Drake has come a long way from his early days as an actor on Degrassi to becoming one of the top-selling artists today. He gained popularity through mixtapes released on his website and Myspace before signing with Young Money/Cash Money Records in 2009. Drake has a wide fan base and strong social media presence that he utilizes to promote his music, clothing line, and collaborations. Moving forward, Drake will continue expanding his OVO brand and attracting new fans through music festivals, ads, and working with influential artists. His target market is males and females aged 16-30 who are interested in streetwear and Drake's persona.

1. Drake’s Brand Story
#StartedFromTheBottom
A Presentation By:
Andres Arcila, Daniel Brown, Denisee Edwards, Brittany Martins, Angelica Munoz, Kelly Nie, Koren Whisnant.

2. Who is Drake?
#StartedFromTheBottom
Born as Aubrey Drake Graham.
Made his debut on the popular Canadian TV show Degrassi.
His first mixtape was released solely through his website and
through MySpace in 2006.
In 2007, Come Back Season was released, his second mix tape,
in which Drake’s popularity began to rise.
Even before being signed to a label, Drake worked with big
named artists like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige,
and Jamie Foxx.
In 2009, Drake finally was signed to Young Money/Cash
Money Records.
Today, Drake has sold over 5.8 million records in the US
alone.

3. SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS:
Wide range of fan demographics.
Introduction of new, popular artists under his label.
Huge social media following/Accessible on almost every platform.
Capability of crossing over to other areas of entertainment (TV,
Fashion)
OPPORTUNITIES:
Expanding the OVO Brand (OVO Sound, and OVO Clothing
line)
Expanding his music internationally through collaborations with
other artists and global music festivals.
Attracting even more of a fan base through TV ads like T-
Mobile, and through other collaborations like with Rihanna.
#StartedFromTheBottom

4. SWOT Analysis
WEAKNESSES:
Constantly competing with other top named artists like Chris
Brown, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill.
Music definition, straying too far off from traditional hip-hop.
Categorizing his music by only sticking to one sound.
Not having a SnapChat.
#StartedFromTheBottom
THREATS:
Artist feuds with Meek Mill, Tory Lanez, Tyga.
Decrease in music sales due to free streaming websites like Pandora
and Spotify.
Tidal, an online streaming website and its potential of being “the
next big thing.”
Losing credibility as an artist if he stops writing his own music.

5. 4 Social Zones – Social Community
TWITTER: 29.1 mil. followers
Posts when songs, videos, and
clothing line drops will be released.
Retweets when he’s mentioned in
other tweets, like Apple Music, T-
Mobile, OVO.
Also likes to post funny tweets,
referencing online memes to relate back
to fans.
#StartedFromTheBottom

6. 4 Social Zones – Social Community
INSTAGRAM: 21.4 mil followers
Posts are more exciting, usually
involve stills from music videos and
concerts.
Heavily promotes his OVO
fashion line.
Just announced a “pop up”
shop in NYC for “Views”.
Posts are generally more
relatable and personal.
#StartedFromTheBottom

7. 4 Social Zones – Social Entertainment
#StartedFromTheBottom
BUZZFEED: 468.4 million global visits a month.
“Can You Match These Petty Drake
Lyrics to their songs?”
Participants are given 13 songs by
Drake and are asked to guess which
song it is, then are given a grade.
The results can be posted onto
Facebook, which is yet another
way to involve multiple social
media sites all back to Drake.

8. 4 Social Zones – Social Commerce
Apple Music
• Drake signed a $19 million contract with Apple to be a guest DJ
• Apple Music combines subscription-based music streaming with global radio-like programming and a social feature that
connects artists to fans.
• Apple music subscriptions- 3 month free trial period; $10 per month
• 11 million subscribers
October’sVeryOwn.com
• Sells t-shitrts, sweaters, bottoms, jackets, headwear and accessories,

9. Target Market/Persona
TARGET MARKET:
Males & Females aged 16-30 years old
PERSONA: MARCUS COLLEGESTUDENT
21 years old, avid Drake listener.
Into urban street wear, relatively big social
media following.
Is the type to listen to Drake at parties/in the car.
Potential to introduce Drake to more people.
#StartedFromTheBottom

10. INFLUENCERS
LOW OPINION/HIGH INFLUENCE:
Taylor Swift – Music Competitor
69 mil. IG followers. Posts daily, posts have personal
appeal.
Not a vital player in Drake’s immediate market.
Competitor because she also dominates her music field.
Influences: album sales, social media following,
digital media presence.
#StartedFromTheBottom

11. INFLUENCERS
#StartedFromTheBottom
HIGH OPINION/HIGH INFLUENCE:
DJ Khaled – Social media competitor

12. Social Media
Marketing Capabilities
$$$ for You...
Promotion
Sponsorship
Endorsements
Partnerships
Music
Radio episodes
New releases

13. The success of hotline bling

14. What’s to Come?
“Started...” will serve as the introductory video to the 2016 OVO Fest. A quick
glimpse of Drake’s journey, from the bottom to the top, fans will indulge in Drake’s
success, waiting for what’s to come.