Branding | ProHipHop

March 05, 2011

Ed Lover Talks About Fake Beats By Dre Headphones

With the thousands of hip-hop lovers, there is quite a few who own their pairs of Beats By Dre headphones or at least know about the brand’s classic studio headphones. A big problem for people wanting Beats sound are knowing whether or not they are buying the real or fake ones. Ed Lover, former host of Yo, MTV Raps! has just put out a video addressing to today’s most common Beats By Dre problem, in his own “C’mon Son!” style.

According to Ed Lover, Beats by Dre are pre-made products and there is no discount, they cost what they cost. Fake joints break too much and they can cause you injury. Another identifier of fake joints has Lamborghini or Ferrari logos in them. Real Beats By Dre come in white, black, or red NOT red and yellow combination. These also come in special editions such as purple/yellow exclusively for Kobe Bryant.

You are not going to find real joints at the flea market or be swapped on the streets. There are authorized dealers of Beats By Dre that exclude eBay and Craig’s List. Instead, you will find them at the Apple Store, Best Buy, and Amazon.com. Ed Lover also mentioned the fake Beats By Dre sites that you should also watch out:

www.beatsbydreofficial.com
www.drdrebeats.biz
uk.beatsbydre-sale.com/allproducts.php

So get your Beats on by authorized dealer which is beatsbydre.com and it has the list of the other dealers such as Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Crutchfield, Headroom.com, InMotion Entertainment, Your Electronic Warehouse, and Wildwest Electronics. The site also gives the complete list of sites selling fake Beats By Dre headphones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgoFgomcIJA

Posted by yodee on March 05, 2011 in Branding | Permalink

July 16, 2010

Gary Vaynerchuk on Doing You in the Business World

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape

Though the above video is from Gary Vaynerchuk’s talk at the 2008 Web 2.0 Expo in New York and was posted then, it was reposted in March on the TED site. I’m not sure how I found it but it’s definitely worth a look.

Gary’s probably best known for Wine Library TV and he’s definitely a love him or hate him kind of figure, as you’ll probably catch in the above video. As he’s said, it’s chaotic and not for everybody but I found this talk particularly inspirational at a time that I’ve decided to commit to fully being me.

I started checking out some other shorter videos on YouTube and every one that I’ve checked out so far just focuses on one of the main points he makes above. Though it is disjointed, there are a lot of gems in this talk.

Posted by Clyde Smith on July 16, 2010 in Branding, Business News, Marketing | Permalink

July 07, 2010

Can You Be a Successful Writer Without Becoming a Brand?

And what kind of writer would that be that no one knows and that has no media identity?

Are we talking about the tree falling in the woods or what?

Seriously, I was attempting to dialogue with a writer who queried me with an email that had links to sites on which his or her writing appeared but no site of his or her own. I eventually asked if the writer had a web presence and said that I don’t believe you’re building if you’re not building your brand.

I was told this person wanted to be a writer not a brand.

And then, suddenly, Enlightenment!

I heard the sound of one hand clapping…

Posted by Clyde Smith on July 07, 2010 in Branding, Marketing | Permalink

July 06, 2010

Cisco Intern Greg Justice Builds Personal Brand With Rap Videos

I Am The World's Most Interesting Intern

Cisco intern Greg Justice drops a nerdcore rap and begins building his brand within the walls of Cisco:

So far all that it has done is made him a minor celeb in the halls of Cisco and at a company conference this week in Las Vegas. "I have had a few celebrity point-outs. People see me and say, 'Oh, you're the intern!' " Justice said. "The celebrity point-outs have been the only bonus so far."

The question now emerges, should he leave well enough alone?

Probably not. I imagine this is an ideal medium for his target market.

ProHipHop's Advice for Greg Justice:

(a) Find stronger endings for your videos. The second was better but still a bit random.

(b) "The World's Most Interesting Intern" is a reasonable catchphrase within the context of Cisco PR but is going to become incredibly annoying if you use it in the title of every video. Especially since it raises the question, how are you interesting beyond this nerdcore shtick?

(c) Getting a job off these videos is unlikely but they do give you an entryway into meeting all sorts of people at Cisco. Right now, there are a bunch of people there that you could call and get a meeting with due to your current recognition that might not otherwise be so interested.

Try looking through the Cisco directory and identifying individuals who could help you realize your dreams. Go talk to them while you've got their attention.

Posted by Clyde Smith on July 06, 2010 in Branding, Marketing, Music Videos | Permalink

May 25, 2010

Now THAT’S Brand Destruction!: twitter.com/bpglobalpr #bpcares

It's so weird to get a laugh in connection with this incredible disaster in the Gulf sponsored by BP but this made me laugh: http://twitter.com/BPGlobalPR

Posted by Clyde Smith on May 25, 2010 in Branding, Marketing | Permalink

May 14, 2010

Brand Destruction: Rachel Maddow vs. Republicans, Facebook Frenzy, Civic Branding, Catholic Church

I'm doing a little posting over at Brand Destruction Research. No big thing though I did realize that I had totally forgotten the circumstances under which it began. So I put the last traces in draft mode and am continuing to keep it moving.

Classics: Rachel Maddow on The Republicans

Facebook Anti-Privacy Brand Attack Frenzy aka You Know Things Are Out of Hand When Michael Arrington Says They Are

Bend's Beard & Moustache Champions vs. Baltimore's Smiley Face Mob

Civic Brand Destruction: Baltimore Self-Promotes With a Smiley Face!

Pope Steps Up Game, Blames "Sins Within the Church"

Posted by Clyde Smith on May 14, 2010 in Branding, Marketing | Permalink

March 22, 2010

LadyGaga.com & Next Gen Artist Brand Management

LadyGaga as a Service: Bringing Apple and Google to Commerce 2.0:

“Lady Gaga, along with her record company, is evolving the album in the form of software as a service…”

“On her path to global dominance, the site, LadyGaga.com has innovated the next generation of brand management for artists. To do this, she creates a join between Google’s YouTube, Apple’s iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook. Way beyond having a an Twitter account, LadyGaga is hosting an interface party, and you’re invited. She’s a performer who is inventing ways to create the value of using multiple platforms to juice the network effects.”

Available on iTunes:
Lady Gaga

Posted by Clyde Smith on March 22, 2010 in Branding, Business News, Marketing, Music Industry, Online Marketing | Permalink

October 13, 2009

Yahoo’s It’s Y!ou FAIL[ing] Campaign Includes New Yodel!!!

Why Does the Yahoo! Rainbow Not Fill Me With Joy?

So Yahoo’s doing something with their yodel as part of their zany, “that Internet looks good on you”, “It’s Y!ou” campaign.

Why does this news fill me with such disgust? Is it the sound of one brand FAIL[ing] to convince me of its wild and zany goodness? Or have I been working so hard that I’ve forgotten how fun it is to check my email?

Shouldn’t These Characters Get Back to Work?

On the one hand, it’s nice to see some level of diversity appearing in their ads. On the other, it’s difficult for me to think of an Internet services company as fun or a yodel as meaningful.

Is something wrong with me? Am I just old and cranky? Or did Yahoo! jump the shark long ago? Say, when they added that exclamation point?

As the journalists say, “only time will tell” [lol].

Note: The above screenshots precede the It’s Y!ou campaign but have a similar tone and, since I’m forced to look at them on the daily, I thought I would share the pain!

Posted by Clyde Smith on October 13, 2009 in Bad Looks, Branding, Marketing | Permalink

September 18, 2009

When Presidents Attack: Should Kanye Go To Rehab?

Not only did Barack Obama call Kanye West a jackass for his VMA attack on Taylor Swift but now Jimmy Carter's going in!

Given the wide range of references to Kanye's consumption of Hennessy and the fact that he seems to have tried to treat his mother's death as a Keep It Moving moment, maybe the guy really does need some rehab time. Of course, the problem with having too much ego and too much money at the same time is that you can just say no to rehab and keep digging your career's grave in public.

"Can't tell me nothing", indeed! Honestly, somebody's going to knock Kanye on his ass if he keeps doing this kind of thing. I hope it's a female. I'd love to see Kanye lying there bleeding from a Moonman strike to the head by a teenage girl!

Or a quick kick to the knee. Then Kanye can limp around like the emotional cripple he is!

Hey, how about a massive rush to the stage next time Kanye has the mic? Show him what it's like and then watch him cry like a baby!

Speaking of brand destruction fantasies:
I really dig Jimmy Carter. I'm so sorry that Reagan and co. did a deal with Iranians holding Americans hostage in order to embarass him. For those who have forgotten, it was later dubbed the Iran-Contra Affair and is a strong reminder that Republicans have long done business in the back channel with those they publically dubbed enemies.

You know, like the Bush's and their buddies in the Taliban.

Posted by Clyde Smith on September 18, 2009 in Branding, Marketing | Permalink

July 31, 2009

Black Barbie on Branding: Alfamega Covers w/Lies, Drake’s Video Not The Best We’ve Ever Had

Black Barbie writes at The Rap Up about Alfamega's recent public denials regarding his well-documented snitchery.

It's a solid critical recap of a series of missteps though links out to some key pieces of the puzzle might help those who haven't been following recent developments in Alfamega's world.

BB also points to Drake & Co.'s cluelessness regarding the effects of the video for Best I Ever Had:

"Somehow, Drake and Kanye (the video’s director) managed to turn a cute love ode into a boob-filled, soft porn mini-movie. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against boobs…But the entire video took away from the song’s intended meaning. Instead of making women feel special and loved, which is why 99.9% of us loved the song in the first place, it made us feel objectified. And how could it not?"

For his part, Drake claims he learned a lesson from the negative reactions and admits he didn't really take into account the response of the women he had been winning over:

"I guess one thing I didn't consider is what the song personally means to a lot of women…To those women, I apologize. I do apologize. My intention wasn't to put anyone down. It was to make them laugh. I wanted people to see something visually different."

Given the focus of the video, I'm not sure what the visually different part was but it's a good look to apologize, despite what some folks in the rap game on and offline seem to feel.

Though Black Barbie doesn't explicitly frame her posts in terms of branding, I think they're useful discussions to consider regarding these artists' brands as well as the ongoing issues in hip hop business regarding lying about one's past and treating women as objects.

Posted by Clyde Smith on July 31, 2009 in Branding, Community, Gender, Marketing | Permalink