Iyasa creates own brand

21 Dec, 2014 - 00:12 0 Views

The Sunday News

WELL-TRAVELLED dance act Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) has formed its own brand as a way of marketing the group in and outside the country.

Iyasa now has t-shirts, bangles, calendars and hats with the name Iyasa on them as a way of promoting their brand and associate itself with its fans. Some of the material is sold while some of it is given for free.

Founder and director of the arts group, Nkululeko Dube, said the idea was born out of the need to popularise their brand all over the globe. He said they wanted to leave their fans with something that they could remember them with when they embark on tours.

“We want the Iyasa brand to be recognised in every corner of the globe. It is also a way of marketing the group not only in the country but internationally. We take art as a business hence the need to market it using the current global way of marketing as a line of business. We have over the years managed to curve a name for ourselves and we are now a brand that needs to be popularised all over the world,” said Dube.

He said the idea for branding the company came from their international fans.

“Every time we go on tours we have had many of them asking if we have any material that we can leave with them. So we then sat down as a group and thought it was proper that we start producing material that people can identify Iyasa with and at the same time grow the group as a business. This is not a new phenomenon after all especially internationally where artistes associate their brands with different things like perfumes and so on. Football teams also have that too,” explained the former Mpopoma High School teacher.

Dube said the group would be taking some of its products when they go out for tours so that their international fans also have something to identify them with.

“So far we have caps, t-shirts, bangles and calendars on sale but we will be giving out some of the stuff for free of course. When the group travels it will take with it some of the products which will be sold out to the fans,” he said. Dube said the products were now available at their offices and would also be available in selected boutiques around the city. Formed slightly over a decade ago, Iyasa has entertained millions of people worldwide with their captivating class acts. They have performed at prestigious events and continue to raise Zimbabwe’s flag high in the arts industry.

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