands share several goals, including:    Breaking through the clutter and creating awareness among con- sumers otherwise inundated with messages and advertising about competitive products and companies    Creating and maintaining loyalty or devotion among customers    Identifying mechanisms for remaining current and relevant in the minds of existing customers and attracting new customers    Creating lasting brands that are accepted by a culture    Becoming long-term industry leaders    Attracting and keeping talented people who make up and market the brand    Identifying one or more market segments and crafting products that appeal to them    Creating a brand image and promise that will maintain its appeal from one year to the next    Generating profits   Although many of the issues faced by bands and businesses are the same, and many of the solutions are similar, the approach to finding the solutions and implementing them are often quite different. The process of innovation and creative thinking is a vital step in company evolution, whether it pertains to the development of a new product, service, packaging concept, operational design, or marketing campaign. Although not all ideas make it past the brainstorming process inherent to innovative thinking, let alone make it to market, the value to the organization lies in the creative process as well as in what it can lead to. The process allows a firms most talented people to f ro m b a nd lo ya lt y to br a nd lo ya lt y |     remain challenged and involved in the future direction of the com- pany, giving them a heightened interest in the performance of the company and hopefully increasing their desire to stay with the firm.       Shattering the Creative Stat us Quo   If you want to do something different from what your competitors have tried in the marketplace, look to rock and rolls living legends for creative inspiration and ideas. Then, apply these lessons to your organizations marketing, branding, and customer-related strategies. Challenge yourself to let your hair down and open your mind to new