Hov's Laws: A Blueprint in Brand Building According to JAY Z

Jay Z is a businessman, a mogul, and arguably the best rapper of all time (I know, save the debate for another day).

He has over 23 Grammy’s, and more #1 albums than Elvis — and soon The Beatles. His career has been nothing short of stellar, and though many wouldn’t attribute it to him — he’s an excellent marketer.

Think about what marketers do.

They promote products, services, and brands; and do so with strategies that connect with people by showing that they understand their needs, and have a solution to address those needs.

Marketers use a mix of intuition, trend spotting, data, etc., to create action. In advertising they use these tools to create moments that last in people’s minds forever.

So, let’s bring it back to Jay Z.

Jay’s mastered the art of marketing by using all of the above to make a moment out of his albums. And, whether you’re into his music or not, there are a ton of learnings for us to glean from his journey.

So, this one is for the kid from the Marcy Projects who made music that changed an entire culture… And in the process became a billionaire.

“It’s Young” *Jay Z Voice*

Law #1: Start with Strong Brand Identifiers

If you read any marketing text, it’ll say something about having brand identifiers - cues that people can easily associate with your brand. These identifiers often include names, logos, slogans, etc. In Jay Z’s case, brand identifiers have played a major role in his success.

Ask yourself this…

What’s the one thing you can associate with Jay Z having never heard a song in his life (aside from Beyonce)?

It’s The Roc.

The Roc hand sign is one of the strongest brand identifiers of Jay Z’s career. It’s so iconic that Rihanna even threw up the Roc after her recent Super Bowl performance. Some will say it's illuminati, but I call it genius.

Courtesy of TV One

Even the Rocafella logo was distinct

On top of the hand signs, fans were able to see the Jay and crew wearing the Rocafella chain — a visual identifier so iconic that though the label is defunct it still holds a special place in hip-hop culture, and has even been seen in recent collabs with brands like Nike.

Courtesy of Fact Magazine

The Name was clever

Think about what Jay & co. did with the Roc hand sign. First they put a different spin on the name of one of the wealthiest families in American history. Then, they created a system of identifiers around their name. Doing both gave them something brands can’t buy: favorability.

And its Leaders were transformational

By the time Jay Z dropped his first album he & crew were already well-known in the streets & across New York. On top of that, he was co-signed by other big figures in rap like Jaz-O and even opened up for him on tour.

That said, anyone who supported Rocafella and also knew the hand signs, the lingo, and respected the lore of how it came to be was an “insider”

How to apply this law:

Get unique with your brand identifiers — don’t just opt for a good logo. Challenge yourself to create an entire universe of cues and identifiers that people can associate with your brand.

Law #2: Start Building, because Endorsements Are Overrated

'96 and forever, Rok-A-Blok, Roc-A-Fella

When Jay hit the scene no one believed in his music.

Record labels passed on him. A&Rs thought he was too old. Suits got nervous about his street connections.

Jay could’ve quit, but instead, he and his business partners put up the funding to the making of what would become one of Jay Z’s most important projects: Reasonable Doubt.

Although they would eventually find a partner in Def Jam, Jay, Dame Dash, and Kareem Biggs had to go independent first before the suits were able to understand what they were missing out on; A lesson for all brands to keep in mind.

How to apply the law:

When in doubt, go at it alone.

The reality is that if you’re doing something truly revolutionary most people won’t understand it, or co-sign it. Rather than wait for the “right” person or investor or someone to get it press forward. This is especially true if you KNOW your audience and KNOW how to serve them.

Everybody won’t get it, but if you’ve got the conviction to pursue your ideas, then make it happen. They’ll catch up later.

Law #3: Use Insider Content To Build Your Story

Over the years, Jay has relied less on music videos and more on exclusive content to tell the story of his music.

Fans are always enamored with the inner-workings of the art they consume and Jay was keenly aware of that. He knew that game wasn’t about 3 minute videos of fantasy - it was about the revealing the person behind the music.

As a result, he started to release more behind the scenes content that showed the makings of his albums. In the case of ‘The Black Album,’ he gave fans content to remember him by, because of his pending retirement.

To this day, his lore continues to spread across TikTok via clips from his various documentaries. They now float around as inspo for young creatives who want to see how Jay became who he is today.

How to apply the law:

Give Others a chance to revel in your story.

It may not seem like much in the beginning. But when you only have a handful of customers, that’s when documenting your journey is the most important.

Remember: your audience not only consists of fans, it includes people who seek to emulate your journey. Lowkey, they're also fans, but you get it.

The point is to inspire people.

It’s impossible to know how successful you’ll be when it’s all said and done. But, wouldn’t you rather have the content from your humble beginnings to reflect on?

Exactly. So would your audience.

Law #4: Align With Cultural Events

In 2007, Jay announced his second album post-retirement: American Gangster.

His prior album Kingdom Come was widely met with lackluster reviews and criticism, and the music climate wasn’t conducive to the type of music Jay normally made.

The South was emerging as the epicenter of music and Trap/Snap were the predominant sounds musically.

On the cultural front…

Buzz began to circulate in the news that the story of Frank Lucas was hitting theaters, and Frank would be played by none other than Denzel Washington.

Upon seeing the film Jay was inspired. Frank Lucas’ story was something that he could relate to on a personal level, and while working on new music he could feel the synergies start to form.

American Gangster was primed to be a huge movie and with the movie serving as inspiration Jay was able to catch the movie’s wave.

The result?

The movie dropped just a month after Jay dropped his album. Although it wasn’t the official soundtrack to the movie it might as well have been.

How to apply the Law:

Find a cultural event that naturally aligns with your story and see how you can use that to fuel your brand story. Jay used clips from the movie and other pieces of the film as source material to make his album that much more authentic.

With American Gangster the movie in theatres and closely associated with Jay’s new album, he was officially back in the mind of rap fans. Moreover, he proved his brand could outlive the stigma of rappers looking uncool as they approached 40. Overall, he raised the bar yet again.

Law #5: Lock In the Right Partners

When Jay was gearing up for his 12th solo album, the music industry was in an interesting place. Physical albums were all but a thing of the past, and the real measure of success was iTunes sales and streaming numbers.

Fans were now seeing the data behind their favorite records in real time which meant that stars faced heavy scrutiny when releasing projects.

If your favorite artist used to go 2x Platinum in the early 2000s but could only sell 60,000 units in the 2010s Twitter would call the project a flop.

So, what is an artist with a brand known for stellar success to do?

Guarantee that you can’t fail.

If album sales are the issue, Jay did something revolutionary: He partnered with Sprint to pre-sale copies of his album, essentially guaranteeing that on day one of the albums release it would already be classified as Platinum by the RIAA (the company who tracks music sales)

How to apply the law:

Think about whatever signifies success in your industry whether it's sales, clout or something in between and figure out how you can hedge your bets and guarantee that you win.

Remember: it’s about the story.

Jay could’ve done a regular pre-sale event through iTunes, or some other type of promo but instead he and his team took a close look at their goal — which is platinum at least, the metrics that reflected success, and found a way to guarantee that they’d hit the mark from a PR standpoint.

It was genius, plain and simple.

Law #6: Keep Reinventing Yourself

Yeah, I'll fuck up a good thing if you let me; Let me alone, Becky

A man that don't take care his family can't be rich

I'll watch Godfather, I miss that whole shit

It’s not a mistake that 4:44 is considered one of Jay Z’s best albums. On that particular project, he accomplished his great brand building effort to date by changing his brand archetype.

Take a look at some conventional marketing texts, specifically work from Carl Jung. You’ll eventually run across a list of the 12 different archetypes for brands (seen below)

He went from The Hero to The Sage.

The shift on 4:44 was deeper than the cliche “go back to your roots” strategies that brands rely on when they reach a point of stagnation — it was a fundamental shift identity.

Jay had nothing to prove at that point his career. Everybody knew he was the GOAT. But, Jay was able to take his story and his brand to the next level by tapping into something stronger than the mystique that had afforded him longevity in the game. He tapped into his humanity.

Superman showed the world that he was also Clark Kent and that at the end of the day, Hov is also Shawn.

By shifting brand archetypes, fans saw Shawn Carter.

And Shawn had the same fears, same motivations, and even the same problems as everyday people. By showing that he was not only The Hero, but also The Sage, and even The Everyman, he brought another layer of depth to his brand story.

How to apply the law:

Shift between brand archetypes when necessary.

Marketers and brand stewards often talk about companies like they’re living beings. If that’s the case, then no living being is just one thing. That means that some days your brand is The Everyman, other days it might The Jester. Either way it’s okay to jump between archetypes. Doing so might remind people that the company is actually run by real people, and that’s never a bad thing.

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?

Follow the blueprint (ha).

Jay Z’s career is a masterclass in branding. These were just the examples tied to his albums, but as many of us know, his influence spans several industries and in each endeavor that he finds himself in, these laws find their way into the mix.

That said, see how you can incorporate these laws into whatever you do. I’ll make sure to do the same.

Peace.