Regardless of what anyone says, Kanye is taking his controversial opinions to the bank. And if you've followed Nike, you know this isn't the first it embraced a controversial topic to create more sales. Companies that stand for something are hard to ignore. It wasn't a media stunt, but I know it made many of us watching feel like Apple was a company we could trust. Kanye challenges his audience. If you've ever watched Vaynerchuk, you've likely noticed he's controversial. No matter what we think of Kanye or Vaynerchuk, they're both saying the things that rile us up, and in the end, it makes them hard to ignore. Love him or hate him, Musk leads with big reality-defying ideas that sometimes catch us off guard and challenge us. By going against the status-quo, your company will invite a fan base of believers to stand beside you. Not only that, it can even create a viral effect that makes you like Kanye -- impossible to ignore.
Regardless of what anyone says, Kanye is taking his controversial opinions to the bank.
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Whether you love him, hate him or you somehow don’t have an opinion about Ye, it’s likely you know who Kanye West is. He’s got record-breaking album sales, he’s married to one of the biggest celebrities alive today and his high-end shoes have outsold Air Jordans — and he’s been all over the media with President Trump these days.
What you likely don’t know is the positive financial impact he’s had for himself and his sponsor Adidas. Regardless of what anyone says, Kanye is taking those opinions to the bank and we can all learn from it.
Related: Nike Made $6 Billion From That Colin Kaepernick Ad. Here’s What All Brands Can Learn.
If you think that Kanye’s recent appearance at the White House hurt his sponsorship with Adidas, take note of the reporting on Business Daily. The most significant surge in sales cames from online purchases, a robust increase of 27 percent.
Hidden in the madness or genius of Kanye, there’s something significant behind what he does. If you’d like to catch more media, eyeballs, and grow your brand, here’s how to get started (and of course, apply your ethics).
Make headlines and be vocal about what matters to you.
In his highly provocative book Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, Ryan Holiday shows us how we can use the news to get media attention. In a nutshell, Holiday says that we need to provoke and embrace controversy because the media eats it up (and even negative news about you is good for business).
Because humans like to gossip, in the end all that attention can be great for business. Since Kanye discusses what most of us will only think about in private but won’t say openly, and he says things that many of us think of as just flat out crazy — it makes for good press and viral content. Right after Kanye’s visit to the White House, my social media timelines were splattered with Kanye’s name. Take a quick look at Google Search Trends for Kanye’s name, and you’ll notice the highs are after he does something controversial. Similarly, if you can stir the pot a bit, you can capture some attention and fan loyalty (and if you stick to your ethics, you’ll feel good about it, too).
In no way am I saying you need copy Kanye West — instead, I suggest you enter into conversations that are maybe risky…
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