Free advice for Bebe Cool who is facing a popularity crisis

By Belguin Prosper Lumu

“Who is bewitching Bebe Cool?” someone asked me. I had no answer. I simply told the person that I believed Bebe Cool is mature enough to know what is best for him. 

However, honestly as a fan, I’m scared for Bebe Cool. 

From the look of things (not necessarily a fact), it seems as though there is nothing Bebe Cool can do that can please a majority Ugandans especially youth. They notice his mistakes more quickly than any good he might have done. 

Bebe Cool is undoubtedly good at music and because of music, he has become famous. But being famous does not necessarily make him popular, though at times one can be both famous and popular. But being famous does not always guarantee being popular. That is a science most public figures and celebrities forget. 

Actually, some people often think that being famous and popular are the same thing. They forget that the two are different. In the same spirit, being a wonderful musician does not make Bebe Cool good at everything including managing his own public relations. 

For clarity, being famous is simply a state of being widely known by the public. When you are famous, it means you are widely known that you exist, and what you do. That is what is meant by one being famous, in simple terms.

On the other hand, being popular is a state of being loved by the masses with great favour, affection and approval from the masses. It means you do not have to labour so hard to prove a point to them in everything or anything you do. You receive little or no resistance from the masses. In most cases, the people will actually always genuinely bring themselves to you, even if it means risking something.

With the way things have been going for him, it is high time Bebe Cool realized the difference between the two. It is important to understand that being popular is much more relevant than being famous. Anyone can get famous, even overnight. But being popular takes a lot more than appearing in a front-page ad or getting a “retweet” from the pope.

Let us look at Bebe Cool’s latest predicament. Bebe Cool has been in the news since the arrest and release of two Nigerian musicians Omah Lay and Tems who had a performance in Kampala, Uganda on December 13, 2020. Bebe Cool’s name has been on the lips and status messages of Ugandans and Nigerians. His name is trending in both countries and on the continent. 

https://nilepost.co.ug/2020/12/18/nigerian-musicians-blame-organisers-over-ugandan-concert-debacle/

Bebe Cool used the same period to release his song  “Surrender”. In my sense as market intelligence and strategy expert, I think Bebe Cool did what I term as “swimming the tide”, meaning he took advantage of the situation to make his song viral by virtue of the fact that he was being mentioned a lot, hoping it would be viewed and received by many.

I think Bebe Cool needs to realise that  while he has become more famous,  his popularity is at risk if he does not wake up to the reality of finding a PR solution to salvage his reputation. 

A naturally talented musician, Bebe Cool urgently needs to work on  changing how he presents his non-musical activities. He needs to have a long, hard think about how he responds in interviews, his brand placement and how he handles his opponents in public face-offs. 

The strategy Bebe Cool comes up with right now will be very critical towards sustaining the commercial value (not just the social perception) of his career in not just Uganda. 

Bebe Cool needs to fully understand the difference between being famous and being popular, then having understood that difference, he can make an honest self-assessment about himself as a brand and draft the right strategies to bridge any gaps if any. 

He also has the right to ignore this important piece of advice if he honestly believes that his brand “Bebe Cool” is on the right track. But it should not be forever an excuse that his PR crisis is based on his political affiliation. So many other musicians including but not limited to Ragga Dee are still popular regardless of their political affiliations. 

It is always about how one handles themselves and the strategies in between that govern or run their public relations direction.

This analysis is by Belguin Prosper Lumu, a market intelligence and strategy expert. He is the founder and  CEO at Young and Free International Limited, a youth supporting, market intelligence and lobbying firm. 

Follow him via twitter: @belguinprosper