What do you say: King Already? Traits of Outstanding Personal Brands
In our personal branding session today, let me share with you one of the traits of successful Brands using a Ghanaian artist.
If you’ve been a follower of my branding lessons from any of the platforms, be it radio, TV, blogs or social media, you will have noticed one name stands out in most of my examples:
That name is Shatta Wale.
Google just ‘Shatta’ and his name and work surfaces.
His songs and Brand have become a household name.
There are several strategies one can learn from the Shatta brand, even if you don’t like his personality or music. He has a lot to teach with his brand.
I’m expounding on just one of the many lessons from his brand journey.
The law of the Word – Declare it and Be it!
In 2013 he released a song titled ‘Dancehall King’’ and declared himself the king of dancehall music in Ghana. The album art of the track had him seated on a throne wearing a crown – can you imagine that? The same pictorial scene was seen in the video of the track.
A portion of the lyrics read “Dancehall king, ina di whole Ghana”. He was proclaiming his stand, and what I would say is it’s the Mohammed Ali strategy – he says it and does it!
In the year 2014, with the Dancehall King track he won the artist of the year in Ghana’s Vodafone Music Icon.
Shatta didn’t just claim the title against his rivals, he has been working hard to prove it.
Lesson one – People are more likely to call you the name/title you use for yourself. They will treat you the way you present yourself and treat yourself. Learn to put a premium price on yourself.
Here are a few questions to ponder:
What name do you call yourself?
What name do they call you?
How does the name impact your life and that of your audience or market?
In my earlier article I shared some insights on the power of brand names and how to choose a brand name (do refer).
The caveat here is that you don’t go about picking names and titles for the sake of it; that will not serve you well. It should be something you can exemplify.
Lesson two – Once you make it your goal, live up to its expectations. Just like the ‘fake it till you make it’ approach.
Relentlessly, keep working on your brand. Brands are not built overnight. It is going to cost you a whole lot of time, energy and money to make that dream-brand a reality. Put in all the needed effort required to reach your goal. Shatta has been consistently working on his brand to merit the level of influence he has.
Perhaps that was his goal, and today he has arguably become the king of dance hall music.
Fast forward to 2020, the renowned musician Beyonce featured him on her album ‘Black is King’, with the track titled ‘Already’; check Beyonce featuring Shatta Wale – Already. The video clip hit a million views in less than 24 hours of its release. Instant hit, huh!
Interestingly, part of the song lyrics reads ‘king already’.
Here we go…
“Long live the king, you a king, you no wait
King already, already, you no wait
Top everything, everything, you no wait
King already, already, you no wait”
 The word ‘king’ can be heard repeatedly in the song, and he has become king already.
What words do you say about and believe about yourself?
Words carry power. Words play a major role in branding.
What do they say about you?
This is what you need to do: Create your brand with your words and establish it with your deeds.Â
All the best!
Send me a mail if you need any assistance with your brand.
Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Author, Speaker, and Corporate Trainer. Africa’s foremost author[ity] on Personal Branding and Digital Book Publishing. An Amazon bestselling author of over 50 published books. As a speaker & trainer he has been known to simplify complex ideas about branding and life, and present them to audiences in clear, actionable steps. He has over a decade of experience in digital publishing and has globally consulted for entrepreneurs, pastors, and people like you to write books and build brands. He hosts the number-one ranked Career & Business Podcast in Ghana. Bernard is a brand strategist at BKC consulting and runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass. www.BKC.name
