“Shatta Wale’s PR Is Strong, He Doesn’t Do Marketing” - Ricky Tenneson

Written by Christabel Newman

Ricky Tenneson is a solution-oriented Ghanaian music executive with several years of experience in the music and entertainment industries. Seated on Culture Daily morning show’s Big Conversation segment, on 3Music TV, he digs into Marketing Gimmicks To Maintain Relevance As An Artiste and offers insightful perspectives on how artistes can sustain visibility and relevance in an ever-evolving music industry.

In answering Jay Foley’s question on why certain names don’t come up anymore and referencing a few names – Raquel, Freda Rhymz, Yaw Tog, and Kofi Jamar –who were once-dominant figures, now appearing to have drifted from mainstream, Ricky emphasizes that marketing remains the foundation of the industry’s current direction. He further clarified the difference between marketing and public relations (PR), explaining that while the two often overlap, they serve distinct roles in building and maintaining an artiste’s brand.

Addressing a common misconception, Ricky debunked the notion that PR is solely associated with controversy or negativity. He highlighted the power of positive PR, noting that it helps keep artistes in the minds of music consumers and shapes how the public perceives them.

Using Shatta Wale as an example, Ricky says “…Shatta Wale’s PR is strong, he doesn’t do marketing…”

Further elaborating Shatta’s PR to endear himself to fans, he added “…what Wale did with the whole Lamborghini thing is PR not marketing…they are big on publicity stunts, conversations. That’s the culture of these names Wale, Medikal…”

His comment underscores the influence of effective public relations in maintaining relevance, even in the absence of traditional marketing efforts.

The conversation ultimately highlighted the need for artistes to strike a strategic balance between talent, PR, marketing, branding and communication in today’s entertainment world where visibility depends not only on artistry but equally on perception and narrative management.

WATCH FULL CONVERSATION HERE:

https://youtu.be/sylRT05nqsI