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Written by Jaraee Bryant
KEYS TOBRANDING
The key to having successful branding is having consistency and stability. We have seen many
examples of this in our society. However, branding theorists have opposed this idea, and believe
that changing in responded to society needs is the key to prominent brand identity.
A prime example of a music artist who has stayed consistent over the years with branding is Hip
Hop mogul Sean P. Diddy Combs. Combs has made his way down every avenue; venturing into
every area of the entertainment industry from radio to store fronts, and into the living rooms of
national and international homes. In a past interview with CNN, Combs discussed his branding
methods for his clothing line Sean John, which is valued at a half billion dollars (CNN 2010).
Combs claims that his success came from his idea of constructing a clothing line that is
characterized as timeless, sophisticated, and aspirational with an urban edge. He believes that
success relies on the product.
Even has a novice owner of Sean John, Combs wanted not only to sell a great product, but also to
break down color and stereotypical barriers. Combs, with a network of a whopping $45 Million
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of a whopping $45 Million will tell you that he did just that with his Sean John clothing line. He created
what he likes to call Fashiontainment. He did exactly that by managing and organizing the logo on the
clothes. I wanted to make a products where you didnt see the logo or the branding. I have a concept
that if you see if 50 yards away, it should attract you. You should want to get closer to it. Once you look
at the label it should surprise you. Branding theorist Wally Olsin would agree. He believes that
managing and organizing your logo is substantial when branding a product. Olsin once stated, Identity
vehicles such as brand names, logos, symbols, characters, spokespeople, slogans, packages and buildings
should be managed to organize and strengthen the corporations expressions.
However, even though Combs concept of branding is one that has had great stability and decades of
success, it is still contrary to that of most branding theorists. Most branding theorist would argue that
the ability to adapt to ages and trends is what makes a brand see success.
Billboard Hot 100 male singer Chris Brown is the perfect example for this side of the argument. Brown
made his way on the scene at the young age of 16, and now at the age of 23 years old, he is said to be
worth $24 Million dollars (The Richest). Musically Brown is always switching his genre to please the
consumer. His past album Fortunate (released 29 June 2012) features Chris singing tunes of the R&B,
Pop, and Hip Hop genres. Browns goal was to reach a mass audience, however, this was a dangerous
approach to his branding. Csaba and Bengtsson stated in Rethinking identity in brand management that, If
the brand strategist allows consumers to define the brand, it is likely to lose its identity. Record sales
may suggest that this may be the case. Browns Fortunate album sells of 303,600 dont stand close to his
11.2 Million Twitter followers. Surprisingly, this album even had fewer sales than his Graffiti album,
which was release shortly after his public domestic violence incident with ex-girlfriend recording artist,
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Rihanna.
After the poor album sales, Brown went to Twitter to express his views of the album sales. He
ranted, tweeting his followers #fortune step it up Team Breezy!! and #fortune block party,
which was a subliminal he used to said he was going to block members of #Team Breezy. Brown
even threaten to shut his loyal fan base #TeamBreezy down. Today, Brown still blames his lack of
success with Fortunate on his 11.2 Million followers for not buying his album.
To investigate Csaba and Bengtsson theory further, I researched another urban music artist who has
had a decline in her records sales, Nicki Minaj. Nicki Minaj is one who is not afraid of change. She
has changed everything from physical features (breast and butt alternations), to clothing and hair, to
now her music since the premiere of her first mixtape, from her label Young Money, Beam Me Up
Scotty. Many of Nickis fans have stated, Nicki has gone mainstream. There is a significant
difference from the music featured on Pink Friday (released on 19 November 2010), which has been
declared Platinum in the United States, compared Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (released on 3 April
2012) which has been declared Gold (RIAA).
Nickis release of Pink Fridays was slightly difference from Browns Fortunate situation, instead of
Nicki threatening to discontinue her relationship with her fans; her fans threaten to discontinue a
relationship with her. Many fans hit the walls of blog websites to give feedback for Minajs change
up. On Rap-Up.com user IzBeThuggin stated in a post Nicki is not rapper for the 100th time; she
claims she is but she is NOT!! The next Album is going to do just as the second one...because of the fact that she
switched up made her lose a lot of Fans, I am no fan of Nicki or people she is Beefing with!! I am a Fan of Hip-
hop and is crazy how she is getting by with this Queen Title.
Furthermore, poor album sales caused the Young Money record label to lower the cost of the album
and sale it for $10 each, along with a free t-shirt. I personally have also seen many disappointed fans
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express their dislike for Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded through Twitter. In a recent radio interview,
Minaj stated that she is not a rapper, she but a brand. In fact, Minaj restates this new title in her new
single I AM YOUR LEADER, Im a brand bitch. Bitch Im a brand.
From these two arguments you can generate an opinion of the pros and cons of these approaches.
Even though, theorist would argue that having flexibility and the ability to adapt to ages would bring
success, this may not be the case with music. Music consumers have always geared towards
authenticity and consistency, this has been the case from 1970s heavy metal band Kiss to present
day Hip Hop mogul Sean P. Diddy Combs. As just explain in the body of the text, switching up on
fans can be crucial to a music artist career. Today, record labels should go after someone who
qualities of consistency and adaptability when choosing a music artist to manage or represent.
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Works Citied
Celebrity Net Worth. "Chris Brown Net Worth." Celebrity Net Worth. TheRichest.org, 2012. Web. 20
Sept. 2012. .
Christian, Elizabeth Barfoot. Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture. Lanham [Md.:
Lexington, 2011. Print.
Connector of the Day: Sean Combs. Dir. CNN. Perf. Sean Combs.Entmoney. CCN, 27 Sept. 2010. Web.
20 Sept. 2012. .
Forbes. "Sean "Diddy" Combs." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, May 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
.
Rhymes with Snitch. "Rhymes with Snitch | Entertainment News | Celebrity Gossip: Chris Brown
Shuts Down Team Breezy." Rhymes with Snitch | Entertainment News | Celebrity Gossip: Chris Brown Shuts
Down Team Breezy. Glam Entertainment, 27 July 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
.
RIAA. "Searchable Database." Http://www.riaa.com. RIAA, 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
.