How Brands Grow: As Told By Drake

Drake is one of the most prolific artists of our time. To date, he has 11 #1 albums – trailing only JAY-Z, and The Beatles, The most #1 records charting on Billboard’s Hip-hop charts, and he just signed re-signed with Universal Music Group to the tune of $400 million.

He’s “the boy”

And he also gives us a master class in how brands grow.

While reading Byron Sharp’s classic book on marketing, I couldn’t help but think about Drake’s career (and my own, for that matter) and how he was able to grow his brand over time, all in line with Sharp’s laws.

Today we’re gonna talk about how these two titans in their industries intersect by applying Sharp’s law’s to Drake’s career.

Yeah **Drake Voice**

Law #1: Continuously Reach All Buyers

For an artist like Drake, the worse thing to do is go “dark” i.e. silent for an extended period of time. Why?

Well, Sharp says communication and distribution are key. Avoid being silent because of constraints on physical and mental availability.

The thing is, buyers aren’t as loyal as we think they are, and in the absence of their preferred choice, they will go looking for another brand.

That’s something we see all the time as music fans, right?

Think about a song you love, from an artist you’re just starting to like…

At some point, If you find yourself asking “what happened to ____” or “_____ hasn’t dropped in a while,”  those are signs that the artist has been silent for too long. And, again, that means they’ll go looking for someone else to listen to.

Knowing how fast the culture moves these days, Drake doesn’t go silent for more than year.

That means a new EP. Or a new Single. Or even an unexpected interview at some point each year no matter what. (Look below at the collage of his projects over the years for reference). Between each studio album, Drake would release incremental packs of music just to keep fans tuned in.

Law 1A: Drake doesn’t go silent because he also knows the Law of Double Jeopardy

The law of double jeopardy states that brands with less market share have so because they have far fewer buyers (first jeopardy), and these buyers are slightly less brand loyal (second jeopardy).

In laymen’s terms that means that smaller artists have less fans, and they are less loyal. And it also means that the larger a brand is the more loyal its customer base is.

Crazy right?

That means for Drake it’s like this: The top artists across the entire planet by the numbers are: Ed Sheeran, Adele, Bad Bunny and a handful of other acts.

Drake is also global, but when competing with pop artists who appeal to wider audiences he does, by default have fewer listeners, who are again, by default, slightly less loyal.

We know that Drake is on a mission to be just as big they are (i.e. increase his market share), and Sharp says that in order for your market share to increase you have to substantially grow your market base.

Ergo, in order for Drake to combat the effects of double jeopardy, he can’t just address Hip-Hop/R&B fans – he has to move into other genres and target all of the buyers in the market.

That leads us to another part of this law

Law 1B: Pareto “60/20” Law

Pareto’s Principle basically says 80% of your results are dictated by 20% of your actions. It’s like that Tyler Perry movie where he referenced 80/20 in marriages? No? I’ll move on.

The marketing adaptation of this law is something similar – basically 80% of your sales come from a very dedicated 20% of your base. However, Byron Sharp says that’s cap.

According to him AT MOST, that 20% of your base that’s super dedicated is only responsible for 60% of your sales.

Let’s adapt that to streams.

That means for Drake (and for other artists of his caliber) a good chunk of their streams, almost 40%, DON’T come from their most dedicated fans… They actually come from “light listeners” – those who only listen to Drake a few times a year.

Which, again, means that Drake has to work to reach both the light and heavy buyers equally in order to grow.

Law #2: Ensure The Brand Is Easy To Buy

Drake makes it really convenient to “buy” his music because he’s everywhere all at once. Let’s revisit 2015, which to date is probably one of the biggest years of his career and that’s no accident.

In 2015, Drake did the following:

1. A slew remixes with emerging artists like Fetty Wap
2. The “If you’re Reading This It’s Too Late” mixtape
3. The “What A Time To Be Alive” album w/ Future
4. Viral “Hotline Bling” Video
5. “Views From The 6” album announcement
6. Beyonce Collab “Can I”
7. Coachella headline
8. The “Back 2 Back” diss record//Meek Mill Feud

The attribute these things share is that no matter your walk of life – whether you’re a Bey fan, a Coachella concertgoer, or a Future fan, Drake made it extremely convenient to partake in his music.

He made sure that he was physically available by touring, and mentally available by working with artists across a wide range of genres. Because of that, his market share couldn’t help but increase.

Law #3: Get Noticed

Memorable creative is the backbone of great marketing, and it’s only as effective as its media placements.

Drake and his team are keenly aware of this, and they’re mindful of it with each album release. That’s why they opt for non-traditional ways to promote his album and turn his artwork into opportunities for user-generated content (i.e. memes)

Exhibit A: Drake’s rollout for his sixth album “Views” – remember the cover art memes? What about the Hotline Bling “spoofs”? All of which were purposeful, and all of which extended the shelf-life of the album:

Exhibit B: Drake’s album “Certified Love Boy“ received the meme treatment from a ton of brands, and even the Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot (seen below)

HE HACKED ESPN.

Both of these moves ensured that Drake could be noticed in a crowded musical environment in a way that competitors wouldn’t be able to match. As a result, even light buyers knew that Drake would “be on the shelf” on September 3rd.

Law #4: Refresh & Rebuild Memory Structures

Sharp says that even when introducing a new story, brands should still tell old information and be aware of what consumers think without working against them.

This is something all rappers do in their work & Drake has mastered this.

With each project, Drake reinforces memory structures by reminding you of his story: He was Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi, and through a ton of grinding, he became a global superstar, often jaded by “the life” and trying to navigate the same issues we are.

And, by reminding you that as a listener you played an essential role in helping him get there, he’s building on the associations people have with his brand and strengthening structures.

For reference, listen to how he reinforced memory structures on “Started From the Bottom” – in the process, it became a widely used phrase culturally and worked perfectly with where a lot of his listeners were (or presently are): at the bottom trying to make a come up

Law #5: Create Distinctive Brand Assets

While Sharp has a lot to say about whether advertising is truly effective or not he does say this: Brands have to use use sensory cues to get noticed and stay top of mind.

Think about one Drake’s biggest brand assets like THE OVO OWL.

In the absence of Drake, the person, his brand visage still looms large at events where he’ll eventually be present, or where he serves as a sponsor.

Why is that? The Owl

“Owl sweaters inside her luggage, you gotta love it”

Next on the list of Drake’s brand assets we have the prayer hands — something that we generally see when he’s in his “6 God” bag. The image below along with the accompanying voice tag lets fans everywhere know that that 6 God is coming.

Law #6: Be Consistent, Yet Fresh

Sharp’s 6th law is about keeping the brands fresh and interesting.

For an artist of Drake’s caliber, brand refreshes are incredibly important. That means each album cycle, the core elements of who he is artistically has to remain the same, but he has to do what people love him for.We see Drake refresh his brand between each album in two ways:

1. His look (i.e. the packaging)
2. The music (the product itself)

Drake’s Look

Great artists know one of their most distinctive brand assets is their look. Your music can be good, but it’s also about what the eye sees in companionship with the music.

Great artists also understand that people rely on sensory cues, like sight, to keep their brand fresh. With that in mind, the greats know that they have to change their “look” to stay top of mind.

Take a look at this collage of Drake (courtesy of Complex).

Over the years, Drake’s appearance has gone through a few changes. When he started his career, he had more of a 5 o’clock shadow with no beard, then he grew the bread, next he put the heart in his fade, and now he’s rocking braids.

With each project, Drake refreshes his look, and while it serves to reflect where his life is at the present moment, his “look” also acts as a way of building those mental associations that allow memories to form.

Drake’s Music

In line with Sharp’s advice about remaining consistent, the subject matter of Drake’s music largely remains unchanged, aside from the occasional intimate look he provides into his life. BUT, what does get “refreshed’ are the musical elements.

Think about his most recent effort “Honestly, Nevermind”

Many regular fans were shocked to hear where Drake went sonically.

Some felt like it was an unnecessary change (personally, I thought it made sense) – but changes like that keep him interesting to listen to.

And for the day one fans, he snuck in “Jimmy Cooks” – a song that aligns more closely with his usual sound and collaborative efforts.

Law #7: Stay Competitive

Amongst the reason that Sharp says brands become uncompetitive is

1. Price (which because of streaming doesn’t matter much to this convo) AND
2. Spending too much time focusing on the reason to buy without considering the “reasons not to buy.”

Drake pays very close attention to the culture. He knows what underground musicians are poised to blow, where the sound of music is going, and spends his time focused on gaining physical/mental availability with fans – reminding them that when it’s time to buy i.e. listen to new music he should be at the top of their playlist.

It’s the reason he’s on top, and it’s likely the reason he pulled up to Morehouse’s homecoming this year; a reminder that though he’s global, he’s still got time to check in with his core fans. And you know what? His streams probably went through the roof that night too.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

It means what you want it to mean honestly.

There are ton of other factors that attribute to Drake’s growth that Sharp can’t account for. But for the ones that he can, take some time this week to reflect and see how it applies to work you’re doing in other spaces.

I’ll do the same.

Peace.