Brand Marketing Search Engine




Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Tired Brands: The Cream nightclub

Last dance saloon?

In the 1990s Liverpool nightclub Cream grew from being a small intimate venue catering for around 400 clubbers every Saturday night, to being one of the UK’s first ‘super clubs’ regularly attracting thousands of devotees from all over the country. It quickly capitalized on its success by launching merchandising material, setting up its own record label in partnership with Virgin, touring nationally and internationally with a variety of sponsors, and even embarking on a series of dance music festivals called Creamfields, catering for around 40,000 clubbers. By the end of the 1990s there were regular Cream nights in places as far afield as Buenos Aires and Ibiza, as well as the brand’s native Liverpool.

Yet in September 2002, Cream co-founder and boss James Barton announced that the Liverpool club was closing. Although Barton said the reason for the closure was to concentrate on other aspects of the company, he also admitted to Radio One that ‘if the club was doing the sort of numbers it was doing four or five years ago we wouldn’t be making this decision.’ The media responded by saying that the decision not only signified the imminent death of the Cream brand, but of club culture in general. Whether or not Cream manages to survive without its spiritual home remains to be seen, but the closure certainly indicates tough times ahead.

So why exactly did it happen? How could a club that became a household name for a generation suddenly lose its appeal? The reasons, as you might well expect, are numerous.

One argument was that as Cream expanded it gradually lost its cool factor. In 1992, the year James Barton and Darren Hughes set up the club, Cream was immediately viewed as a welcome antidote to the business-minded approach of the London club, Ministry of Sound.

Word of mouth helped to fuel its early growth, along with celebratory pieces in dance music magazines such as Mixmag which named Cream its ‘club of the year’ in 1994. Around this time Cream decided to expand its operation, moving the club to a larger venue and launching nights in Ibiza.

By the middle of the decade, Cream was everywhere. Clubbers were sporting tattoos of the distinctive Cream logo (which itself had won awards for its ‘propeller-style’ design), DJs from around the world were lining up to play in the main room, and one Liverpool couple even decided to get married at a Cream event. In 1996, Cream was cited as the third main reason people applied to Liverpool University in a poll conducted by the university. Over 60,000 people rushed out to buy the ‘Cream Live’ CD in the first week of release.

Then, in 1998, the first signs of trouble started to appear. Darren Hughes left the company to set up his own super club, Home, in London’s Leicester Square. The year after the first ‘Creamfields’ festival, Hughes started his own ‘Homelands’ event. The club’s former director was now the competition.

Another problem was the cost of putting on Cream events at the Liverpool club. Ironically, for a club which helped to establish the cult of the ‘superstar DJ’, the fees charged by big names such as Fatboy Slim, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, the Chemical Brothers and Carl Cox were becoming the major weekly cost. However, without paying for the DJs, Cream would have risked losing its market altogether. ‘It’s the performers who make the real money, though they used to draw in enough custom to make it worth the club’s while,’ says Mixmag editor Viv Craske. ‘Big clubs still rely on the same old DJs, despite no longer drawing the crowds.’ With big names typically charging four or five figure sums for two hours’ work, the costs could clearly be crippling for a club such as Cream which always advertised their events on the strength of their DJ line-ups.

Another factor, and one beyond Cream’s immediate control, was the fact that its original customer was now getting too old to be on the dance floor at three in the morning every Saturday night. For many 18-year-olds, the idea of ‘super clubs’ and ‘superstar DJs’ was starting to be wholly unattractive. As Jacques Peretti wrote in a July 2002 article in the Guardian, this generational shift took place at the end of the 1990s:

These teenagers were more interested in rebelling against their siblings and joining a band. Instead of going to clubs, it became cool to follow American nu-metal bands such as Slipknot and Papa Roach – bands that preach hate and pain in ludicrous gothic garb, not peace and love, as ageing house DJs might. [. . .] Even to their natural constituency, super clubs epitomised everything that had gone wrong with club culture [. . .] The cutting edge of this culture now is not Cream or Ministry of Sound, but tiny venues with a word-of-mouth following.

As Cream became ever-more commercial, it was seen to lose its point. What did it have to offer which couldn’t be provided by mass-market pub, club and restaurant corporations such as Luminar and First Leisure (which began to borrow the super clubs’ music policy for their own venues but without having to fork out for the high profile DJ)? Cream, and the other super clubs, had suddenly seemed to lose their sense of creativity and personality. (It is perhaps not a coincidence that in 2002, the year Cream shut its Liverpool club, the biggest nightclub event in the UK was School Disco – which completely rejected the dance music ethos in favour of unpretentious good fun, with clubbers dressing in school uniforms and dancing to Duran Duran and Dexy’s Midnight Runners).

Some people have also questioned the competence of Cream’s management team. The owners certainly had no formal training, as with most people in the clubbing industry. As Oxford graduate, former merchant banker, chairman and co-founder of Ministry of Sound, James Palumbo, once put it: ‘The world of nightclubs is so populated by incompetent people that you only have to be a bit better to make a success of it.’

This accusation is at least partly unfair though. In many ways Cream has been too ‘business-like’, at least ostentatiously. In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, James Barton was asked about the decision to close the club.

‘It is something which is unfortunate but I think we have to make these sorts of decisions,’ he said. ‘At the end of the day we are businessmen.’ Of course, they are businessmen, but that doesn’t mean they have to advertise the fact.

Equally, they were perhaps unwise to make such a big deal out of their tenth anniversary.

Cream is, or at least should be, a youth brand. As such it needs to be about the here and now, not the past. As one anonymous commentator remarked on the Internet, ‘when was the last time you watched other youth brands like Nike or Nintendo celebrate their birthdays.’ Certainly, when your core market is 18–24 year-olds the last thing you want to be telling them is that you are 10 years old. They don’t care about what you were doing when they were, in some cases, only eight years old. The club’s reputation has also been tarnished by its association with drug use. Merseyside Police expressed concerns in 2000 about the ‘drug culture’ at Cream, saying it could have taken more measures to prevent drug dealing at the venue. In 1999, a 21-year-old woman died after collapsing on the dance floor.

Although James Barton said after the club’s closure that the German brand remains at ‘the forefront of youth culture’ there is an increasing amount of evidence to the contrary. Its ‘Cream Collect’ album sold under 2,000 copies in total.

Competitors have also been quick to isolate themselves from the Cream closure, by blaming a lack of brand innovation. ‘Cream closing is a seminal moment in club land history,’ Ministry of Sound managing director Mark Rodol told the Independent newspaper. ‘It’s a lesson to club promoters that you can’t sit still. Ministry of Sound’s music policy changes at least every twelve months and has always done so, with our nights proving there’s still thousands of clubbers looking for a great night out.’

Although it remains to be seen whether the Cream brand will turn sour, or once again be able to rise to the top, there is no denying it needs a radical overhaul if it is to survive. ‘Clubs like Cream no longer empathise with customers,’ says Mixmag’s Crastke. ‘They’ve lost the trust of the kids. And once you’ve lost the kids, it’s very hard to get them back.’

Lessons from Cream

  • Don’t contradict your brand values. If you’re a nightclub which is open untilsix in the morning, your key market tends to be people under 24 years old. It was a mistake then to emphasize the age and longevity of the Cream brand to a market which cares little about such values.
  • Adapt or die. For youth brands, the only constant is change. The Cream nightclub relied on the same tried and tested formula for too long, using expensive DJs who had passed their sell-by date.
  • Avoid over-exposure. By 2000, Cream could be found everywhere. At festivals, in clothes shops, in music stores, on TV adverts. As the brand extended its line however, the identity became diluted and consequently the club struggled to attract enough custom to keep it going.
  • Watch market trends. The fact that 200,000 people went to see Fatboy Slim live on Brighton beach in the same month that Cream closed down proved that there was still a strong market for dance music events. It also proved that the Cream nightclub may have been moving in the wrong direction.

60 comments:

ciora said...

Interesting story, and it's true you have to be in constant change, I have changed my style from house to techno, to trance, to minimal, to electro, and now break beat and dnb!! it's also true that not many can do so!the point is that you have to live in the present and sometimes see the upcoming future, adapting to the new needs, and this is reached only by information that you get from around you!! ciora,romania

D.A.N. said...

To claim Cream failed is ridiculous. Creamfields today is the world's biggest dance music festival, and Cream still operates globally. Closing the club in Liverpool was a wise decision based on marketplace change. The brand changed, moved on, it didn't fail. To say otherwise ignores the fundamental tenet suggested by the book- the overly obvious remark that brands need to change.
www.danielhartley.blogspot.com

Isabel Bent said...

You blog provide a very important details about the placing brands and i really appreciate it.
App for placing your brand

klotylda said...

That's awesome. If you're into business and perhaps have your own to run, you might want to check out my website. It can provide you with all the info you need to make your company succeed in a short time.

Unknown said...

sauna belt

telemall

telebrands

fast shopping

aire bra

Online Shopping in Pakistan Payment on Delivery

aluma wallet

Yoko Height Increaser

Fair look cream

massage mattress in pakistan

Zeesol said...

very interesting post running machine price in pakistan

Unknown said...

Health or dietary supplements refer to a diverse group of products commonly consumed for the purpose of supplementing the diet and enhancing health. These products typically contain ingredients from natural sources and are not meant to prevent, treat, cure or alleviate the symptoms of medical diseases or conditions. Health Supplements

Unknown said...

Cream has gone from 200 people to the biggest name in dance music,and it has reinvented itself,it still puts nights in Liverpool just at a different location now,the venue it's self had a resurgence for a while,they did cream reunions and were still putting nights on during the week for students which were very successful,The building eventually got sold for about 45 million pounds and was demolished,not before a run of sellout events before it shut down for good,Nowdays cream still have a massive presence in ibiza and are the number one dance festival in the world they put on creamfields all over the globe,and still they return to Liverpool to put on events they are in the summer of 2019 putting on a cream classical event which is for twenty thousand people,so to me they definitely evolved and learnt lessons they are the biggest global dance brand out there,ministry of sound just put out rehashed dance cd's every few weeks

happyrealization said...

When a coin is tossed, there’s a 50% chance it will land upon the side you bet. Similar is our outcome in different chores we perform in our life. One major difference that differentiates our life with tossing of the coin is that we put in a lot of devotion and hard work in our efforts. 

Failure and Success
realisation quotes

seoprofesi said...

thankyou for this article hopefully cools visit my website
https://www.mjhub.biz/forums/users/slotskiss/

Square International Technology Consulting DMCC said...

Thank's for sharing this blog. I got a lot of valuable information.
Microsoft Dynamic 365
Microsoft Dynamic CRM
ERP Implementation
Microsoft Dynamic NAV
Office 365

988slot said...

Hi, nice post thanks for sharing, keep it up! https://www.ipeme.org/community/profile/988pkridn/

judionlineterpercaya188 said...

situs IDN poker online yang sudah terkenal di Indonesia banyak sekali para penjudi online di tanah air
https://www.studentcompanion.co.za/forums/users/situs988poker/?wmc-currency=BWP

slot online said...

Kami selaku sebagai situs idn poker online terbaik di Indonesia kami melayani anda dengan sepenuh hati. Yang kami sediakan untuk anda seperti layanan customer service kami siap siaga 24 jam membalas anda. https://ybtt.org/community/profile/situs988poker/

slot online said...

Kami selaku sebagai situs idn poker online terbaik di Indonesia kami melayani anda dengan sepenuh hati. Yang kami sediakan untuk anda seperti layanan customer service kami siap siaga 24 jam membalas anda. https://ybtt.org/community/profile/situs988poker/

pokeronline said...

dengan membaca website ini membantu saya karena saya mendapatkan wawasan dari website ini, thanks dan jngan lupa berkunjung ke sonic poker online http://www.riktigtkaffe.se/member.php?70435-scherazard22

ameliaclara988 said...

I am really happy with articles quality and presentation. Thank you so much. dont forget to visit my website sonicpoker

ameliaclara988 said...

This post was extremely motivating, I appreciate your information in this article. It's smart, well-written, and easy to understand. Thank you for sharing such valuable information I'll keep coming on your site and looking for more good posts. please visit my website sonicpoker

Sonic Poker said...

Thank you for sharing such valuable information, visit my website https://www.magchange.ma/forums/users/onlinesspokerku/

988PokerOnline said...

The main game that you can find on IDN Poker, of course, is definitely poker gambling. This poker gambling has long been awaited by the bettor. Classic gambling is the first poker gambling game in the world. Some examples include texas hold em and omaha poker gambling. Whatever the variant, IDN Poker has prepared various tables and reliable dealers to serve the bettor who wants to play with us.

The game of poker gambling follows the rules of play as you are usually familiar with. There will be a dealer who deals cards to each player. Each bettor will receive 2 to 4 cards depending on the game you want to try. Online gambling games like Texas Hold Em will only have 2 cards dealt to each player. Meanwhile, other online gambling at IDN Poker will give friends all 4 personal cards. Players will also be given the option to raise, check, fold, bet, and so on. Arrange the cards well and you can be a winner at IDN Poker.

https://www.hypotheekbusinessclub.nl/forums/users/988idnpoker/

ameliaclara988 said...

Sonicpoker's online poker IDN agent has been trusted in Indonesia since 2020. Even though it's a new age, Sonicpoker's agent already has hundreds of thousands of members from all of us in Indonesia. This Indonesian online IDN poker agent has been sought after by everyone on google search. Google is already very confident by Sonicpoker agents as a provider of online IDN poker games. Why is it trusted by Google? Because Sonicpoker agents provide a lot of benefits for loyal members, one proof of that is the jackpot in any game.

https://ethioamericandoctors.com/community/profile/scherazard22/

pokeronline said...

website ini memberikan pengetahuan yang luar bisa atau bisa di bilang fanstatis, jadi banyak ilmu yang dikasih tau secara langsung dan jangan lupa berkunjung di website ini https://www.welcart.com/community/forums/users/blankjek

sex robots said...

wooden hot tubs for sale

WAJA sauna is specialist manufacturer of top quality sauna products. Products include sauna rooms, steam rooms, barrel saunas, wooden hot tubs, and all kinds of sauna accessories.

Digitech Sialkot said...

Our skin deserves the best online skincare products brands. Discover the best Chilin Collections (+44 0 7405002320) brands that are proven to perform.

Village Talkies said...

A great blog, it has a lot of useful information to me
Village Talkies a top-quality professional corporate video production company in Bangalore and also best explainer video company in Bangalore & animation video makers in Bangalore, Chennai, India & Maryland, Baltimore, USA provides Corporate & Brand films, Promotional, Marketing videos & Training videos, Product demo videos, Employee videos, Product video explainers, eLearning videos, 2d Animation, 3d Animation, Motion Graphics, Whiteboard Explainer videos Client Testimonial Videos, Video Presentation and more for all start-ups, industries, and corporate companies. From scripting to corporate video production services, explainer & 3d, 2d animation video production , our solutions are customized to your budget, timeline, and to meet the company goals and objectives.
As a best video production company in Bangalore, we produce quality and creative videos to our clients.

Guider Man said...

Colognes and creed perfumes have been invented since the 1760s by James Henry, who collected these scents from different kinds of woods, flowers, water, chemicals and collectively made up a masterpiece as the result of that. The few famous perfumes of the Creed brand are as follows:
Creed avenues creed Millesimal spray for men has launched by Olivier and Erwin Creed in 2010. The main sensational fragrances include a mixture of Apple, bergamot and black currant, rose, patchouli and birch, almonds, vanilla, musk and many more.

Phoenix said...

Visualizations are very important to represent your data. Without proper visualization you won’t be able to extract actionable insights from data. Learn more about Cool Data Visualization. Read more articles here : https://businessanddigitalmarketing.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-effective-are-google-ads.html.

havemeeee said...

that is really a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogging simple but very accurate info many thanks for sharing hope to read more post visit also my website; 바카라

havemeeee said...

very good written article it will be a good support to anyone who utilizes it including me keep doing what your'e doing can't wait to read more post hope you also visit my website; 대전오피

Imon Kearns said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vikas kumar said...

That's great article post in this page thanks for sharing this amazing article post. Get social media marketing service with attractive results. AMS Digital is a full Social Media Services provider company. Click here for social media marketing service and social media marketing agency near me

junita anggraini said...

LES PRIVAT sd smp sma smk

click link said...

Roblox Hair Free Wow amazing hairstyles
good site

Sameera Rao said...

very good points here
amazon products shopping in pakistan
buy imported books online in pakistan
online shopping in pakistan
buy antioxidant supplements for dogs online in pakistan
best multivitamins in Pakistan
best antioxidant supplement online in pakistan
whole food supplement Online shopping In Pakistan

Wellshop Amazon said...

If you are love to buy and import USA products in your Country this is very helpful sites just visit and enjoy quality products.
Imported products in Pakistan,
Branded Products in Pakistan,
Online Shopping in Pakistan,
Amazon Products in Pakistan,
amazon online shopping,
Amazon Online Shopping in Pakistan,
best online shopping website in Pakistan,
online shopping in Pakistan with free home delivery,

Wellshop Amazon said...

If you are love to buy and import USA products in your Country this is very helpful sites just visit and enjoy quality products.
Imported products in Pakistan,
Branded Products in Pakistan,
Online Shopping in Pakistan,
Amazon Products in Pakistan,
Amazon Online Shopping in Pakistan,
best online shopping website in Pakistan,
online shopping in Pakistan with free home delivery,

Wellshop Amazon said...

Want to import Products from USA with low Custom Duty and Tax. Everyone wants to buy and import quality products to make their life better and more reliable in Pakistan there are very few online shopping websites that import products from the USA (Amazon, eBay etc.) to make sure you have good quality products at your door. Just visit www.wellshop which is one of the leading online shopping websites of import quality in Pakistan products. You can do online shopping for toys. Online supplements, online mobile accessories, online shopping for health products, online books, online fitness products, online jewelry and much more.
Just on One Click:
www.wellshop.pk
Thank You
Wellshop

Bloom Engineering said...

Thanks for sharing this article.
Thanks

Hamza Malik said...

Are you looking to buy classic watches for Girls? Leyjao.pk has you covered. We have all the products sporting new trends.
Whether you want to add some sass to your outfit or choose digital wrist watches from brands like Fitbit, Apple, Amazfit and others.
You will find everything on one platform.We care about our esteemed customers which is why we bring a large assortment of women classic watches in Pakistan for your budget and needs. Watches have the potential to break or complete your looks so don’t delay it, and buy classic watches today.
you can buy from here:
https://leyjao.pk/fashion/best-womens-fashion/classic-watches/

Bloom Engineering said...

This is a good article & good site.
Thanks

M&P Tracking said...

Wcoforever
Great post

Bloom Engineering said...

Awesome information. I am really surprised with this topic.
Thanks

Michael John said...

So after reading your article, I’m going to invest some time in a blog post commenting.
M&P Tracking

M&P Tracking said...

Thanks for sharing valuable information. It's a very helpful article.
AWS

Alexandra alegria said...

Shop this best quality Elton John White Jacket With Feathers For men SHOP NOW....

click link said...

https://sway.office.com/1UuZMYqEdq2e5ljU?ref=Link
good postttt

click link said...


https://6311ebeb614df.site123.me/
nicd posttt

click link said...


https://site-8657230-9632-8874.mystrikingly.com/
hgsx ggd

click link said...


https://hairstyles.bigcartel.com/hairstyles
great xxd

click link said...


https://telegra.ph/Best-Haircuts-09-03
grsg fdec

click link said...

ggg
https://developer.cisco.com/user/profile/becb65e8-2f92-51dc-a2c0-b2bfaa3d6c14
<fgg

click link said...


https://marketplace.apartmenttherapy.com/store/71377167-83bf-4b35-80cb-b4ea51cc5f41
hgfffjf

click link said...

sgwgw
https://qiita.com/JasanRoy

click link said...

aaa
https://sketchfab.com/alexhales968
zvzv

click link said...

ssgsg
https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/alinakhan96

click link said...

eggege sgg g
https://www.gametabs.net/user/432250

click link said...

https://sway.office.com/1UuZMYqEdq2e5ljU?ref=Link
wggwgwgw

Unknown said...

Love this post! This is a really good blog wish more people would read this, you offer some really good suggestions on Organic body care products Thanks for sharing!

Alexandra alegria said...

Shop this best quality Tall Girl 2 Harper Kreyman Black Blazer For men SHOP NOW....

surmawala said...

thanks for sharing it ac
air conditioner
inverter ac