First of all, Kevin Durant is a down-to-earth dude. I know that Jay-Z comes across as a arrogant asshole (and I actually like his music too). In fact, let's just call him an arrogant asshole. Still, Durant is a man who discreetly donated $1 million to Oklahoma victims. I trust that Durant, who has a great mother and good head on his shoulders, will be able to ignore the distractions.
Additionally, Durant merely wants to market his brand more. He never suggested leaving OKC. It's perfectly possible for a star to become a huge brand even in a small market. Remember, Lebron was still in Cleveland for 7 seasons and he turned into a worldwide force. In my opinion, Jay-Z is a great person to market a brand. Just look at what he did with Rocawear (flipped it for $270 mill in 2007 or something like that) and Island Def Jam. Jay-Z has many endorsements and is a proven brand himself. There is no reason to believe that Jay-Z won't successfully market Durant. Hell, all he has to do is name-drop Durant in his songs.
Lastly, for those people who believe that Jay-Z won't be respected in negotiations, you are WRONG. Jay-Z is one of the most astute businessmen out there. Look at his past deals, and you will see that he is ruthless when it comes to business. Go ahead. Google that shit. Read his books. Watch interviews with people who have been screwed over by him (ahem cough Damon Dash). It'll be evident that Jay-Z doesn't mess around in the business world. Durant is going to have his brand taken to new heights.
Case Study 1: Ace of Spades
Yes I'm presenting case studies. Trust me, this one is interesting.
Okay, so remember when rappers used to always name-drop "Cristal" in their songs and show it in videos? Well, a little while ago, the owner (CEO, Pres., or whatever) was asked about this phenomenon. Well, he was pretty blunt about his distaste for the rappers. Jay-Z was pissed. He started a boycott of Cristal. However, he also used it as an opportunity to make money. At the time, Ace of Spades was known as a shitty champagne brand. According to sources, it would only sell for about $50-60 per bottle. All the wine connoisseurs said that the champagne was bad. Well, Jay-Z started featuring the brand in his songs. Effectively, he was trying to replace the flagship champagne brand of Cristal with the lesser-known Ace of Spades. You know what? It worked. Cristal's sales dropped heavily. Ace of Spades saw a rise in sales. After Jay-Z's involvement, a bottle of Spades cost about $300 (it probably costs a lot more now). So in short, Jay-Z's influence was paramount. Now, no one can assure whether Jay-Z had a deal with Ace of Spades, but it seems likely that he did.
Check out this song:
No comments:
Post a Comment