Institution

What is a Brand?
Branding creates an image that people are able to link to a certain type of product which delivers an image and message that enables them to view the product over and over again. Branding makes the campaign recognizable and more specific to a certain audience, as consumers have so much choice.


Branding occurred as a result of mass production, ' Image based difference had to be manufactured along with the product', (Naomi Klein, No Logo), therefore branding became a necessity.


What creates a Brand?
According to mudvalley.com there are eight elements that create brand identity. Brand identity is the presentation of a product to its consumer.

• Brand Essence - what the brand means in a sentence.
• Brand Slogan - often a catchphrase to a logo.
• Brand Personality - what kind of character does the brand have? Humanises the brand which makes it easier to relate to.
• Brand Values - what does it stand for/against.
• Brand Appearance - what does it look like/ sound like/ taste like?
• Brand Heritage - what kind of tradition does it have?
• Emotional Benefits - what feelings does it offer consumers?
• Hard Benefits - it is cheaper, better, does it wash whiter? What 'real' quantifiable benefits does it offer the buyer?
  

In relation to Mudvalley.com's theory of brand identity our brand consists of the following elements:-

• Brand Essence? It represents minorities as it is an 'up&coming underground' music and the genre itself is a minority as it is not classed as mainstream music.
  
• Brand Slogan? 'Bring On The Bass'.
• Brand Personality? It is fast paced, upbeat and something to rave to and for everyone to enjoy.
• Brand Values? It is a representation of many things including Love, Youth, Pride of Hometowns and much more. 
• Brand Appearance? As it is an auditorial product it has no visual appearance however the music is shared between Mc, Instrumental and Vocals (Singing).
• Brand Heritage? It is a mixture of all traditions and cultures but the genre originated in the early 2000s.
• Emotional Benefits? It offers a release from worldly affairs and gets you in a hype as it is highly energetic and the beat is forceful.
• Hard Benefits? It is cheaper because there is no manufacturer costs, printing and publishing costs as albums are made on request. The 'real' quantifiable benefits to the consumer are that it is easily accessible and is cheaper to purchase as it is not sold at a music store.

Examples of Brand image/identity

The single 'Adagio for strings' proved to be a huge success in the dance charts getting in the Top 40. This particular concert music video was host to a DJ Tiesto concert with a capacity of 25,000 people showing the massive audience for the dance genre. The brand identity and image given is that Tiesto is a confident performer and his aim is to get everyone raving and dancing which he succeeds in doing.
It is not only the videos that bring out the artists brand image but also merchandise and album covers. Below is the album cover with the track above in the 2004 album 'Just Be'.

The media text is produced by 'Speedy Dubz' which is an independent label. They promote and create music individually to tailor everyones needs. This is an example of their work which can be found on youtube and myspace.

These are a few of the artists that work with Speedy Dubz to be successful:-

Ruky

Skanka Productionz

DJ Phelan

Shaun Jnr

DJ Zee-One

TRZ

DJ Jay Vibez

The typical traits of this insitution and its collaborators are that they are mainly young people who have a love for music production and interest of the genre as a whole. Bassline music is produced by independent labels and is fairly new as 'Niche' was brought back on the 27th November 2009 in Sheffield. The genre as a whole has had no major label success but may do in the coming future.

There are many different names for bassline, it can be called niche adapted from the nightclub from which it originated. However, there are many divisions in the genre which are:-

1) Organ House

2) 4x4

3) Bangaz

As different sub-styles have developed people have had a liking for various flavours of the genre and it targets a wider audience. It promotes youth as DJ's are as young as 14 years of age! It also promotes relationships and fun within the genre.