The Power of Artists

In a flurry of excitement around the capability and opportunities afforded by the rise in AI technology, there has been a great deal of chat about the potential dismantling of the creative industries.

Everything from copywriting, to illustration, to identity design, to music composition is in the crosshairs of the machines, or so we are being told.

In the brilliant book ‘Sensemaking’ by Christian Madsbjerg, he poses the question ‘what are people for?’ and concludes with the idea that people are for caring, a notion less about an emotional ability to look after our species but a need for - and an appreciation of - work that has craft, passion, and mastery at its heart.

We have been put on this earth to give a shit, basically.

And we tend to give a shit about those that do too.

Which is why artist partnerships are so potentially powerful for brands when got right – when an artist that we connect to joins forces with a brand whose values also align with our own, it naturally grabs our attention.

When you add into that equation that the brand or product range is loved by – or even better, conceived by – the artist, then you’re really talking.

P Diddy’s relationship with Cîroc for example was a case in point.  The music mogul was approached by the brand to be an ambassador, seeing Diddy as a route out of the poor sales and poor brand recognition that had blighted the business for years, as the brand struggled to move just 40,000 cases a year.

But Diddy wasn’t interested in growing someone else’s business – he wanted to grow his own.  So, he took a stake and with real skin-in-the-game used his media fame and reach to build the brand into one of the largest in the world, now shifting 2m cases worldwide annually.

Seeing the new hot sauce collaboration between self-proclaimed ketchup addict Ed Sheeran and Heinz, the latest innovation between the two brands, is again a great example.  Love him or not, there is a lot to admire about Sheeran.

His recent F64 drop, with the video shot on the pitch at Chelsea FC, was an honest, raw and emotional tribute to his late friend Jamal Edwards.  And whilst there isn’t a clear connection between the world of SBTV, Grime and Heinz, there is an understated-ness, an honesty, and a love that exists across the portfolio that makes the partnership work.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty brand, Will.I.Am and Dr Dre’s role in conceiving and launching Beats, and Beyonce’s Ivy Park collaboration with Adidas all scream of the enduring power of artist involvement both in the creation and the amplification of brands, and their ability – like the recent example also of Prime with KSI and Logan Paul – to build hype around product launches that most brands can only dream of.

Robbie Williams and Felix cat food, however?  I don’t know….

Harnessing not only the audience and profile, but also the creative instincts of an artist can be huge for a brand.  But there are some fundamentals when starting the process.

1) Are there shared values between artist and brand…are you aligned, does it feel forced or odd?

2) How much creative control are you willing to cede to allow the artist to create? Do you want to give them the chance to sit above the brand in order to let it shine?

3) What is the partnership for? For both sides – fame, profit, credibility? There needs to be a shared value exchange that works.

Pharrell Williams recent appointment as creative director at Louis Vuitton is in many ways a no-brainer that makes perfect sense. 

Whether he can fill the shoes left by Virgil Abloh’s passing remains to be seen, but as a ‘multi-hyphenate’ with fashion credentials via his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear brands, his appointment will bring with it stronger connections to music and the community that in inhabits and that brings a different sort of credibility to the brand straight off the bat. 

When the ambitions of the brand match the creative drive of the artist, and where values align, that’s where the magic happens, and whilst it’s not always easy to get right, bringing artists closer to your brand can often be a brilliant and game-changing thing to do.

So, whilst new AI tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney are undoubtedly putting new creative powers at our fingertips, the real power to connect with brands still lies in the hands of the humans – the richness of our stories, the authenticity of our values, and our (currently) undigitisable ability to really give a shit.

Chris Jefford is CEO and co-founder of advertising, media, and music agency Truant London