Sex And The City 2: Abu Dhabi Anyone?

Sex and The City 2 uses Abu Dhabi to market its movie as a new international entertainment hub worth exploring to American audiences in a post 9/11 culture.How else is Abu Dhabi influencing your home and becoming a strong arm international entertainment? How is the city creating more opportunities for its residents? Abu Dhabi, anyone?

As I watched the movie, I enjoyed what I believe what the sequel was really about: the experience. I personally enjoyed it overall (minus a few dislikes). I appreciated the journey it took us internationally isolated Americans. So into a foreign land we went with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda; we got to see them travel through a place where everything was dipped in traditional canvases and styled in modern accents. Although the film was filmed in Morocco mainly, I enjoyed the grand settings and fashion that infiltrated our eyes during the entire film scene after scene.

A few days after the movie, an international friend of mine invited me and a friend to go international with her next year-- take a trip to Abu Dhabi (and Ethiopia). I chuckled to myself..I thought how funny it was to plan a trip to the exact place that is featured in a major movie film. A little voice in my head said "great marketing." The movie won't be the reason why people go to Abu Dahbi, it's the opportunity of a colorful experience as portrayed in the movie. But it also led me to imagine how many other Americans are probably planning the same kind of trip after watching SATC2...

A few weeks later I'm on VEVO and start to question who owns it besides music corporations. So I went to where most of us go when we want to know more. Wikipedia. As I'm reading the first lines of the history behind VEVO, it lists the owners, but there is a foreign word just threw me through a loop. One of the owners of VEVO, is the Abu Dhabi Media Group. WOW!! Is this a coincidence?? And why are they a part of VEVO?? Although Warner Brothers isn't listed as one of the owners of VEVO, the company does have an agreement with VEVO for marketing and advertising. My mind raced as I looked up the producers (i.e. the distribution company) of SATC2, could I be right? Yep. Warner Brothers.

So how did they get involved?? And why?? We'll get into that, but let me make a few points about how SATC2 and Abu Dhabi successfully marketed itself into this post 9/11 culture.

Toyota Wants To Know: Have You Branded Yourself Today?

Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Tiger Woods: Controversy Isn't Always The End for Branding Success

In this article, I want to talk about Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Tiger Woods. They all have suffered from controversies in their careers. But, controversy isn't always the end for branding success. Let's look at what the brands of Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Tiger Woods represent and how controversy may have helped or damaged their success.

Brands are like a 14 year olds with acne problems, way too much attitude and no proactive in sight; they are more fragile than you know. Throughout the years we've seen celebrities take time to build their names for it to be strong, yet fail to realize that it takes only one mistake to destroy it. These three brands have had huge controversies surround them, threatening their success and livelihoods.

I think it's even more interesting to watch the process that celebrities go through to get back in the good grace of fans and this machine called Hollywood or utilizing what is labeled by others as detrimental to only make their brand stronger. I like to think of it as a game...

Have You Branded Yourself Today?

Marinate On It. 

Drake and His Instant Career Success: Previous Stardom, Relationships and OVO are Factors

Aubrey Drake Graham is a Degrassi Canadian star with a love for music. He eventually got discovered by Cash Money's Lil Wayne, and has become a brand representing a broad collective of the cool, young generation from suburbia to any street corner that share the common interests of loving life, the cars, the clothes..and yes..you know what else. His PR and Marketing angle is simple to digest. But his true success came from a cushioning of loyal fans from television, having a team behind him, using industry relationships well, and the record label creating anticipation in their own circles.

In my first post we discussed why Drake became a success with the public. In this post I will share some of my thoughts on how Drake positioned himself to become a success within the music industry, which enabled his brand to become a success with his consumers.

Drake and His Instant Career Success: How We and Independent Artists Can Do It, Too -Part One

"I just want to be..I just want to be successful."

Who couldn't relate to this universal feeling when it comes to success, and your career? Whether you are an independent artist or not? Drake has been on streak since his mixtape release this past spring. It made me question a few things as a marketing person and fan: How did a guy from Canada get in the music industry and get his songs on the radio so easily? What can independent artists and fans learn from his career success? How does his Marketing and PR angles help his brand delivery to the mainstream audiences?

Well, on one hand, his craft, voice and connection to fans helped him achieve his goals.On the other, his industry background allowed him to maximize his brand, which will be explained more in the follow up post to this. But lets start from the bottom, the artist itself, shall we?


There are things every independent artist must embody if he or she wants to make an impact on a large scale. But before we get to it, I have a question.


What makes an independent artist, independent?
The flyers and promo stickers that make their name stand out from the rest? Even without the major PR?


Is it the fact that most can only afford hot dogs and ramen noodles in between paychecks?


Is it the random fans after a show that can't deny his/her talent, often claiming they got NEXT?


Well, the truth is that the only real difference between indies and non-indies is that independents are just people...They probably went to college (or tried to), they have a sucky job, feelings, car problems and yes, some even have War of Worldcraft addictions. There's no living life-like-a-movie going on over here. But if they are like you then that's no fun right? Cause your life isn't very exciting is it? But hey, Diddy's lifestyle looks like loads of fun. But Diddy is also very unattainable.Drake was able to introduce himself to a new audience with an attractive, attainable lifestyle. He did it well. 


I believe there are 4 fundamentals that can help anyone who's career is based upon attracting an audience: