If you do not live in Asia, you may not know the band AKB48
very well, but chances are that you will hear about them soon. They are a
Japanese all-girl pop music band (if the name applies) that have something between
90 and 100-plus members depending on what level of affiliation you count. They
have full members, affiliate members, and so on. They perform very frequently
in different configurations, have fan clubs for individual band members (yes,
the fans can keep track), and even votes for the most popular member. I will
refrain from commenting on the music, but the performances involve singing and
dancing.
AKB48 brings the idea of a band (if the name applies) as
close to an organization as it can possibly get, and they are worth studying
for that reason alone. The band is a franchise organization with a carefully
cultivated brand, a strong marketing message, standardization of the product
and even (because they perform in different configurations) the ability to
deliver similar products (well, songs) in many places at once with good
reliability. Remarkably, you could go to an AKB48 concert and know what kind of
show to expect, even if you did not know who was going to deliver it. That is
what good franchise organizations strive to accomplish (of course, I mean no
comparison with franchises like McDonald’s on other dimensions).
The band members come in tiers depending on their experience
and skills, and younger ones are carefully trained from being rather unpolished
performers to reaching the first-tier AKB48 performer level. All this happens
in full view of the fans, who often pick favorites among the younger members
and follow their career as they go up the tiers of membership. AKB48 have even
developed to the point of getting a fairly systematic career system that lets
the most popular performers "graduate" into advertisement deals, television
acting, and solo record contracts, while new ones enter the organization and
start the same career path again. The franchise form of organization is known
for its ability to deliver service reliably, in multiple locations, and over
long time, and is also quite good at building up capabilities through experience.
As a result, we often eat in franchises or get other services done there such
as photocopying and haircuts, but even I had not anticipated seeing a franchise
band.
Kenneth Maxwell. 2012. AKB48: World Domination, Phase II?
Wall Street Journal Asia, April 4.
