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I'm in the process of trying to create a unique "brand" for my company so that I can occupy a unique niche in my local market. Just so we are all on the same page for purposes of this discussion....

A "brand" is basically a unique promise to your customer that has been positioned in his mind to where he/she believes that you deliver a unique product. Nike, Apple, Starbucks, are all examples of brands.

A commodity is something you could get anywhere. Gasoline would be an example of a commodity -- it doesn't matter much where you get it.

The perception of karaoke as a commodity is the main reason an under-cutter can come in and steal away your show.

Obviously there are already plenty of karaoke shows out there claiming to be "the best", maybe you have been around long enough and proven enough with your quality, selection, personality, marketing efforts, etc. to actually occupy that position in your market and great if you have.

However, if a whole bunch of companies are all claiming to be the "best" the customers and owners are going to believe one and figure the rest are full of it.

So now the question -- Does anybody here have a "Brand" of karaoke in their market? What is your brand's promise?

Developing a "brand" and or "uniqueness" means you'll have to do something that no other KJ is doing

THAT WILL ONLY GET YOU BASHED HERE !!!!!!

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING --WHAT KIND OF RADICAL KJ ARE YOU

No, not really...true.

Logos / signage / exposure / advertising / getting your name out there ALL OVER THE PLACE. Adding things like LIGHTS / BIG LCD SCREENS / PROPS - portable stage if you don't have a stage - recording singers / video tapping and or photographing singers. CATCH PHRASES that you and your hosts use.

Just some ideas of how to create a BRAND NAME

If that doesn't sound good --get some POLE DANCERS at you show .....

"consistency" in your product will help you creat a brand

The market is saturated with those still in the mindset of a "basic karaoke only" type format. To be unique or establish your "brand" you have to back off and look at the big picture. Offer extras that you are experienced with or things you could adapt to your show. In other words tailor your format and show with your talents and personality dont copy the 90 billion that only do it one way. Be dynamic and constantly look for new things or ways to improve YOUR show.

With my many and varied experiences I like to think we offer a "full" package but we still look for new ways to promote besides word of mouth. I cant believe the cost of advertising now. Anything to separate you from the competition helps and gives people something to talk about.

I would love this thread to stay in this frame and have inputs on new ideas but it will turn into a big argument aboutplaying dance music or legalities or............


One thing we are considering now is I'll just provide a link let your imagination fiil in the blanks

shows

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I'd like to think that I've somewhat established my own brand. I base this on a couple things. First, I do have patrons that come to my show at multiple locations. They follow me through my website/facebook/myspace pages. Second, my venues use my promo materials including my logo and website to advertise shows both in the bar and in local newspapers and radio spots. Finally, I get hired through my business to do things outside of Karaoke. For instance, this weekend I am the Emcee for a pig wrestling competition at a local festival. I think having the recognizability that people would hire me for things beyond Karaoke is a pretty good sign that I'm building more than just another Karaoke service.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Please enlighten us then....

I think the OP is asking
How Does a KJ make their show STAND OUT and be recognized as one of the BEST shows in town?

Providing Karaoke is a commodity like you said..it's a service and assuming we are comparing shows that are "A" class ..How can you stand out from the others?
Brands like you mentioned have catch phrases and visions to set them apart from the other SNEAKER companies or SOFT DRINK companies.

It's all in the marketing ..you have to think BIGGER than the next KJ.

My brand is this...
I run a good show.
I'm dependable and always on time
Friendly courteous service
mind my own business when I work
Make sure I have clean books , pencils and slips
Decent Sound system and constantly mix for each singer
Adapt my show on the fly to meet demands of the venues

I don't know if Brand is the right word here either. If you want your company name to be widespread and well known as being good you basically have to do a lot of advertising and be in a lot of locations. That means having several rigs saturating a particular area with top notch hosts. (Like a franchise) I've seen it done, but usually it means a lack in quality of hosts. People do turn to these type of businesses because they are well known and easy to hire though.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

What you are asking is how you can become an instant success with some cute or fancy slogan or name. Like "The Worlds Best KJ" and everyone will know it's you and believe it.

It won't happen. Brands or brand names take years of being there and millions of dollars of advertisment. That's how you get name recognition.

You're going to have to pay your dues.

Most businesses develope a business plan that outlines the company's goals and how they will achieve them. They have a mission statement that tells everyone exactly what they will do for their clients.

My brand is this...
I run a good show.
I'm dependable and always on time
Friendly courteous service
mind my own business when I work
Make sure I have clean books , pencils and slips
Decent Sound system and constantly mix for each singer
Adapt my show on the fly to meet demands of the venues

This is more like a mission statement.

Without millions of dollars of advertising there is no INSTANT name/brand recognition.

That comes from setting yourself apart from the swarm. How are you different? What makes you better? Why? Then you need to be able to back it up with a guarantee or warranty. They will have to be able to notice the difference and not just because you said so.

I think you are looking for a way to instant success and it's just not there. You have to prove it. That comes from walking the walk. You have to do it. It's a good idea but IT DON'T COME EASY.

Final thought. You have to actually be better or convince everyone that you are better than the ones you are up against. What will that take? Figure that out and you will have your answer.

That PIG WRESTLING would make a catchy BRAND LOGO!!

How bout' "COME KARAOKE WIT DA PIG!!"

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

I'd consider it more of a compliment if they didn't invite me to the pig thing.

I am waiting for the Karaoke Koyote to chime in here. He has definitely made use of an image and logo that he is getting out there on t-shirts, etc.

"My brand is this...
I run a good show.
I'm dependable and always on time
Friendly courteous service
mind my own business when I work
Make sure I have clean books , pencils and slips
Decent Sound system and constantly mix for each singer
Adapt my show on the fly to meet demands of the venues"

These are BASIC things that I think EVERY KJ would offer(but many dont).

I offer them as standard items.

But I also offer more as part of my service:
--Come DRESSED-UP for the part(this is a sign of respect to the venue and the custies--i dress in nice slacks, loud party shirt, nice shoes,, cool hat and shades--a clean appearance--as any respectable employee would--a sign that Im a PROFESSIONAL and take seriously what I do and how I represent both myself AND THE VENUE)
--Constantly update song collection as custies request music
--Use nightly a BIG SILVER ELVIS MIC(the real thing--a Shure 58m stage mic-not a knock-off)
--Provide sandwhich sign for curbside advertisement(Karaoke/nights)
--Provide indoor or outdoor Karaoke banners
--Provide indoor showbill poster and handbill karoke flyers
--Have ad space in local entertainment paper/mag--featuring Karaoke at the venue
--Set up and operate a live video-cam with large TV showing singers singing and dance-floor when dancing
--Promote show and give biz cards to people I meet
--Promote and book parties/benefits/company events in terms of having them at the venue and the opportunites the venue presents
--Promote/announce food deals/drink specials throughout the evening over the mic
--Create, update and show a rolling video/photo slideshow on the monitors between singers thoughout the evening showing venue pictures, activvities, events, singers, dancing, photos of the food, drinks, bar--anything that takes place in the venue that can be promoted---and make photo advertisements of the same and upcomeing events involving Karaoke and other entertainment at the venue--kinda like a virtual slide-show.....like youd find on a hotel or travel website(I have this already at the place I presently KJ at)
--Provide internet prescence for the venue on my myspace/facebook site
--Build not only my own DJ/KJ following BUT A FOLLOWING FOR THE VENUE----one person at a time!!
---Build an EMAIL listing of custies at the venue for promotin information purposes via my myspace ONE PERSON AT A TIME
---List the venue on various entertainment/bar finder websites about the town
---Set up and gather a month/phone number list of custies then call them to directly book birthday/bachellorette, girls/guys night out, company, holiday parties--people are called each month--based on thier birthday month--a bit of TELEMARKETING(we already do this at where I KJ now and it is VERY SUCCESSFUL!! For example just yesterday afternoon--one of the watiresses was making her calls and booked 3 parties for upcoming weekends!!----this list would go with ME if i ever left the venue--effectively taking that entire client list/base with me)
As I control the list I book the parties. A financial commission arrangement cn be worked out with the venue--ie so much per person(1-2$), etc.

These are all FEATURES and SERVICES that are PART OF MY BRAND. People would come to know the NAME and associate these services with my brand.
"OH YEAH, THATS THAT SWINGCAT GUY-----HE's THAT DJ WITH that CELEBRATION(tm) Karaoke--they got that REALLY COOL OLD SCHOOL MIC and that video cam of the singers on the screen!! Lets go THERE TONIGHT!!"

My brand name is:[/i]
"CELEBRATION KARAOKE(tm)"............."Where EVERY song is a CELEBRATION!!"

Would u like to book a party?????











[i]

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

That's not quite what we are talking about. Yes it's a logo that represents him and his business. When people see it they will recognize it. But just because he has it doesn't alude to how succesful he is. At some point down the road it may very well be recognised as a sign of quality and success in the karaoke world. It's kinda hard to separate these things. They are related and intertwined.

In the real world you only have to be that recognizable in a small geographic area. You wouldn't want to advertise on national tv or in national newspapers or national radio. Somewhere in 25-30 miles would do it. That still takes a lot of time to achieve. I could walk into 30 different bars and nobody would know me or what i do. I could walk into 30 others and they would.

I do like it when new people show up and tell me so & so recommended they try my show. Had a few of those this week. One girl drove 25 miles to try me. She may have loved it but i don't expect her to become a regular regular at 25 miles away. Was that an example of brand recognition? Is brand recognition nothing but ones reputation?:angel:

No, Angel that is not what I'm asking at all. Go back and re-read my original post.

From what you have told me in other threads you've been successfully undercut. That means you don't have a brand in the mind of your bar owner. You've also told me that your customers won't follow you down the road to another gig. That means you don't have a brand identity in the mind of your customers. That's no knock on you, it just means you are running just another karaoke company in your market.

That doesn't mean you aren't doing a fairly good job, but it does mean your show is a commodity making the usual claims about best service, best sound and best selection and people in your market aren't buying it. They're making their purchasing decisions based off price in the case of the bar owners and convenience in the case of the karaoke singers. That means your show is positioned as just another karaoke show at least in their minds. IF you could change that, then you would enjoy more success even if you are fairly successful now.

Just as a for instance someone who I actually think has a brand in a strange way is Lonnie. People all over the country know who Lonman is. His unspoken "promise" to the consumer is that Lonnie can answer any question you have on sound reinforcement with authority. He hasn't spent millions to get that reputation, it has come over the course of time as result of the consistent quality of his answers to people's questions.

SwingcatKurt has it RIGHT if you want to be a big success. Exposure & uniqueness en mass combined with a positive uplifting party-vibe gets great attention and sets you apart!

BigJer has it right as well! Providing consistent QUALITY over time produces a reputation which could be considered a brand (good vs. bad with kjs), but is not a brand name.

Angel, i'm afraid is WRONG again...

But see you just answered the question.

It doesn't come instantly or even over several years. Lonman just didn't start and have fame. It comes from thousands of shows and 17 years of doing it. Nothing close to instant. Since you don't know...i work 5 nights a week and have for many years. I do have a pristine not my word, someone elses, reputation.

I won't let a bar owner tell me how much he wants to pay. I name my price. Call it whatever you want. The jobs i have now have all been from people recommending me because of my reputation. The people doing the hiring actually came to me. Not one bar owner i work for bulks at paying me my fee. I have singers that will drive over 20 miles. But not on a steady basis. So I can't count on them to be part of a regular steady crowd. I have changed jobs going from smoking bars to non smoking bars and the smokers down to the last one stayed where they didn't have to go outside to smoke.

Maybe the smokers in your area don't care about if they have to go outside but apparently mine do. $1 drafts also helps keep them there. $5 to get wasted has a lot of drawing power in a bad economy. I don't count on any singers being at a new job. I'm not worried about it. I can build a crowd anywhere. Even in Portland. And i'd get my fee. Oh how i would love to prove that. I sound like Karyoker.

Have stupid bar owners hired a cheap KJ before me? Many times. Bar owners almost always look at the bottom line cost, being blind to the high rewards. Am i surrounded by pirates, you bet. Are there many sub-par KJs in my area. Again yes. That means i have lots of competition looking for the same jobs i try to get. It's not all fun and games. But they still get jobs. Most of them want my jobs. I don't get hired at every bar i go to. Price will almost always be the deciding factor. I'm not working for peanuts just to say i'm a KJ. If they want to pay, i'll play. If they don't, i won't. Many bars owners will pick price over reputation no matter who you are. That makes them stupid.

I'm not in a fantasy karaoke world. Not everything goes according to plan. It's hard work. Getting a "brand" is hard work and only happens with time and exposure.

I don't know if i fit what your idea of "brand" is. But i do have a better than average reputation that gets me good steady better than average work. I have paid much dues.

Your lack of bar owner experience is hanging out. Reputation means nothing if they have a mind set that a KJ is only worth X amount of money. Reputation won't change that mind set. They think karaoke and KJs are all the same. Do i want to work for a bar owner that stupid? The answer is no. Many KJs will because you just heard from most of them. I'm not in that catagory. Not all KJs were created equal. That comes down to their brand or reputation.

I can't be responsible for a bar owner not knowing the value of a KJ with a great reputation for crowd building. All the talking in the world can't change their thinking. I stop trying when we get that far. I'll walk out and let them experience what a cheap KJ brings. They deserve it. I offer my professional services. I don't beg before, now or later. That's what my brand buys. Usually the bar owners that think small are. They have dive bars that cater to dive patrons. Any place of quality knows value when they see it and are willing to pay for that value. Some bars have a good brand and some don't.

When you say undercut yeah but we aren't talking about $10. It could be as low as $100 or more. To a bar owner that's more money they don't have to pay for karaoke and KJs they think are all the same. That's the bar owners inexperience hanging out. They usually get what they paid for, nothing more.

Angel, whose job is it to make your marketable difference so clear that even a bar owner (or other caveman) could understand it, if not yours?

An example of what I'm talking about with establishing a brand... Let's say that instead of trying to be all things to all people you decided to create your UNIQUE karaoke brand by catering to a market niche.

You do your research and find out that there are a large number of people of Hispanic extraction in your local market and that nobody in the whole city is offering karaoke in Spanish.

Let's also say you were fluent in Spanish and you went out and purchased an appropriate library of the best the Spanish karaoke market had to offer along with the best dance/transition/filler music to cater to various cultures within the Hispanic market. You also immerse yourself in various Hispanic cultures way past anything casual study is going to reveal.

After doing your research, you develop your marketing materials, flyers, webpages, etc. You find a bar, you pitch your show and you start playing there. Word of mouth travels, your crowds go through the roof, you build up a loyal following because nobody else offers what you do.

Result: You can name your price at any bar in the Hispanic market of your area because you have created a monopoly on satisfying those desires.

Now, yes someone else can come along and try to take one of your gigs, but because of your uniqueness, it's going to be very difficult to take it just by buying a few discs and fast talking the bar owner. You have distinguished yourself from the run of the mill so effectively that even a bar owner can take one look at what you offer and see a desirable marketable difference.

And again, someone else can try to match your efforts, but you would still be the first show in your area to have established itself as the Spanish Karaoke Company. Anyone else who comes along has an uphill battle to replace you in the minds of the bar owners and karaoke singers in the local Hispanic market. To displace you they have to prove superiority and overcome the relationships you have built -- a very tall order.

Now that was just one example. The same thing could be done in other areas where people have unique needs that aren't being met. A unique hosting personality can also serve as a brand, but I want to correct a mistaken impression that you keep repeating about my intentions here.

I am not out to be an "overnight success" without paying my dues. What I am out to do is to have a clear vision of exactly what kind of company I want to build now that I am entering a brand new market as well as exactly what kind of show I want to run. What I don't want is to waste money, time and effort on marketing that may run totally contrary to the image that I end up wanting to build. Some of this has to arise from my own personal passions and beliefs, but I'm also looking for inspiration in what others have done beyond the classic "sound, service, selection" mantra.

If you don't have the biggest hammer, use the sharpest nail. That's what I'm after -- a very sharp nail. I'm looking forward to hearing more from what people are doing to be unique and different. I really appreciate some of the ideas I've heard already.