If there’s anything that the past couple of weeks has shown us, it is that Beyonce is just as much a marketing genius as she is a magnificent entertainer. With the relaunch of her athleisure line, Ivy Park in partnership with sportswear giant, Adidas, The Queen Bey showed us why she is unarguably the most revered celebrity in the world.
Are there lessons for our Nigerian celebrities in there somewhere? Hell yes! Below, I highlight a few.
You Are Never Too Big For The Media: Beyonce shies away from interviews and engaging the media possibly more than any celebrity in the world. I can count on one hand the number of interviews she has done in the past decade. But her Elle Cover ahead of the launch of this collection shows that even The Queen Bey cannot do without some press.
Do Not Let Money Cloud Your Sense Of Judgement: Quick backstory – In 2016 when Ivy Park first launched, it was in a fifty-fifty partnership deal with Topshop. But when allegations of racial and sexual harassment began to trail the retail giant’s owner, Philip Green, Queen Bey pulled the plug on that partnership buying out the businessman’s shares via her company Parkwood. You see, Bey wouldn’t let anyone stain her white, even if it means saying no to a multi-million dollar deal. I know you’re probably thinking, “oh, well I don’t have Beyonce money”, but the truth is, you don’t need to have Beyonce money to be a decent human. Do better!
Collaborations Are Important: You would think that Beyonce who has arguably the biggest star power in the world would rely on just that to promote her brand, but no. What she did? Leverage on some of the biggest stars in the world for publicity. Yup, Beyonce turned your favourite stars to social media influencers. Everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Reese Witherspoon was making videos and posing with their orange boxes. Even Kelly Rowland who has a partnership with another athleisure clothing line was on Instagram promoting Ivy Park.
Why Be An Ambassador When You Can Be A Partner? The couple thousands or millions that come with a one-off endorsement might seem appealing at the moment, but in the long run, it’s partnerships like the Ivy Park X Adidas one that actually count. Beyonce’s multi-year partnership with Adidas also gives her creative control which means that instead of just being paid to wear something that she doesn’t necessarily care about, she is actually involved with the creative process and this helps build trust with her fans and the brand’s target audience, which will also translates to more sales and more money in both Bey and Adidas’s pockets.
Whatever You Do, Do Not Be Mediocre! Beyonce’s rollout plan was stellar. It was obvious that everything was clearly thought through. From the PR boxes to the visuals used in promoting the brand. I mean, Beyonce can afford to post a few photos of the pieces and go to bed, but she gave us videos, she gave us 360 views of her in the pieces, and she was on all social media platforms promoting the new line. It’s not enough to just slap your name on a product, you have to see to it that the product and everything about it is something that you’re genuinely proud of.
