How to Not Fail at Branding
What Outside Lands 2014, Kanye West and Arctic Monkeys taught me about business.
I’m finally ready to talk about it. I ventured to San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival this year with the mission of seeing some of my favorite artists, drinking beer and wandering through Baconland (yes, Baconland was real, and, yes it was glorious). What I didn’t expect was that I would walk away with a completely new perspective on business, music and brand.
When the festival released their lineup for Day One, I was distraught to see Kanye West and Arctic Monkeys playing at the same time on opposite stages. They were two of the artists I was most looking forward to seeing, and now they were competing for my attention. It tore out my aching musical heart, but I went into Day One determined to see Kanye because… well, he’s Kanye and I was hoping to see one of the ridiculous performances he’s famous for delivering.
He opened with a cover of Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”. The entire crowd was bobbing… but then Kayne started ranting. I expected this — I knew I’d signed up for the “Kanye Show”, but as he ranted on about how it’s “Yeezy Season”, I realized I didn’t have to be listening to him. I realized I had a choice: I could stay at his show or I could go see a different act entirely.
I bobbed to the back of the crowd as he finished up his rant and started “Clique”, but it wasn’t enough to turn me around. He had lost me and I wasn’t the only one leaving; although there were still people being drawn to Kanye, to his sound and his brand. Why? Because at the end of the day, that’s all an artist really is: a brand, and a business. Kanye is a unique case and that’s why he can draw such a huge crowd even when he isn’t rapping. He’s abrasive, thick-headed, cocky, but all the same, a true artist and a true brand.
As the many sounds of Kanye faded, I reached the halfway point of my walk to Arctic Monkeys. The path was dimly lit by beer tents and full of random conversations with a backtrack of subtle bass. This was “No-Brand’s Land”. The ferociousness of Kanye was behind and the heartbroken poetry of Arctic Monkeys was ahead.
This wasn’t just a transition from one artist to another; this was a decision to participate in one brand over another. I was choosing to be a patron — just like I might choose a Galaxy over an iPhone — I was choosing Arctic Monkeys over Kanye West because I wanted a different experience.
Arctic Monkeys played a set that made the guy next to me cry, the girl behind me scream uncontrollably, and made me hurt like I had asked for it. We had all asked for it. All of us at that particular show had asked to get our hearts broken. Alex Turner and the Arctic Monkeys gave it to us.
I had never thought of musicians as brands—it seems obvious now—or of any artist being a brand, but they are. A successful painter or novelist is the epitome of a brand done right.
As an entrepreneur, you can take a tip or two from a festival like Outside Lands and the artists that play there. Everyday someone is choosing your business over another, or vice versa. Why? Because they like you and your product more than the other guy; they like your “music” more.
Do Kanye West and Arctic Monkeys appeal to everyone? No. Do they appeal to the same crowds? Sometimes (I obviously fall into this category), and when this overlap occurs the listener—the consumer—has a decision to make. That decision is no different than choosing Bose or Beats headphones. It all comes down to customer preference based on the influence of brand.
So what can you take away from my weekend adventure? Every interaction between a brand and a consumer is an opportunity to cement an emotional connection. I expected a rant, I got one, and I decided that I didn’t feel like sitting through it. I had a negative emotional response and I acted upon it. If a brand wants to retain its fans, it must constantly reaffirm an impassioned link through every unique communication. Kanye West’s brand strategy is to be true to himself and to poke and prod regardless of positive or negative reactions.
I want you to look introspectively and define yourself, define your business, and let your brand sprout from there. Brand identity is the naturally occurring product of your business’ personality and goals. The moment you try and force it by swaying too far from the product of that equation everything falls to pieces.
Kanye will probably never put out a rock album, just like Arctic Monkeys will probably never put out a hip-hop album (although I’d love to see a collab) because they understand their brand and they live and die by their niche.
Can you say the same about your business? Are you casting too wide a net or are you supporting your fan base by giving them what they come looking to you for? Food for thought. Until next time.
