Understanding branding is demanding…

As a tribute to the African American, Latino, and Caribbean-origin global Hip-hop cultural phenomenon, the body of this paper is written as a Spoken-word RAP (Rhyme And Poetry) treatise on the current branding landscape. Grounded in rhetoric, analogies, and allegories, the aim is to present a didactic passage for discussion and reflection, that through phonaesthetics, rhythm, and rhyme is multi-layered and easier to recall. Support for this approach, the author argues, lies in the fact that branding, through image, identity, personality, and slogan creation, aims to produce attractive and memorable meaning and language-shaping cultural artefacts. Furthermore, a gestalt method to capturing the cultural zeitgeist is designed to present a variety of perspectives – in the interests of evoking thought and language in line with the speed at which brands are having to evolve their approaches, steeped in popular culture and relevance.