Crafting an artist's brand personality
The Brand Identity Prism model is implemented in just 15 minutes.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Crafting an artist's brand personality
The Brand Identity Prism model by Kapferer (1992) is easily understood and implemented in just 15 minutes.
Why it matters
Defining an artist's brand personality becomes crucial in an era where fans seek meaningful interactions with their favoured brands. Encompassing characteristics like mystery, approachability, and recognisability is pivotal in fostering personal connections with fans.
The Brand Identity Prism model empowers artists to comprehensively understand and articulate their brand’s personality and develop strategies and tactics to accentuate strengths and address weaknesses.
How it works
The Brand Identity Prism is easy to understand and implemented in a mere 15 minutes by defining six aspects of brand identity:
Physique - The tangible, visual attributes of the artist, including logos, colours, and symbols, shaping their recognisable appearance. For example, Reinier Zonneveld's distinctive Versace attire sets him apart in the black-wearing techno scene.
Personality - The character the artist embodies, akin to the person they would be if they were human. This trait may or may not align with the artist's actual personality.
Culture - The artist’s values, principles and behaviour, delving into scenes, niches, or geographic associations that influence their identity. Some examples: Rock bands from Brooklyn. Artists signed at Death Row Records. Resident DJ’s at Berghain.
Relationship - The artist’s interactions with fans, cultivating emotional connections and symbolising relationship archetypes. Artists can be a fan’s friend, goddess, hero, etc.
Reflection - The most stereotypical fan persona, focussing on demographical traits since the model distinguishes external and internal aspects of identity.
Self-image - How fans perceive themselves when associating with the artist's brand, considering symbolic benefits of being a fan, like social approval or self-expression.
Yes, but..
While well-suited for bands and other multiple-person acts, the Brand Identity Prism remains a valuable exercise for artists with a more personal brand, such as DJ's or singer-songwriters. It may help to distinguish between personal traits they want to keep private and those to be emphasised in their branding strategy.
Take action now
Artists can immediately harness the Brand Identity Prism by downloading the empty framework here:
To motivate artists to get started, I filled in the model for the renowned artist brand Beyoncé:
Further reading
Kapferer, J.N. (1992). Strategic brand management: new approaches to creating and evaluating brand equity.
Kapferer, J.N. (2004). The new strategic brand management (creating and sustaining brand equity long term) (3rd ed.).
What is Brand Identity Prism? (+5 Useful Tips to Harness It) (Mohd Hammad Yousuf)
Building The Perfect Artist Brand in 2024 (The Fanbase Builder)
What can artists learn from Instagram and TikTok’s trend forecasts? (The Fanbase Builder)
How an artist brand benefits fans (The Fanbase Builder)