Bono and the U2 Band Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bono and the U2 Band - Case Study Example Stereo- types of leprechauns and shamrocks overshadowed any true representation of the culture, and it seemed like the last possible location for a burgeoning rock scene. Into this uncertainty was hurled Paul David Hewson, who later became Bono Vox. Into this uncertainty was hurled Paul David Hewson, who later became Bono Vox (Ferran Adria and Svejenova, 2005). Born in Dublin on May 10, 1960, Paul David Hewson was the product of a mixed Protestant/Catholic marriage and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, the first ecumenical school of its kind i At Mount Temple in 1976, he joined the first of a series of groups that eventually became U2. He took the stage name "Bono Vex" from a hearing aid shop. In 1979, Bono and fellow U2 members Dave Evans (â€Å"The Edge†) and Larry Mullen, Jr. became involved with the Shalom community, a charismatic Protestant Bible study group. The association ended when Shalom's leaders demanded that the band members choose between their budding rock and roll careers and membership in the community (Svejenova et al, 2010). His Works Although he was no longer formally linked to the charismatic movement, biblical imagery and spirituality were a dominant theme of Bono’s lyrics on U2’s early albums, such as October (1931) and War (1933). Thus, as the band moved toward superstardom, many in the American Contemporary Christian Music community embraced it. However, the band's refusal to identify with the conservative moral and political ethos of American-style evangelicalism-compounded by Bono's fondness for alcohol, earthy language, increasingly antinomian spiritual style, and criticism of U.S. foreign policy in songs like â€Å"Bullet the Blue Sky† (l987) alienated many evangelicals during the mid-1980s and afterward. Nonetheless, he remained an enormously influential figure for his dedicated fans as well as aspiring evangelical musicians, even as projects like Achtung Baby (1991) and Zooropa (1993) and Bono 's stage characters, caused many evangelical pop culture observers to write him off (Ferran Adria, Svejenova et al, 2010). By the mid-1980s, Bono was a ubiquitous presence in various humanitarian efforts supported by popular entertainers. In 1984, he appeared in the Band Aid video â€Å"Do They Know it is Christmas?† on behalf of Ethiopian famine relief; this was followed by a live performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985. U2 was a prominent part of the six-city Conspiracy of Hope tour of America on behalf of Amnesty International in 1986. Bono’s vehement, profane denunciation (included in the film Rattle and Hum) of a bombing by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1984 allegedly earned him a spot on an IRA death list. Advocacy Vs the Business Model Looking at Paul David Hewson’s struggle for positive change to the world, it is also clear on the other side that throughout his advocacy, he also benefitted in so many ways. According to Ferran Adria, he mentions that every successful business model should have a driving force. In this case, the publicity gained by Bono and the U2 Band was entirely influenced by the advocacy practiced by Bono. The music initiates a business venture where Bono and the band have benefited from the commercial activity involved. The business model has been fully developed by creativity and innovations established by Bono, such as the establishment of organizations to fight against AIDS in Africa, have tailored his career to prominence. The theoretical model we advance has several implications. First, awareness of the "why" of or the motivation behind the project initiation can help identify appropriate mechanisms for its realization as well as relevant ways for measuring performance. Second, the study of performance - at the heart of advocacy in the Strategic Management field — could be enriched by acknowledging new metrics that have to do with identity expression, such as authenticity and affect the latt er