“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken", said Oscar Wilde.
Oscar with this phrase simply reflex the truth of how to establish a personal and professional brand in today’s world.
Fact of it all is, in a current world where social media is a description of every identity, branding is not an option or alternative. Whether you like it not, you already have a brand which has started.
As Dan Pallotta wrote in a post for the Harvard Business Review in 2011,
“Brand is everything, and everything is brand.”
Agya Koo Nimo, Osibisa, Bola Ray, Joyce Ababio, Sarkodie etc are a few brands in the entertainment industry that you already know. I am sure whiles you read these names, a certain image, or idea can easily be associated with them. For better or worse, these names bring to mind immediate thoughts and impressions because most of us in Ghana, at least, recognize these names and associate certain significant impressions with them. That is “branding" and one musician by name Sarkodie has done that so well for himself.
Today, many up and coming musicians who are able to get an independent record become a hit think they have a brand because of the hit single. Don't be deceived, a single hit song does not make you a brand. A brand is not about a single hit, it is about consistency and it is done for a period of time.
Sarkodie as an established and successful brand in the Ghanaian music industry brings some factors to light as to what one needs to do to establish and have a successful brand.
As a Celebrity Broker, Brands and Communications Strategist, these are five things we can learn from the Sarkodie story in building the "Sark" we all see today.
1. CLEAR CUT MISSION AND VISION
You need to start with the basics, which means you need a vision and a mission. l have listened to Sarkodie's interview on many platforms and in almost all of them, he understood and  had a clear and sense of direction. In always wanted to do music because it is the only way he could express his thoughts, fears and joy. From his primary days in Achimota School to his painful days at Mile 7 to Kasahari Level on radio and performing on shows without being paid, Sarkodie had a clear cut of his vision and mission. His personal vision and mission kept him going because he knew he had to for fill something. Sarkodie simply knew who he was and what he wanted to accomplish.
In building a brand, one must first start with a deep understanding of
a) who you are,
and b) what you want to accomplish.
Knowing these can help crystalize for yourself who you are and how you are different from everyone else.
2. ORIGINALITY
You have to be original. Sarkodie in several interviews have said he looks up to Obrafuor, Okomfuor Kwadee and others but one will realise he never sound like them. He had his own style and that made him original. So l ask, What is authentic about you? Additionally, you must consider how you go about conveying your authenticity. Authenticity has been a word that has been used a lot in recent years to the point that it is overused, but it still works when trying to convey the importance of your brand being “real.” Sarkodie's originality spark fire and surprise when he was first featured in Eden's music video produced by Hammer of the Last Two Records. That was his first music video and he was noticed by many. He style and flow throw lots of question of who he was and drew a lot of attention to himself.
Featuring in the video was a platform one will say was used to introduce him to the world at large. One must be careful the platform you use in showcasing your authenticity. If he and Dr. Duncan had chosen a wrong platform, his style and originality won't have been noticed above the "noise" in the entertainment landscape.
Today, many platforms are available especially social media. You can use some of these platforms but you must be cautious because you must do it so you can be recognised as someone who has something unique to offer.
3. The SARKODIE/OBRAFUOR/DR.DUNCAN theory of a MENTOR AND a COACH
If you are just starting out and building a new brand from scratch, or even if you are looking to freshen up your brand, I believe you also need both a mentor and a coach. Coaches serve in a very different role and have a different purpose from mentors. Mentors are your teachers. To whom do you turn when you need to learn new information or new techniques for accomplishing something? In whom do you trust to offer their best advice? From whom do you receive unconditional support? A great mentor.
However, a great mentor might be a terrible coach! A coach is someone who tells you the unvarnished truth even when you may not want to hear it. A good coach helps you get and stay “real” with yourself. A good coach won’t let you slack off when you start to feel tired because the coach’s job is to help keep you on track and stay accountable to the goals you set for yourself. If you are looking to establish a solid brand, or if you need to rebrand yourself, it is time to look for a mentor (or mentors) and a good coach.
4. A UNIQUE MESSAGE AND CONSISTENCY
Your must have a unique message. What would like people to see you for? Immediately your name is mention, what image would you like people to have in their minds. You must be consistent with that message to create that image in the minds of your audience.
Sarkodie as a musician is not just any other musician which Ghana has not seen before but his clear and unique message help establish his brand today. It is not as if Ghana does not have rappers in the music industry but Sarkodie's unique message which is telling the everyday story of the people in his rap and fast pitch bars in a comic form sometimes consistently made him different.
As a brand, your message must be different from the lots of messages on the market. What is your special, unique and authentic message that sets you different from the lots. Sarkodie from his beginnings simply told the stories  of the everyday Ghanaian and they could easily relate to it. This gave him more room to operate because his audience wanted to hear more of him. From his songs like, "Push", Borgar", "Baby"(big hit) etc. Note one thing, it wasn't as if other rappers were not telling the stories of the everyday people but Sarkodie got the attention because he said it in his own unique style and that made all the difference with his message.
In building a brand, what do you have to say that hasn’t already been said? How are you going to offer your message differently so that your audience would want more? Do you have a different message or a different technique that makes you uniquely different? What is your unique and special message?
5. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
Believe it or not, l really thing Sarkodie really knows his audience every well. When he was building his brand, he would do pure rap for his young male fans and do songs like "Baby" for the female fans. This really flew him high in all angles of the populace. You will find his song played everywhere.
In branding, you must understand your audience. Consider who your audience is so you don't miss the appropriate platforms to use. Immediately you misunderstand your audience target, you will provide the wrong message and it will drive you out of the market immediately.
In the year 2015, Sarkodie early in the year was very dominant in the hip hop and hiplife genre. Noticing how he has abandoned his audience in the highlife genre, he finally dropped his Mary album which got on well with his fans belonging to highlife and love music world. If you understand your audience, you will never get it wrong.
"Branding has become a reality of life in today’s world. As I tell my clients, you already have a brand whether you know or like it or not. It is much better to recognize it and take control of the brand you want for yourself. Don’t let someone else brand you without your knowledge. “Brand or be branded.” That is not original with me. I first heard my career coach, J.T. O’Donnell, CEO of CAREEREALISM and CareerHMO use that phrase when I was a client of hers a few years ago." Kittie Boinott couldn't have putting it right.
The bottom line is that you are your brand, and it is up to each of you to build the brand you want. You can always rebrand yourself later as we grow and evolve both personally and professionally. The secret to having a successful brand, however, is to build it intentionally. You are uniquely you, and trying to copy someone else in order to build your unique brand will not work.
You are a unique blend of the talents with which you were born, the experiences that you have gathered over the course of your lifetime, and the educational background that you have acquired. No one on the planet can duplicate who you are as an individual. Take what you know about yourself and package it into a brand that will attract people who want to hear what you have to say because you are saying it in an interesting and truly authentic manner. You get to create your brand. I urge you to do a good job of it.
Sarkodie did and l believe you can also do same no matter the field you find yourself.
Credit and Inspiration to and from Kittie Boinott.