3 Lessons For Entrepreneurs From Kanye’s Super Bowl Win
By Dominique GalbraithThe Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only winners in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Rapper, producer, and fashion designer Kanye West made headlines after reportedly earning 19 million dollars in 24 hours with his 30-second Super Bowl ad. Apart from the substantial return on his investment, what has most people talking is how underwhelming and basic his reportedly $0 cost production commercial was. West seems to have shot his commercial in a dark vehicle, using the time to tell people to visit his site. And they did! This winning move is one I believe all entrepreneurs can learn from, even if you don’t have $7 million to spend on an ad or a major platform.
Here are 3 keys:
1. Stop overthinking content.
Many of us become stagnant because we lack the resources and the team to produce content like our competitors. The key here is to use what you have access to, leverage, and emphasize your knowledge and strong points. What you need won’t come if you don’t push forward and get the content out. There are many creators and business owners who not only started with humble beginnings but got a camera or camera phone and allowed the world to see. They made the best use of free social media marketing and built a loyal fan base of customers who support them, particularly because they witnessed their transformation and played a role in their elevation. In Kanye’s case, his budget didn’t allow for production, so he leveraged his fame and the fact that people expect him to do what is outside of the box.
2. Find where the attention is and strike.
Kanye understood that Super Bowl ads yield large returns. If they hadn’t, companies wouldn’t invest millions for a 30-second slot. He did his due diligence and made the investment where attention was at that moment. We ought to do the same, which doesn’t always mean you need a big budget. If you are marketing your business, part of your job is to find out what platforms have the attention of your target audience and invest time and money on those platforms. If you sell a product that appeals to a young audience, then your focus should be TikTok or Snapchat. If you sell a product that appeals to an older audience, then you may want to focus on Facebook. It is important not only to understand where attention is but most importantly, where the attention of your target audience is and focus your resources there.
3. Cancel Culture only has power if you quit.
If there is anyone who should be canceled and disregarded by the general public by cancel culture’s standards, it would be Kanye West. But cancel culture doesn’t seem to be winning. Why? Because many consumers value the product or service over the message or what a brand is thought to represent from a social standpoint. Secondly, there isn’t always a general consensus about who or what should be canceled. Regardless of what the leaders of cancel culture decide or try, it doesn’t seem to concern Kanye’s fan base. What the media says doesn’t always hold sway with consumers, besides the fact that there is a growing disconnect between mass media and the masses.
All entrepreneurs, regardless of whether they like Kanye or his brand, can glean from his Super Bowl win and be motivated to use what they have, consider what has the attention of their target audience, and never quit, even when powers and the powerful want them to.
Textured Hair Styling for Cosmetology Students Now Mandatory in New York: A Win for Black Women or Threat to Black Stylist?
A new law mandating that cosmetology students in New York learn how to style textured hair has been passed. While many supporters of the bill celebrate this new regulation as a diversity win for Black women in New York State, others view it as a potential threat to Black hairstylists. They fear increased competition as non-Black stylists are now required to learn how to style Black hair. The bill, introduced in April of this year by New York State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, was signed into law on November 17.
Those who view this law as a victory see it as an end to the ‘discrimination’ based on hair texture that some Black women have faced when seeking service in salons with stylists who don’t know how to style textured hair.
Jonaise Pickett, a stylist based in New York, shares her experience of working in a salon among white stylists who pass their clients to her because they are incapable of styling textured hair, despite being overwhelmed with her own clientele. Pickett took to her Instagram to respond to the backlash about the bill and shared her thoughts: ‘Hairstylists should know how to style all types of hair.’ She added, ‘Whoever is best fit for the job, should get the job,’ encouraging those who feel this law will cut into the market share of Black hairstylists to focus on excellence rather than competition.
The issue of non-Black stylists being unable to style textured hair has long been a problem in the fashion industry. Models have complained for years about the lack of ability or consideration for their hair type on sets of photoshoots and backstage at fashion shows. This may now become a thing of the past with the passing of this bill.
On the other hand, diversity and inclusion actions, designed to tackle discrimination and segregation, have historically had negative impacts on Black-owned businesses and institutions. In the years following integration, many Black businesses lost sales and had to close due to their customers opting to spend money in white-owned establishments and businesses outside their community.
In reality, both women and men are more likely to have their hair styled by someone of their own race or culture, and as Jonaise Pickett passionately shared in her post, ‘Whoever is best fit for the job, should get the job.’
Proverbs 22:29 says, ‘Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings.’ Some of the best and highest-paid stylists in fashion and entertainment are Black men and women, many of whom come from humble beginnings. Despite this nation’s history of discrimination and racism, there is no opportunity that excellence, determination, and the grace of God cannot grant you access to.
