Creators as experts

One question that’s fascinated me: How can creators apply their sensibilities and position their expertise to be valuable for businesses?

Recording artists and DJs now have an opportunity to apply their expertise and tastes as part of a business bundle, and subsequently to make more money.

It might not be as prestigious as doing a set at Boiler Room, but it can do more than pay the bills. And if you build a good relationship, you could get free hotel rooms.

This is really different from the convention of working a part-time job for a business, or writing their new website. This looks more like Pusha T getting hired by McDonald’s and Arby’s to work on their jingles.

In situations like this, business leaders have a problem, know they don’t have a solution, and trust the creator more to solve it for them. It wouldn’t be dissimilar from Gap and Adidas approaching Yeezy to solve their problems in marketing and design.

This will take an evolution in behavior; it means that leaders and decision makers need to appreciate the value of creativity and making people feel good, start trusting artists sensibilities and perspectives more, and expect ROI from it (and figure out how to measure attribution accordingly). In other words, sales!

What’s fascinating is new categories and companies will emerge from this as well.

Artists working with luxury hotels on their playlists are “sound designers.” (See Music Styling.)

A similar opportunity for writers exists in naming new products and companies. (See Operative Words.)

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