On April 21st at approximately 4:00 pm ET, CNN reported that Prince, a multi-talented entertainer famed for his eclectic sound had sadly died at the age of 57 from unknown causes.
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1958. At 19, he became the youngest record producer in Warner Bros. history with his debut album “For You”. In 1984, he starred in the movie Purple Rain which featured his hit songs ‘When Doves Cry”, “Purple Rain” and “Let’s Go Crazy”. He won a total 7 Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations. Over his prolific career, he released 34 studio albums and sold over 100 million records. Not too shabby!
While most people know him as a talented musician and great entertainer, what they don’t recognize is that he was a genius at branding himself as an unforgettable talent and persona. Here are 3 components to the brilliance of Prince’s personal brand.
Color
Prince was always identified by the color purple. What he knew was that consistency was key. When his song Purple Rain was released in 1984, Prince became synonymous with the color from that point forward.
Branding Beyond his Label
The Artist Formerly Know as Prince created his own (purple) logo or Love Symbol and to this day, the symbol appears on everything from albums and t-shirts to laser projections at his concerts.
Personal Style
Prince was a man who never seemed to age. He made a career out of looking great! Whether he was at the grocery store or walking down a red carpet, he wore the finest clothing, looked styled and paid close attention to every detail like his manicure and well-groomed facial hair.
Prince took this a step further and required his team of executives to look their very best, too. His philosophy was that they were representing him and wanted a keen visual alignment.
His personal style evolved over time, but there was always a sense of consistency. Whether he was wearing a long purple robe with a white ruffled dress shirt or a tailored turquoise suit paired with bright orange mandarin collared shirt, his eyeliner and highlighted cheekbones always took center stage.
Prince, your music wasn’t your only genius. Thank you for the beautiful example of a powerful personal brand. You will be missed, but the legend and beauty of your art will live on in our hearts!!
Image courtesy of www.factmag.com