The German group Kraftwerk was formed in 1968 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. During the first few years they mainly did instrumental, experimental music but then they gradually moved over to electronic pop music. They often had to develop the instruments themselves to get the sound they were looking for.

The big breakthrough came in 1975 with their album Autobahn. In the following years the group released a number of successful albums: Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man Machine (1978) and Computerworld (1981). But then something interesting happened. The next record, Electric Café, was first released in 1986, The Mix came in 1991 and after that nothing until Tour de France in 2003. Despite this, the group has steadily grown in popularity. How is this possible?

As early as in the 70s and 80s Hütter talked about Kraftwerk as a concept where the band members were regarded as music workers. The members were often replaced by robots, for example, in photos and concerts. The band never mentions a word about their private life and don’t even talk much about their music. Their studio in Düsseldorf has no phone, the only way to contact Kraftwerk is to go to the studio and ring the doorbell. And hope they open the door.

The combination of concept thinking and mystery has created an aura round Kraftwerk, which makes the band’s music more important than what the individual members think and what sort of lives they live. A visit from MTV Cribs would be unthinkable. In many ways, Kraftwerk is like a company. The management hammer out the values and message, which is then communicated consistently. The strength of the brand grows and the company becomes more and more successful.

What co-workers, or band members achieve is, of course, important. But most important is that the big picture, the brand, is greater than the individual parts. A member of Kraftwerk between 1974-1989, Wolfgang Flür, even published an autobiography called “I was a robot”.

What Kraftwerk can teach us about successful brand building is the importance of consistency, persistence and the ability to differentiate oneself from the competition. Curious to find out more about Kraftwerk? Read Kraftwerk – Man, Machine and Music by Pascal Bussy. ISBN 0-946719-70-5.