Socal's Got Photographers

Name Branderz is all about creating platforms and avenues through which artists can share their talents with the world in a way that will enable them to establish their unique brand and distinguish themselves from others who share their niche. One of the many forms of art we appreciate is photography, so much so that we went ahead and created a contest for the best photos in Southern California.

We are offering $100 for the best photo entered into our contest. Here are the rules:

• Entrants can begin submitting photos from June 8th through June 17th 
• We will select the top 3 photo's and have them posted to our blog for public display
• We will allow the public to vote for the best photo out of the 3 posted to our blog via email ballots
• Winner will receive $100 cash from Name Branderz for the winning photo which will be enlarged, framed, and hung at our offices
•  All explicit photos will be disqualified
• All entrants will need to subscribe to Name Branderz via email in order to receive contest updates on whether or not their photo's have made it to the final selection stage
• Winner will need to provide a valid mailing address in order to receive the prize money

We are interested in seeing your photos and want to give you some cash for your talent. Enter today and see if your pics are a cut above the rest! Send all photos to setthestage2011@gmail.com

Wanna know how to create a successful festival brand? Ask Guerilla Union

In today's economy many Americans find it difficult to spend money on the things they need much less the things they want. I've even found myself cringing at the thought of having to give up my hard earned four dollars and thirty-two cents for a Mighty Kids Meal at McDonald's. Yet in the midst of mass frugality the people of Southern California create a budget for the enjoyment of Hip Hop music. Initially when I first discovered this I couldn't understand how anyone could get more than even a thousand people to consistently spend money on old-school hip hop shows . . . until I discovered why people were so willing to forgo paying their rent to go to a festival. The answer: Guerrilla Union.

Guerrilla Union has done what very few independent production companies have been able to do within the world Hip Hop music. They somehow have created a successful brand of Hip Hop events that generates an annual cumulative attendance of anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000 people. Through key attention to detail, strategic planning, solid relationships within the industry and a close ear to the street Guerrilla Union has cornered their market and has established themselves as a juggernaut within their industry. With widely known and heavily attended events such as Paid Dues, Spring Gathering, Rock The Bells and Smoke out Guerrilla Union has captured the heart of hip hop goers nation wide.


Check out this clip from the Rock The Bells 2011 Press Release:

See you in August!

Check out this excerpt from one of my favorite books on branding, "Do You Matter?" by Robert Brunner and Stewart . . .

Your Brand is Not Your Logo

Another way to look at brand is that it is like an individual’s character. That’s really what a brand is, the embodiment of a company’s character. When you think of the character of people, you find things about them that encourage you to like or dislike them. When you first meet someone, you might draw a few conclusions based on how they dress and style their hair, and few more of their mannerisms. A lot of times you’re right, and a lot of times you’re not. But then, as you gain real insight into their ethics and values and how they treat others, you begin to understand the person’s character. That’s how you really start to define how you feel about somebody. It’s the same way with a company. You can dress up people in cool clothes, and give them a hip new hairstyle, and create some ideas about, “Wow, maybe they’re really pretty cool and hip,” but as you really start to get to know them, you realize that, “No, they’re really moving violations of the truth in packaging laws.” All this is a veneer. You start to wonder about them. It’s the same thing with companies.

Does Great Artist Always = Great Clothing?

We have seen many artist brand their way into a clothing line, some more successful then others. Many of the great labels are still flourishing today:

Rocawear - Jay Z

Sean John - P. Diddy

LAMB - Gwen Stefani

The list goes on . . .

However, should we be on the look out for a rising brand in the industry? If it's Wiz Khalifa's clothing line then the answer might be a yes.

With Taylor Gang being one of the fastest growing cliques across the globe investors might want to start paying attention to whats coming out of Pittsburgh. I know we are!

Maybe We Had It All Wrong . . .

We've spent the last month going on and on about some of the most amazing brands in existence today. We've been completely hyped up over the brands that were able to connect with amazing amounts of people and earn tremendous customer support however we missed one major factor that is present in all great brands.

They all fit a basic need and had a useful meaning.

For years I would tease my mom for buying what I considered generic house hold items, one in particular being Aim Toothpaste . . .

. . . I would always say that the only reason they were still in business was because she bought all of their supply. I felt like we should be brushing our teeth with brands such as Crest or Colgate. I would always see people on T.V. with their perfect smiles in the Crest commercials and think, "One good brush with that stuff and I'll have perfect teeth". However my mom had a basic understanding of brands that I did not, the same understanding that we all have but don't realize it.

She recognized that the brand she was investing in filled her basic need in its simplest form, that anything extra was unnecessary and that those two factors were enough for her to make the commitment to the brand.

Looking back my mom was an amazingly beautiful woman with an amazing smile. No she didn't use Crest or Scope but what she did use got the job done and that was enough to keep her committed to the brand.

In time's of such economic uncertainty people don't really have time for the "extras" certain brands offer as a part of their package. People will commit to what fits their most basic needs and occasionally visit the land of "extra" when resources permit. Sustainable brands are not built off of visitors but off of those who have made the commitment to the brand. The minute a song, shirt, vase, book or message losses it's most basic purpose is the minute it becomes "extra", something seldom visited. Keeping a true purpose and strong useful meaning attached to your brand is what keeps it from being something people have to fit into verses something that fits into people. 

What brand of Hip Hop does the East Cost create?

East coast hip-hop is sometimes referred to as New York Rap because it originated from block parties thrown on the streets of New York city in the 1970's. East coast hip-hop was dominant during the late 1980's and mid-90's (the golden era of hip-hop), and is still relevant today.

Unlike the simplistic rhyme pattern utilized in old school rap, or the call and response style present in crunk, east coast rap is almost synonymous with lyrical dexterity. More often than not, east coast rap is characterized by multi-syllabic rhymes, complex wordplay, a continuos free-flowing delivery, and intricate metaphors.

The East definitely has built a clear and identifiable hip hop brand never to be confused for something else. What do you think?

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Late Night Post . .

Sometimes the words of a song can be so true . .

"I've been waitin' on this my whole life . . ."

"These dreams be wakin' me up at night . . ."

. . Hopefully the ambition meter can be lowered so that rest can be gained.

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