How important is branding yourself in the industry? Well, lets think of it like this. McDonald's, Pepsi, Nike, At&t yield billions upon billions of dollars and obviously are known throughout the world. You as a customer know that when you walk into any Mickey D's you will see the Golden Arches, a Big Mac, and those delicious fries. You know when you pick up a pair of Nike running shoes, you will see the check on them. You see a N and Y on a hat, you know its a Yankees hat no matter the color. So why do they still spend billions on advertising? Simple, they are branding in your minds who they are while at the same time creating impulse thoughts about what they are trying sell you. For example, you're sitting in the studio starving wondering what to eat, and the engineer walks in with bags with the Burger King logo on it, and you suddenly hunger for a whopper. That is a brand that was sold to you because of constant advertising and once seeing the brand, you remember the product and craved it. Now that we understand what branding is, how do we use this to further our musical careers. Truth told, some of y'all our branding yourself and don't even realize it. But its all got to mesh together and make sense. If you are a goon at heart, you talk like one, you walk like one, you dress down in all black, grilled up tatted up, you whoop your woman and whatever else goons do, then let the music you doing reflect that. Making a record like Parents Don't Understand
wouldn't be up your alley so to speak. Don't misunderstand this as me saying to become a carbon copy of what's out there. You still have to create your own lane. It's not that you're trying to be like everyone else but you are trying to have the public remember who you are and for it to make sense to them. Repetition makes perfect. There is no wonder why when you watch WWE you know what's gonna happen. You know the Rock is gonna hit them with the peoples elbow, raise the peoples eyebrow, and ask you "if you smell what the Rock is cooking." Then later on you see millions and millions of fans walking around wearing the Rock's shirts . The better you brand yourself on the small circuit, the more you peak the interest of the majors. Think about Khaled yells out "We the Best," Jay Z throws up the Diamonds, and Waka Flacka yells his name 1,000 times thru out his records. You may not agree with the tactics but whenever they get interviewed or perform you know what they are about to say sometimes before they say it . I am aware that every one I've mentioned has a machine behind them, but it's not all about the money. You as an artist must remember to brand yourself on the smaller scales with the ways that don't need money. Ask yourself this, when you perform on a record, do you remember to even say your name, whether it is in a verse, intro, or hook? 35
Do you have a phrase, accent, or sound that identifies the crowd with who you are? Is your name spelled correctly on cd's, flyers, and t-shirts? Or more importantly is it spelled in the same font so that it becomes familiar with your target audience? Are you at rhythmic club, trying to break a trap record? Does the deejay say your name? If your answer is no to these question, then maybe you're not branding yourself correctly. Its simple people, the more you are seen or heard, the better you are branding yourself. If you performing at a club for free, then ask the promoter to put your picture, name, and/or logo on the flyer. Do not shy away from interviews, or cameras. Do not be afraid to introduce yourself to new people while at the same time making sure they remember who you are (In a good way). If you are funny, loud, arrogant, tall, short, whatever makes you stand out; use that to your best ability. At the end of the day when you leave your house, someone new should remember you. Invest in flyers and a photo shoot with the right image that you are trying to promote. This is key in branding because when you are gone and out of sight from your target audience, your flyers and image are still left behind. And lastly, your internet game should be agreement with one another. If you have a blue back ground on Facebook, twitter, and MySpace should be the same.