Maybe We’re the Ones Asking for It
Sep 16, 2009
As much as I hate to reward bad behavior, I feel like something should be said about Kanye’s most recent inappropriate outburst at this week’s VMA’s.
Virtually anyone that has ever heard the name ‘Kanye’ is familiar with at least one of his numerous public tantrums – from walking out of the 2004 American Music Awards to storming the stage at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards to vowing to “never return to MTV” following the 2007 VMA’s – the list is lengthy. (If you’re interested, MTV has actually put together a timeline chronicling his escapades.
Kanye has become known for his inability to control himself in public almost as much – or more so – than his talents as a musician and songwriter. Without fail, the public is outraged by every one of these outbursts. The radio waves and cyberspace are abuzz the morning following his latest incident, with outraged fans saying he should never be invited back to another awards show and even talking about boycotting his music. However, in the end, nothing comes of it. Kanye issues a half-hearted apology via his blog, the buzz dies down after a few weeks, and people continue to listen and buy Kanye’s work just as before.
I am in NO WAY defending Kanye or his behavior – I happen to think it’s appalling – but I have to wonder if he isn’t doing something right here. Kanye is a brand, just like any other product. If we stopped buying into the Kanye brand, wouldn’t he be forced to change his strategy? Aren’t we largely to blame for the reoccurrence of his bad behavior? Would he continue to behave this way if we stopped rewarding his tantrums? If we stopped giving him publicity every time he acted up and stopped buying his music as a result, wouldn’t he be forced to stop? Instead, our supposed disapproval is doing nothing more than increasing his success…and his bottom line.
So in the end, aren’t we the ones behaving inappropriately? We either need to stop acting shocked and dismayed when Kanye does what we all know he will inevitably do again. Or we need to put our money where our mouth is: Stop supporting his bad behavior by refusing to buy into the Kanye brand. Then it’s up to him whether he reforms his ‘bad boy’ ways.
Here – here…
Spot on!
Beautiful!
This is a hilariously true post, but when I said these exact same words to my wife, after she felt compelled to tell me about Mr. West’s outburst, she called me an asshole and did not talk to me for an hour.
This is a serious issue that most Americans are not willing to face. We have lost focus on what matters and what does not. And as much as I know that he is doing nothing more than advertising himself, and as much as I love the field; as a citizen, it worries me where our fellow American’s heads are right stuck now.
During the exact same time, Sen. Joe Wilson created history with his outburst on our country’s president, yet no one seems to give a shit about it… I mean, at least talk about it if you are going to talk about Kanye West! Kanye West does not write the laws of the land nor runs one of the leading countries in our PLANET.
This worries me, and honestly, I think that ALL responsibility should be in the public’s hands. But we must also remember that us publicist and advertisers are part of the general public as well.
Well said. I’ve always assumed his “bad boy” antics were publicity stunts. Case in point, not being a top-40 radio listener, I’d never even heard of Kanye West until the press buzz over the MTV incident. Still not interested in his music, but the stunt definitely expands his brand awareness.
Unfortunately, our society has become so bored with the daily grind that we pine for the drama of our celebrities. So we’re likely to see plenty more stunts from Kayne, Paris, and other celebs, all vying to keep their name fresh in the minds of potential customers.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I think often times people, myself included, are so quick to say “oh, that’s horrible…We won’t support that.” but when it all comes down to actually taking a stand towards something, it’s almost like we give up on it. The cause is big enough for us to whine about but not big enough for us to take a stand. I think Kayne West knew immediately after and perhaps before he did what he did, that he was about to face a lot of backlash. I also think he knows through his previous wild out moments, that he probably wouldn’t be much repercussions and after a couple weeks buzz it would be over. I think we’ve almost accepted his behavior because we expect him to act this way instead of putting our feet down and saying, “Hey, this isn’t cool and we won’t support your foolishness.” Good post.
I agree and disagree.
Yes, his actions were inappropriate. I think that if you decide you’re gonna go to an awards show, in doing so you should understand that you’re submitting to the decisions made by the judges, and regardless of you’re opinion you should be respectful to the outcome.
However, I disagree about what you say about Kanye’s “brand”. He’s not a brand… He’s a person and an artist, who by placing himself in the public eye and releasing a product to the consumer is by default made a brand. Yes, no doubt he thinks about how to package himself when it comes time to print and package a CD, but to imply that he packages his outbursts in order to get attention and make sales is a lack of perspective and familiarization with his music.
And that’s what I think we’re all guilty of… Lack of perspective.
Kanye’s work and influence can never be stopped. He lives in the music of so many artists and has done so for so many years. If you’re a fan as I am, who has listened to just about every track he’s ever produced, rapped over or both, you’d understand the depth of this guys’ soul and the incredible emotional attachment and love he has for music and hip hop.
The blogs, cyberspace, the news…. All of it is overrun with anger and hate towards him. And it sells so it’s perpetuated. But it’s weak and blind. Disagreement with his actions is one thing… Hate is another. There’s a huge lack of empathy and understanding. When an artist opens his soul up to the world as open as this guy has, to share his emotion, well then we should expect some inappropriate emotional outbursts will come with it. That’s no reason to hate him any more than it’s reason to hate any one of ourselves.
I remember another guy who the world didn’t agree on many levels yet loved his music. It wasn’t until he passed that people came forward with love and understanding and stopped the hate. I wonder how it would have turned out if we would have done that while he was still here.
I absolutely agree. People need to vote with their wallets which is why I no longer listen to the Dixie Chicks or buy their cds and stopped my subscription to the New York Times in 2004.
i respect Kanye as an artist but not as individual, i think he lacks respect towards other artists and maybe people in the industry should consider inviting him to future events or let the people vote and let us be the judge of that.
Though I don’t follow Kanye it all seems a perfect example of a brand that is working regardless of its outward appearance being appalling to some. Consumers given the choice will do as they please, buy what they want, shop where they want, yada yada yada. They cast votes for or against rules, policies, land, government, media and brands daily, and make decisions to not buy a particular brand, or are moved to buy a brand. Brandings has a couple of goals, one is to get its product into the consumers 6 since, reflex, spontaneous side, oh heck lets just call it the subconscious shall we.
Also true, the goal is to get the consumer not to act like a drone but act as if a locked on by a tractor beam. Show the consumer what they want to see, give them what moves them, what makes them click, what makes them call, appeal to their likes and dislikes their values, their dreamy aspirations and fantasies. Branding is the envoy that meets all with its voice being heard through print, TV, radio, interactive, what- ever the medium.
Targets that hit a quantified branded message reach the consumer as the consumer reaches for: from a boat to a pack of gum. They reach from that salivating over stimulated gland that through branding was cooked inside of them and now is now being served creating that emotional spontaneous response.
I mean really, COPS, America’s Most Wanted, etc. why? The people have a voice that voice is ROI with marketers, business owners’, station presidents, and advertisers. The people will call forth a new voice when they are ready or when they are moved to act by another stimuli and another emotional response is set into motion.
It is certainly not enough to behave inappropriately, even over and over (depending on the severity and you notoriety – oh and lets not forget your representation from lawyers to PR agents) especially if your demo meets the inappropriate behavior with admiration or looks past it as “ah that’s just the way he is” or…
And come on we live in America where the “bad boy” is often shown with endearing qualities and is also persuasive, self confident and good looking.
In conclusion for anyone that has read all the way through this entangled web. We the people DEMONSTRATE what we REALLY like. Despite what we often say we do differently – You are on the 405fwy the traffic is just jammed packed – you come up on the reason why – it appears there was a bad car accident – this is discerned by the amount of fire trucks, tow trucks and much derby left tossed about, now most people complain that, man that accident has been cleared away what is the problem – why is everyone still holding up, there is nothing more to look at – yada, yada, yada, but when they approach right on top of the incident – YOU GOT IT – they to let there foot off the gas, they slow down and look to see if they can see any of the GORY details that might still be left about so that they maybe privy to a glimpse.
oh yeah i agree – he’s branding – not a package i would be proud to comping out or directing but yet still branded – oh and a working brand that is working, as far as i can come up with in 10 min of research he made around $30,000,000 each year for the last few years and that is WAY up there on the list.
Steve, thanks for your definition of branding, but with all due respect, what you say still lacks perspective. You acknowledge that with your first sentence “Though I don’t follow Kanye…” which is probably the question all people should first ask themselves before determining the level of insight they may have to any situation… for example, in this case, “Do i know the artist and their work?”
Go and take a listen to ALL his music. Really “hear” Jimmy and the music he has produced, rapped over or both. He has 4 albums (40+ songs) personally and has been producing music for talented artists since at least 2000, 4 years before he started rapping. Read his lyrics if you have to and the lyrics of those in the songs with him. Hear the songs he’s in on other artist’s albums ( maybe 20+ more). Understand the music and the man, where they come from, the passion with which he creates and then reform your opinion. Witness the soul and emotion he puts into it (and the ego), and hence the attachment he has to it and anything associated to it. Find out who Beyonce is to him. Remember he’s a human being giving from his soul in front of the entire world. Take into account his age and rise to stardom… AND THEN tell me whether or not you think he’s a brand made for rapping/entertainment/whatever you wanna call it, selling by purposely being an ass, or if he’s an artist first – brand by default, as i stated earlier… Maybe just caught up in the emotion, needing to grow…
Because fairly speaking, saying he’s a brand primarily and an artist as a result (purposely acting like an ass to make sales, as i understand from all you’ve written, correct me if i’m wrong) is a huge discredit, equal to if not larger than, the discredit he gave Taylor Swift. And perhaps an ignorance towards Hip Hop… A disconnect from your fellow man (as a result of not knowing the music) and a misunderstanding regarding the reasons to why the majority of his fan base supports his music.
In other words i think you’re lookin at the glass half empty my man
So like it or not package it up, put it on the shelf, update the logo, update the taste, change a color, what ever, a brand is a brand is a brand.
Whether EVERY move coca cola etc. has done over its lifetime has been calculated and scripted is of course not likely. And not EVERY decision a brand makes is the best one (coca cola again – remember “new coke” – they had to revert back to classic coke).
If I buy and drink a Budlight do I get the exploits portrayed to me through the ad campaigns, I think not. I get is a beer that has been marketed to me, Branded, hand crafted to my demo.
No one actually stops in the beer isle and says to themselves should I buy the Budlight or should I buy the Sam Adams while basing their thoughts on whether buying the Budlight they will get HER or if by buying the Sam Adams he will get GOOD tasting beer but not get her. Nope, both beers are branded and both beers have a different brand identity.
Branding seeks to develop and align its expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics. Does the little devil on my left shoulder going to win out by saying “buy the Budlight you’ll get laid, by the Budlight their will be smoken hotties at your place.
Through transference people live through others. Why do we cast HOTTIES in commercials and movies and print ads, why do we have reality shows that are so popular that pair a STAR and a non-star, the examples go on endlessly.
Whether it is a movie, a pop idol, a photography artist etc. – how many people aspire to be someone other than who they are – HOW MANY LITTLE GIRS aspire to be Miley Cyrus? BRANDED! And in her case seemingly well crafted.
A white upper middle class teenage kid with nota ghetto anywhere near his home cruises like a gangster, bumping rap music about the N word and this and that, talking about ho’s and this and that, rapping about guns and dope and this and that, and heck this guy has never even seen a ghetto in real life, a gangster, crack, a ho, or been anywhere that he would have a need to be Mr. Bad Ass – and if he did and there was any problem he would certainly tuck his tail between his legs as he ran as fast as he could out of harms way. He doesn’t REALLY want to be the rap star… he is using transference to live ultraistic through his currently poorly placed values and morals.
I do not need to know the artist, the product, the packaging to know that people are people, they are creatures of habit, they have similar likes and dislikes, if they live in proximity of each other they have similar values, incomes, etc., These truths and more make it so that I as a marketer and advertiser can target my demo and can brand WHAT EVER it is that is being packaged, a person, a cookie, a soda, a car, no matter.
The glass is always half full – and there is always more opportunity to fill it up all the way. A new spin – a different approach……… maybe you just show the glass from a different angle so that those who might think they saw a glass half full will now see what you want them to see a FULL GLASS.
Is it Kanye or the phenomenon of collateral media? MTV are masters of this strategy, creating an event at their event that not only drives press, but creates a separate story that lives outside the original story. In this case there was the story of the VMA awards and the winners, and then as a bonus, the story of Kanye the Clod. While the VMA story only merits a nod to the winners and a focus on their material and fashions, the Kanye the Clod story goes on to create an entirely different set of headlines, create appearances on Leno, Oprah, countless opinions and conspiracy theories, and in general create more media about MTV.
This is really just a honing of the strategy used when the very gay Bruno character’s butt landed on “hardcore” rapper Eminem’s face. Does anyone notice the similarities in the collateral media created from both of these stores? What we do know about Bruno/ Eminem is that it was not only staged, but that the first target, Paris Hilton, it down.
Zimmerman just pulled off a collateral media stunt with John Schnatter’s Camaro. For the small price paid for the car, news stories ran everywhere and a face was put to the name behind Papa Johns. The story of the car will live on, the car is now a celebrity that can make appearances, race, and otherwise become an ambassador for the brand.
Much the way Kanye on MTV now brings us back to the VMAs, the Camaro in the new Papa John’s story bring us back to that great story of John Schnatter being reunited with a lost loved one. Where this commercial loses focus is in the Transformers offer. Sure there’s a Camaro in the film, BUT THE FILM IS A THIRD WHEEL!!! This is about John’s Camaro, not Bumblebee. Taking ownership of John’s story would require something more subtle, such as the Guitar Hero band Bang Camaro; here you get your Camaro tie in, you appeal to the pizza demographic, and you score John’s own story instead of overshadowing it with a DVD offer. For the same cost, Papa John’s could offer an actual Bang Camaro CD with every order, and with the ads timed for when kids play Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Papa John’s would see their phone lines light up immediately and create a lasting keepsake/ mnemonic of John Schnatter’s Camaro.
Collateral media can be a great tool to extend any brand or campaign, but it’s not as happenstance as it actually looks. Given the success MTV has had with these stories, which are not new (Justin and Janet at the Superbowl, Prince at the Superbowl), I’m sure we’ll see more of this in the future.