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Beyond the Visuals: The Power of a Holistic Brand DNA for Artists
Unveiling the Essence: The True Depth of Brand DNA in Music
Carl Hitchborn
December 04, 2023
In the music industry, Brand DNA is often mistakenly equated with solely visual elements – logos, icons, and aesthetics.
However, this narrow view overlooks the more substantive aspects that truly shape an artist's brand and growth.
Let's consider The Hunna's success story.
Their rise wasn't solely due to visuals; it was rooted in a comprehensive Brand DNA, a concept I pioneered from their inception.
Rethinking Priorities: Why Design Elements Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Having personally connected 1-1 with over 5,000 artists over Zoom in the last few years, I’ve found artists to be obsessed with visuals, while not understanding how important it is to have a full and compressive Brand DNA in place.
Artist’s overemphasis on design elements in Brand DNA is like focusing only on the paint color while building a house.
It's the depth beneath the surface – the story, values, and messages – that sustains audience interest and fosters real connections.
Comprehensive Brand DNA: The Full Spectrum
A complete Brand DNA transcends aesthetics, encompassing:
1. Massive Transformative Purpose: A powerful, transformative-driven strapline.
2. Vision and Mission: The 'why' and 'how' behind your brand.
3. Messaging Pillars: Topics that drive your content strategy, maintaining congruence across all communications.
4. Brand Story: Past, present, and future narratives.
5. Brand Values: Core beliefs and principles.
6. Brand Service/Products: Thinking outside the box in offerings.
7. Brand Unique Selling Point (USP): What sets you apart.
8. Brand Tone of Voice: The personality of your brand in communication.
9. Brand Design Elements: Visual aspects like logos and color schemes.
The Hunna Case: Success Beyond Visuals
The Hunna's journey is a prime example of how a well-crafted Brand DNA can dictate every aspect of an artist's presence.
Their success was not just a product of talent or visuals but was deeply rooted in a strong and comprehensive Brand DNA.
This DNA influenced everything from content planning to the tone of voice in communications.
It allowed us to scale seemingly unscalable aspects like replying to DMs and comments.
By engaging multiple team members, we maintained the integrity and authenticity of the band's brand, ensuring that each interaction felt personal and true to their identity.
The Brand DNA was not just a guideline; it was the heartbeat of their operation, ensuring consistency, authenticity, and a deep connection with their audience.
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As an artist, there are so many voices out there telling you what you should and shouldn’t do that it’s hard to know which voice to follow.
The truth is there is a pathway that you can take that is made up of fundamental principles that are true, no matter what it is you are trying to do.
When you know what they are, you can achieve success without having to go viral or spend all of your time on social media hoping to catch a break.
These are principles that were applied by the team at High Time to take then unknown alternative rock band The Hunna, from zero to achieving the following results in only 2 years:i
Played to a crowd of 10,000 in London.
Racked up 150 million streams on Spotify.
Sold 85,000 tickets across the UK.
60,000 physical albums.
Secured media placements on major radio stations like BBC Radio 1.
Secured synchronization placements in major global advertising campaigns.
The magnitude of the results we achieved is hard to fully grasp.
It's not just about the spectacular numbers; it's about the fact that everything we did was by design.
It was all part of a process that we have now defined as the High Time: Artist Success Pathway.
Our objective is for as many artists as possible to know how to follow the High Time: Artist Success Pathway, and to do this we’ve created a 3 part training, which you can find inside a private Facebook Group.
This group is also a place where we’ll be posting ongoing insights, knowledge, wisdom and guidance, while also fostering a community of artists who are ready to follow a pathway that provides certainty in a world of noise.
The High Time: Artist Success Pathway
The High Time: Artist Success Pathway is a multi-faceted framework embodying foundational mindsets, theories, and principles crucial for artists.
It's not just about steps; it's about adopting a mindset geared towards growth, sustainability, and impact.
The steps in this pathway are:
1. Core Product Development: Refining your music and artistic output.
2. Brand DNA Development: Crafting a comprehensive brand identity.
3. Strategic Planning: Developing a roadmap that aligns with your vision.
4. Marketing Planning & Strategy: Implementing strategies that resonate with your brand and audience.
5. Secondary Product Development & Sales Conversion: Diversifying and capitalizing on various income streams.
6. Execution & Scaling: Integrating all elements to expand your reach and influence.
This pathway is designed to nurture an artist's growth holistically, focusing on creating a strong foundation that supports long-term success and a significant impact in the industry.
High Time: The Artist Success Pathway Community
I recently created a FREE Facebook group, where I did a training over three days, which outlined more details of the High Time: Artist Success Pathway, explains how to create your own Brand DNA, as well as outlined how the work myself and my team are doing in High Time towards supporting artists in their quest to building a sustainable artist business.
The goal for this group is to scale the growth of the community, sharing ongoing value and insights into how you as an artist can follow a pathway that creates ‘certain progress’ if followed correctly.
In conclusion, a comprehensive Brand DNA is a cornerstone for sustainable success in the music industry.
It's not just about being seen.
It's about being understood, felt, and remembered.
Embrace this holistic approach to Brand DNA for a profound impact in your music career.
Remember, your brand is more than a visual identity; it's the soul of your artistic journey.
Kind Regards,
Carl AKA 'The Baker'
It's High Time for change | #TheTimeToDoIsNow
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