more traditional musicians such as John Mayer, Norah Jones, and Vanessa Carlton as a desire to turn toward conservatism.   The music industry, like most others today, is dependent on per- ceived cultural relevance or the degree to which a brand is up to date. Few people want to be associated with a brand, style, fashion, or atti- tude that isnt current-it doesnt have to be the latest fad, but it has to be relevant to them to maintain favored status. Though rock and roll can be an effective crystal ball, cultural relevance is tricky for any brand, including bands, because musicians and other artisans often start as the outcasts of society and stay closely tuned to the perimeter of culture even after they attain success. In medieval Europe and England, it was the task of traveling minstrels to pick up gossip,     unrest, and social concerns from the campfires of the countryside and taverns of the city and bring them into mainstream culture. In the Elizabethan days of Shakespeare, "fools" took the truth to the king or queen-hence the name of one of the best-known news- paper columns and web sites, Motley Fool, claiming to tell the truth about investing to help readers laugh their way to the bank. What can corporate America do with the idea of listening to the fringe? In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ron Castel, vice president of marketing at BankOne, spoke to national assemblies of bankers, rec- ommending they attend protests (in jeans), listen to rock musicians, and visit campuses (where they would smell an aroma different from that of conventional tobacco products). It was controversial advice for the normally white-shirted, blue-suited bankers. Those who did break out of their suited environments and listened to the fringe went on to invent the automatic teller machine (ATM), point-of-sale processing of credit cards, electronic funds transfer, and a host of other innovations in banking products that eventually penetrated the majority culture.     Passion and Energy Create Brands People Want to Adopt   Jagger struts; Madonna vogues; Tyler twirls; Diamond radiates; Sim- mons stomps; John pounds his keys. Attend a concert by any of these superstars and youll surmise that the commonality uniting them is the extraordinary degree of passion and energy they project. Night after night, city after city, these professionals take the stage and take charge of the tens of thousands of fans standing before them. They win their attention with the quality of the music they play; they cap- tivate them, however, with the energy they emote. They never stop moving while on stage, leaving fans exhausted at the end of their two- to three-hour concerts. Leaving the venue, youll undoubtedly hear people talk about how energetic they are. Fans respect sweat. Brands project energy and passion as well-some just project more than others. Victorias Secret emits an intimate form of pas- sion, while Nike projects passion for exercise and life. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is passionate about coffee. Wal-Mart is passionate about consumers and giving them the best possible value. When cost