KEN BANKS’BLOG MAY 2026
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STOP IN THE NAME OF…THE BRAND!
Not long ago, I had the opportunity (finally) to visit the Motown Museum in Detroit. It was a great trip back in time, especially since most of my friends and family, know I was always a Motown fan since its beginning over 60 years ago. I’ve always been an R&B fan since I got my first transistor radio and listened daily to WJLB, one of Detroit’s original soul stations. As a matter of fact, my first LP that I ever purchased was Jackie Wilson’s Greatest Hits. Michael Jackson tributed his singing and dance moves to Jackie Wison. It was the late 50’s and I played it whenever I could. I also knew every song on the album and also noted the writers of Jackie’s hits—William Robinson (later known as Smokey) and Barry Gordy Jr. (founder of Motown). I still have all the Motown hits on my playlists and have attended every Motown revival concert and the Motown Broadway plays. When it was released, I immediately got and read Barry Gordy’s autobiography “To Be Loved” (titled after one of Gordy’s songs for Jackie Wilson). It’s a great history of how Motown grew from a record label to an entertainment brand like no other.
Early in his life Gordy’s dream was to leave the auto factories and start his own music label. His family and friends told him to forget about it and (like the old Coasters hit) “Get a Job”.
But Barry Gordy had a bigger idea. He knew that if he was going to be really successful, he had to build a label (brand) that appealed a wider audience and demographic than R&B music that, in those days, was restricted to black owned stations and labels. He realized that he had to have a large roster of talented singers and writers and musicians whose appeal would top the charts in all rock categories. He also knew that he had make sure his talent and employees understood his vision and to follow his direction in their music, their shows/concerts, their dress and their marketing.
His book highlights how he searched for more than just singers, he needed producers, composers, and sales professionals if his new label and brand—MOTOWN– was going to grow. Much like other successful brands in the consumer markets, he had to research and understand his competition (the big name labels, singers, and musicians). He also knew he had to learn more about the mass market to teens, adults, and station owners who were making the record and entertainment business into the pulse of a nation and international markets. His attention to direction and arrangements was the result of realizing that the market appeal/value was the key to its success. In short, he built a brand that was built from the inside of that Hitsville USA studio in Detroit (now the Museum) and then develop a plan and organization to make it happen.
The rest is history and Motown continues be part of the entertainment scene today. The industry has changed from records and radio stations to streaming programs and applications that make it even more important to do the branding consistently. Now AI has become a major factor in the technology of entertainment. Motown will certainly be rocking that avenue as well.
Note: I just got an example of personalized AI from a good friend of mine from high school, Jim Hampton, a successful disc jockey in early rock era and a renowned producer and entertainment talent today. Jim produced a song that captures my love of Motown and my branding career . If you missed it on the welcome video, here is a link that I think you’ll enjoy.
Thanks, Ken
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