Brand Damage: Who's crushing it. Who's not. And a thought on brand.

Who's crushing it: Joyner Lucas

Brand rules everything.

The same that applies to businesses applies to creators of all kinds.

That said, today we highlight recording artist Joyner Lucas.

You may not be a fan of hip hop music. That's understandable given what dominates the airwaves, but to the watchful eye, Joyner Lucas moves in a way that's uncommon.

He prioritizes his art-form with thought provoking videos, places emphasis on his lyricism, subject matter, and versatile delivery.

All while bucking the pressure to craft an image like that of his contemporaries.

Six years ago he made the entrepreneurial decision to leave a major record label(Atlantic) to take ownership over his creative direction.

These decisions have culminated in a brand and connection that is adored by fans and respected by those in his industry.

On Youtube Lucas has close to 6 million subscribers and has amassed over 2 billion views.

On Spotify he's crossed 3 billion streams with most of the expansion on both platforms coming since his pivot to becoming an independent artist. We haven't even factored in his Apple Music streams or 4 million plus social media followers.

Check out his latest video "Broski" which has already been watched by 7,000,000+ people in 2 weeks.

Who's not: Twitter

Let's be clear, Twitter is undoubtedly a powerhouse.

You wouldn't be wrong to say they are in fact crushing it.

However, the bird has its back against the wall.

Most legacy media outlets want to see its CEO and company fail and all of the messaging coming on the tail of Meta Threads's ginormous launch is that people finally have a place to migrate from the 'toxic' nature of Twitter.

In a content driven world, perception still matters.

While it's yet to be seen if Threads users will actually stay on the platform, Twitter is no doubt weighing damage control or simply staying the course on their way to becoming "X."

A thought on brand:

With the launch of Threads, it is not unimaginable that some of you are thinking 'another platform I have create on!' to build my brand.

Yes and no. No one says you have to uses Threads. The choice is yours.

However, in the name of opportunity, consider this.

When a new platform pops up, don't make a burden out of participation.

Instead follow the 5-S system:

1. Schedule time in your week to venture on the platform.

2. Setup your profile so it aligns to the other platforms you're on.

3. Survey how active creators are using the platform.

4. Start conversations around their content.

5. Share something you've posted on another app.

This will ease the pressure to be on the platform and potentially get you actively engaging with others without coming up with novel content ideas.

Don't overthink it.

Just keep making friends.

(DB)

Friend Don't Let Friends Ruin Their Brand.

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