- As the new conductor behind the legendary <strong>Soul Train</strong> brand, media titan <strong>Kenard Gibbs</strong> has focused his efforts on reviving “the hippest trip in America” for a new generation as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. Since 2008, Gibbs has been the CEO/Partner of Soul Train Holdings and has brought a vast amount of media experience, having served as the former group publisher of <em><strong>Ebony</strong></em> and <em><strong>Jet</strong></em> magazines, former President of <strong><em>VIBE</em></strong> magazine and co-founder of <strong><a href="http://www.madvisionentertainment.com/" target="_blank">Madvision Entertainment</a></strong>. Expanding upon the solid foundation built by founder, <strong>Don Cornelius</strong>, Gibbs has established <strong><a href="http://soultrain.com/" target="_blank">SoulTrain.com</a></strong>, mobile game applications, merchandising deals and <strong><a href="http://www.centrictv.com/shows/soul-train-awards-2011/" target="_blank">The Soul Train Awards</a></strong>, which aired on Centric last night. <strong>BlackEnterprise.com</strong> hopped aboard the train for an express business course as Gibbs shared his most essential tips for rebranding an iconic product like Soul Train. <em>—Souleo</em>
Kenard Gibbs (Image: Courtesy of subject)
- <ul> <li><strong>Get to Know Your Consumer</strong></li> </ul> Prior to Gibbs’ acquisition of Soul Train, the company had never completed any traditional consumer research, which left Gibbs with questions that needed to be answered before he could strategize his rebranding efforts. “I was curious to find out from consumers what does the brand represent,” he says. “Is it viewed as entertainment, a family-oriented brand or viewed as being an authentic platform for new music?” Therefore, without first discovering how your brand is perceived any efforts at rebranding will be counterproductive since you may overlook key needs and desires of your core consumer. “Have a very clear understanding of the core audience for your brand,” Gibbs advises. “Inclusive of that is doing some consumer research so that in rebranding efforts you can look to maintain consistency in terms of what the consumer believes your brand represents and what you are trying to tell consumers your brand represents.”
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- <ul> <li><strong>Change Has to Be Authentic</strong></li> </ul> The legacy of the Soul Train brand is built upon the pillars of dance, music and fashion. For Gibbs every brand has its own set of values, which must be expanded upon without compromising integrity. “Consumers now are savvier than ever and you have to be authentic and deliver to them what your brand value is unless of course you are looking to change that,” he says. Gibbs’ strategy includes honoring Soul Train’s musical past while reflecting contemporary pop culture. “Music is our lane but that doesn’t mean we can only show artists that were a part of the iconic past. Our perspective is that Soul Train is and will continue to be the home to the biggest artists in popular music,” he says. “We want to contemporize and reach a subset of our consumer, which is a younger consumer—with the rebirth of the brand.”
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- <ul> <li><strong>Merge the Old with the New</strong></li> </ul> With any rebranding project you will need to rely upon the intellectual strengths and skill set of an effective team. One of Gibbs’ top priorities was to assess the current team he inherited and determine which members could help propel the brand forward. “Consistent with a brand assessment is an internal resources assessment, which has to be done with the end goal in mind,” he says. To determine which team members are the appropriate fit Gibbs states that it is imperative to ask yourself the following question: “Are there people and resources associated with this brand that can be helpful and useful in the new strategic direction?” When Gibbs asked himself this question he discovered that the answer was yes and no. While some of the original staff remained others had to be eliminated. “There are some still here and there others that are not. You can’t operate without in-house digital expertise and that's an area where we had to aggressively expand in.”
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- <ul> <li><strong>Proper Timing is Essential</strong></li> </ul> While the old adage states that “success doesn’t happen overnight,” neither does a successful rebranding campaign. Aside from the time spent conceptualizing the new direction you also need to plan for the implementation, marketing and assessment phases to generate quality results. “You have to set a realistic timetable for strategic objectives,” Gibbs notes. “Sometimes individuals have unrealistic expectations about the ability to reintroduce a brand to consumers who have not interacted with it in a while. So you have to be deliberate in the sequencing of the brand roll out.”
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- <ul> <li><strong>Cover Your Digital Bases</strong></li> </ul> While Don Cornelius ensured a legacy for Soul Train through the medium of television, he opted out of leaving a digital mark, which presented Gibbs with the challenge of introducing the brand across social media platforms. “Don was not a big believer in the Internet because he saw the platform and the openness of the Internet only serving to undermine his ability to monetize his content,” Gibbs reveals. “However, the traditional model was being complemented and changed due to consumer’s behavior as they are also watching programs via the web and mobile.” In order to successfully rebrand in today’s ever-changing digital landscape you must leave an electronic footprint. “You need to develop an integrated media plan to so that you are available to the consumer in the new way they are interacting with your brand,” he continues. “It has to be something that includes reaching the end consumer via traditional methods, digital platforms, social marketing and all the various touch points.”
(Image: ThinkStock)
- <ul> <li><strong>Envision an Ending for Your Beginning</strong></li> </ul> When formulating your rebranding strategy you need to begin at the end. Undertaking this task should not simply be about changing your logo, Website or name to generate increased revenue. Instead, it is essential to think broader in terms of expanding the reach of your brand by aligning with beneficial possibilities. “Understand the larger opportunities for the brand,” says Gibbs. “You need some idea as to what ultimately you are trying to achieve and that is important.” Gibbs recommends performing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats) to help envision the future of your brand. “That end goal dictates how you proceed as you go down the list,” he adds. “So based upon that you seal your strategy.” Gibbs’ analysis of Soul Train has resulted in several present opportunities including gaming, apparel, branded tours, a musical, a feature film and the launch of a cruise in 2013; proving that this is one train that is going to keep on moving along the track of success for some time.
(Image: ThinkStock)
Mr Gibbs has proven how critical it is to utilize strategic rebranding methods to build upon an existing, popular model such as the Soul Train brand. There is a broad demographic population who is familiar with this brand–my household is three generations deep Soul Train fans–and therefore, staying current with social media, entertainment and digital technology is crucial to maintaining brand loyalty and a growing consumer base. Great job with keeping Soul Train current and relevant for all generations and proving that it is stil “hippest trip in America.”
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