It has been almost a year since the group name "Dirty Money" was revealed by Dawn Richard on the Making the Band 4, Season 3, Part 2 finale.

The next day, we found out that the third member was Kalenna, even if we didn't quite yet know how to spell her name. A few months later, Diddy introduced Dirty Money as Sean, Dawn and Kelenna.

When some of the earliest visual branding of the group was released, such as the single covers for "Angels" and "Love Come Down," the songs were labeled as being by "Diddy - Dirty Money." This is exactly how the music videos have been credited and how the the songs are labeled on digital music services like Amazon and iTunes.


However, there is a small issue that I've noticed and it's one of brand confusion. Though it has been floating around for a while now, it was underscored when, before Dirty Money's appearance on American Idol, host Ryan Seacrest introduced them as "Diddy Dirty Money." Of course, "Diddy Dirty Money" isn't actually a thing. Diddy is an individual performer who is a member of the group Dirty Money.

"Diddy Dirty Money" sounds awkward and it's getting worse. If you go to the iTunes page for the American Idol peformance, it simply says "Diddy Dirty Money," with each word stacked horizontally. Run searches on Google and Google News and you'll find people who are confused and think Diddy may have changed his primary stage name again. Tracks coming from the trio are being labeled as Diddy, Diddy featuring Dirty Money, Dirty Money, Diddy/Dirty Money and probably other things, as well.

Now, I'm not saying that this is a huge issue. I'm not saying it will have any dramatic effect on their success. If the music hits, the music hits and everyone will be happy. But, I am saying that it is an issue and a small problem and it is something that can be fixed, before the album artwork is finalized and they get farther down this road, to ensure that there is as little confusion as possible. Mr. Combs is constantly in pursuit of perfection. The respective brands of both Diddy and Dirty Money are being diluted.

I think that the first step is deciding what this is. Dirty Money is a vehicle, not just for Diddy, but for Dawn Richard and Kalenna, as well. After Danity Kane fell apart, Ms. Richard needed to take her next step and Dirty Money is a great one for her as she readies and hones her solo efforts. Kalenna is a singer/songwriter who, like many singers working on making their break, had done more in the writing end of the business - Dirty Money is a great platform that will put her in front of a lot of people.

The fact that Diddy is attached to the project lends tremendous credibility and attention that benefits both of them. This is a Diddy-led group. He wanted to work with Dawn Richard and Kalenna and they agreed to be a part of it. And now, together, they are Dirty Money.

Diddy's massive success, existing fan base and international stardom are among the primary reasons why it makes sense to include his name in the group's primary branding. If something is by Diddy, it'll get attention. Some people might say that it is to put Diddy front and center. Well, yes. Diddy is the one with 100 million plus records sold internationally. But, it's also so that people know he's part of Dirty Money and that it shows up when people search for his music. This is a huge plus when it comes to getting the group's music in front of people.

Not to say that I think it would necessarily be bad if the music was simply by Dirty Money. But, I understand why that may be a bad idea, as well. So, I would suggest, for the sake of brand confusion, that they make a slight change. Instead of "Diddy - Dirty Money," you go with "Diddy and Dirty Money" or "Diddy with Dirty Money."

It's just one word, so what's the big deal? Well, details matter. With one word, the brand confusion is dead. It's clear that Diddy is one person - and Dirty Money is something else. It establishes the difference and that can only lead to a stronger brand - for both entitles - down the road.