5 Marketing Lessons Musicians Can Learn from Kanye West
Kanye West is one of the greatest musicians of all time. That’s a statement that I’m sure we can all agree on, right?
And while his impact is not only a product of the music he makes, it also highlights his ability to manipulate the market in unique ways.
Over the years Mr. West has taught us a lot about how we can effectively communicate a message to our audience. Here are the best marketing lessons we’ve learned from him so far.
1. There is Victory in Adversity, You Just Have to See It
When Kanye broke his jaw in a near-fatal car accident, it could’ve been the end of his music career, and more importantly, his life. Luckily there were no fatalities, but Kanye’s accident was still a moment of sorrow for fans as it left them with many questions needing to be answered.
“Will he be able to rap again?”
“What about the album?”
“What’s next?”
The idea of what’s next can be crushing in a situation like the one Kanye faced. And while the average musician/marketer/creative person would’ve taken that tragedy as a sign that they should slow down Yeezy did something even more brilliant.
Rather than let a terrible situation fester linger in the minds of fans, Kanye used his accident to create one of the most acclaimed songs of his career, “Through the Wire.”
That being said if Kanye West can turn a broken jaw into a classic record that means you can turn your adversity into something of greater value to your life. The lesson here lies in remembering our greatest challenges often lead to our greatest triumphs.
2. Impact The World By Tackling Social Issues
The diamonds that we wear every day are conflict diamonds. They were mined by child workers in Africa who aren’t paid a living wage, taken advantage of in the worst way, and have no one to advocate for them consistently. We shouldn’t wear them, and we shouldn’t support the diamond industry.
Part of the reason this is so prevalent in my mind is because of Kanye West song Diamonds. His unique way of juxtaposing a sample of diamonds being forever, against the harsh realities of child workers in Africa made for an interesting debate. Moreover, it leads Mr. West to the top of the charts.
His unique way of keeping political commentary a focal part of the music is something to aspire to. More importantly, it lets the people know you’re in tune with the issues and garners support at every level.
You can do the same thing Kanye West has done throughout his career by talking about a prominent social issue in a novel way.
3. When All Else Fails, Controversy Sells
Ahhh. 2007. The year Graduation dropped.
In 2007 iTunes dominated music. Physical CD sales were declining, and the entire industry was in a panic. However, like a true innovator does, Mr. West found a way to turn this problem into a unique opportunity. He did so by reaching out to fellow master marketer 50 Cent and creating a campaign anchored by a simple bet.
If you’re not familiar with the story by now, the bet was that if Kanye sold more records than 50 Cent in his first week 50 Cent would retire from music (yeah, right).
And although Kanye “won the bet” we still get music from 50 Cent. I for one, am glad that 50 Cent didn’t retire because if he did we would’ve never gotten Big Rich Town feat. Joe, just saying.
4. Tell The Truth, Because People Love Vulnerability
Throughout Kanye’s career, he’s taught us the importance of being vulnerable and speaking our truths. While most people would shy away from the fact they are college dropouts, or that their assholes, Yeezy embraces it.
Basically, instead of acting as if an issue doesn’t exist, or creating a grandiose reason for why something occurred in hopes of explaining it away Kanye bluntly tells fans the truth:
“Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.”
She did and Kanye made that clear. And, he didn’t shy away from the fact that it politically incorrect of him to hop on stage and alert us to that fact. He lives in his truth, and so should you.
You’ll gain so much more by doing so.
5. Bounce Back from Embarrassment
Ye has had plenty of sour moments in his career. First, there were the comments he made about George Bush after Katrina. Then, the Taylor Swift moment. The list goes on.
The important thing to keep in mind is that throughout Kanye’s career he’s been able to turn these embarrassing media moments into some of the biggest triumphs of his career. Case in point, when Kanye experienced what was probably the worst moment of his professional career via Taylor Swift and VMA’s, he didn’t tour the media circuit to express his sincerest apologies. Instead, he let the music speak for itself and delivered what many believe to be one of the best hip-hop albums ever made; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Kanye’s strategic thinking, and brilliance shined through in his darkest moments because despite how embarrassed he was about the Taylor Swift moment his actions were less than swift. They were well measured and calculated. As a result, he turned his embarrassment in the greatest win of his career to date.
Bonus: Go back to your roots: Pablo — NO more parties, real friends
And finally, when you’ve evolved as an artist/businessman/musician and have new offerings for your loyal fanbase, it’s always good to revisit your humble roots every once in a while. Doing so lets your core fans see how far you’ve come while also allowing your newer fans get a taste of what they missed by not jumping on the bandwagon sooner. Kanye did just that on his last album when he dropped songs like No More Parties in L.A. — The sample was reminiscent of a style that Kanye had long abandoned; Not because he couldn’t do it anymore, but simply because he mastered it.
So, go back to your roots again. You’ll be surprised what you find…
— SnobHop
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