The Spice Girls are an English girl group that first came to international prominence in 1996 with the release of their debut single "Wannabe". The following year, they became involved in a prolific marketing phenomenon, leading to an unprecedented number of Spice Girls merchandise and sponsorship deals.[1][2][3][4] With their name attached to numerous sponsors including Pepsi, Cadbury and Polaroid, and the official Spice Girls branding on hundreds of different product tie-ins,[5][6][7] they quickly became the most merchandised group in music history.[8][9] Their global merchandising efforts alone brought in over £300 million in 1997,[10][11] while the group's total grosses were estimated at US$500–800 million by May 1998.[12]
Industry pundits attribute much of the brand's success to the group's longtime manager Simon Fuller. By the end of 1997, however, the overwhelming number of Spice Girls merchandise and sponsorship deals led to a public and media backlash. The group responded by firing Fuller and slowing down, but not stopping, their marketing pursuits. They eventually disbanded in 2000, but the marketing phenomenon they created in the 1990s has had a lasting influence on the modern music industry.[2][7][13]
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