Your brand is valuable
In the past few days, I’ve been thinking about the power of brands . Amongst other things, I listened to Sway’s new album , and have been paused for thought since the following lyrics mentioning the new business model of the brand:
Get with the times. Forget getting signed.
It’s nice but you won’t make money from sales
If ya got hype and ya timing’s right
You can make money from everything else
- "Upload", The Signature LP, Sway
Sway knows that many people don’t and won’t buy music anymore – if they did, he’d be rich already. His financial objectives must be met by other means if he wants to make even a penny from the millions of unrepentant pirates scouring the web for his immaculate verses. Rather than whine about it, Sway intends to profit from the attention ; making money from the type of endorsement deals that have seen 50 Cent sell water for $400m while strolling about in his own line of Reebok pumps.
What is stunning about the success of rappers like Fiddy, Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne in our politically-correct era, is that they are literally on-record, saying things sure to make a man notorious. That is the subtle trick of the rap entrepreneur. Their words made them controversial ; the media-fuelled controversy made them unforgettable.
ps: Attention of any sort will bring you power. Use the limelight wisely and you will create a following . What you choose to do with that following is up to you. Just remember that once the spotlight is on you, the display of insecurity is not an option.
Similar Posts:
Leave a Reply
Oct 27th 2008 • 01:10
by Peter
# Write your elevator-pitch and extract 5 core, customer-focused values that you can maintain from promise through to delivery. Consistency is important, so keep it simple. The results of this short exercise, are the fundamentals of your brand.
# You can protect your brand by reading ‘The 48 Laws…’ and this blog ;o) and realising that ‘brand’ is just a synonym for reputation. Protecting your reputation requires appreciation of your strengths and weaknesses, and an *honest* assessment of the opportunities and threats that you will encounter. Increase your opportunities and reduce your threats.
# You should really think about protecting your brand *before* it is ‘established’. It already exists.
Oct 24th 2008 • 08:10
by FLover
Couple of questions. What’s the best way to approach branding? What methods can I use to protect my brand once it’s been established?