5 most brandable artists in Zimbabwean music

Over the years our digital marketing team has been responsible for picking, pitching to and hiring social media influencers. There are a few things that we would consider when looking to approach someone.

 

* Are they suitable for the brand that we want to promote?

* Will they generate sales?

* What are the risk factors?

* Cost

 

By the time that we would approach someone, we would already have some figures in mind. This would be based on what the client is willing to pay, minus or commission. We would also consider how much we think this campaign is worth.

Putting in too much risks making an otherwise successful campaign be deemed unsuccessful based on the financial side of things.

 

Minimise the hurdles

 

We approached an influencer who at the time was not huge in the market that we wanted to target. We didn’t pitch figures, but they responded with they would talk to their manager first.

Sadly, we had done our homework and knew that they didn’t have a manager as yet. We moved on, they missed out on a decent pay day, for stuff that they do every single day for free. They had an unnecessary hurdle in front of them.

• * Make yourself approachable.
• * Be proactive, if you have a manager, make sure you have their contact details at hand to pass on.
• * Be proactive in seeking to seal a deal, call back any suitors and discuss stuff.
• * Come back to them with a prepackaged campaign plan, if they have revealed who they want you to work with.

In no particular order, here is our pick of the 5 most brandable artists in Zimbabwean music. We are open to criticism if you feel we missed someone out. Granted we cant name them all.

1. Tehn

Image Credit

Tehn is a no-brainer in this category. I know we’ve sung his praises before, with the case-study of his branding. We give credit where it is due.

I would go with Tehn because, he is a proven brand in the industry. The Happy-Tees say it all. You also have someone who is very industrious and proactive in building their brand on a day to day basis. What no one wants is to have to “baby” someone on top of paying them.

 

2. Jah Prayzah

There are a few reasons why we picked Jah Prayzah for this list. Firstly, he has a great bunch of followers across social media, which is one of the things we look for in influencers.

His shows are always a success, which means they are willing to put their money up in support of him. That’s a bonus for whoever we will be marketing.

In the last year or so, I could safely say Jah Prayzah has been the fastest growing brand in the music industry. He is not looking to stop either. His territory is quickly spreading across the continent. Depending on whom our targeted demographic group are, Jah would be the man to take a brand from Zimbabwe onto the continent as a whole.

 

 

3. Jnr Brown

Not too many artists manage to remain industry recognised leaders without releasing an album for so long. Jnr Brown has it on lock.

He was also a major player in the success of the Happy Tee campaign, with Tehn. That makes him another proven brand ambassador. Beyond that, he has proven market success on two fronts.

He successfully brought the MaDrinks track and push a brand onto the market through it. I remember reading Begotten Sun’s post about sealing that deal a few years ago now. The dreadlocked hustler is a contender!

His market success with the release of Tongogara, which was reported to have generated sales in the region of $3000. I cannot name one other artist on the local scene that has done that. To add to it, this was done in the absence of a solid sales or delivery platform!

Granted, he has a great team with the likes of Begotten Sun behind him. That’s an added bonus!!

 

4. Sharky

I’ve always admired Sharky’s hustle and the brand that he is building. For such a young artist in the industry to already have two albums out is phenomenal. Not the albums being out per say, any fool could do that. He has managed to preserve and raise the expectations that were built up by Soko Matemai.

If there is one if the most authentic Zim Hip Hop sounds out there, it can only be Sharky. His brand will continue to expand exponentially over the coming years! Based on that merit, and the quality that has become synonymous with his name, he makes our list!

 

5. Noble Styles

I’ve found two spellings for his name, Noble Stylz and Styles, I am not aware whether that is his making or someone else’s. I digress.

I don’t even know which reasons I should put forward for this man, because there are quite a number. To start with, there has never been anyone to make as much noise as he did in the Zim Hip Hop industry out of Masvingo!! Never!! Some could have even argued that it couldn’t be done. As he has reminded us on his records, he did indeed put Masvingo on the map.

To do that in Masvingo is one thing, but to be able to uproot himself from his city into perhaps the most competitive one in the country is crazy. To do that and still be wildly successful at it is a feat!

When he speaks people listen. Whether it’s with his wordplay on songs or his hilarious social commentary. Papa is beloved by the people. Marketing success requires that. Any brand that works with him gets to tap into that!

Even crazier was to lock horns with some of the most established names in the industry and come out on top. That takes some massive balls.

He is undoubtedly a very creative individual, so half the work will be taken out of the marketing team’s hands. Just leave it to Papa!!

 

Marketing has a clear science to it. Although trial and error is acceptable, it should never be the way to go. If you’d like to discuss how you too can build your brand, check out our other posts on this subject or get in touch with us.