Last week, Prince came to my hometown.  Even though I grew up with Prince on my radio in the 80s, I wouldn’t really call myself a huge fan, just a fan.  My husband, on the other hand, is a HUGE fan, so I surprised him with tickets.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that Prince isn’t just a talented musician or a great entertainer.  Though his methods definitely appear outside the norm, he does understand how to successfully embody the brand that IS Prince and how to market himself to his audience.  And boy does his audience respond!

Ok, so I do have to say, Prince has made some radical business and personal decisions in his life, like recently declaring that the Internet is “completely over.”  So, despite his lack of online presence, here at The Branding Spot, we focus on the qualities of great branding.  Prince has successfully branded himself as an unforgettable talent, while standing the test of time – and that’s what branding is all about!  (Whether Prince himself likes it or not, he definitely has a talent for great branding!)

Branding, the Prince Way

Colors: Prince always uses consistent colors, namely PURPLE.  As I’ve said before, consistence is key – and Prince sure knows it.  Purple Rain was released in 1984, fusing Prince with his purple forevermore.

Noticeable Purple Moments:

• • In 2006, he held a private house party for about 50 lucky winners.  The concert name?  The Purple Ticket Concert, of course.
  • Prince is a supporter of his home football team, the Minnesota Vikings.
  • In 2010, Billboard declared Prince’s 2007 Super Bowl XLI halftime performance the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.  As Mother Nature in Miami humored us all with rainfall, the stage was bathed in purple light.

Logo: Dubbed “Love Symbol #2,” Prince took his branding package a step further than most: he not only created a distinct, recognizable and memorable logo (a stylized combination of the symbols for male (♂) and female (♀), but he also took his logo as his name for a period of time.

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince may have taken on the Love Symbol for his own reasons (namely his dislike for his Warner Bros contract), but this act further solidified his brand.  Today, the symbol appears on everything, from albums to t-shirts to laser projections at his concerts.  Oh, and that legendary Super Bowl performance stage?  Yup, it was shaped like the Love Symbol too!

Personal Style: Guess how old Prince is?  30 or so?  Nope!  I bet you didn’t guess 52.  Pretty incredible, if you ask me!  Seriously, has the man aged in 30 years?

Prince has made a career out of looking good.  Really good.  Think about it: you never see a photo of Prince wearing sweats and looking shabby at the grocery store.  Quite the contrary: Prince always wears slick clothes and always looks styled and put together. In fact, he continuously looks like he’s ready to jump on stage and perform at a moment’s notice.

While he probably has a team of minions to keep him looking great, those of us without can still learn from this. Prince’s time is best spent in the studio being creative, writing music, playing his instruments and working the entertainment industry.

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Speaking to his Market: The show I saw was a packed house.  The crowd showed their appreciation by wearing Prince’s brand colors, along with their scanty 80s garb.  Not to mention, I saw all ages, genders, races and sexual persuasions.
To appeal to such a wide audience, his concerts are purposefully structured to (quite literally) “hit all the right chords.”  Prince has produced 10 platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. When fans come to see him perform, they all want to hear their favorite Prince song – a considerable feat for Prince to squeeze into a few hours.  So, instead of playing all songs to completion, he blends together all of his popular favorites.  By playing only the best parts of so many songs, everyone gets to hear their favorites and everyone leaves satisfied – myself (and my husband) included!  What a performance, what a show.

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