And The Kardashians Do It Well
I remember my first pair of Beats. I was on my way to class, feeling young, gifted and black. Dr. Dre happens to be one of my favorite producers. Yeah, he sold the company to Apple, but so what. The product he created was/is undeniable and that’s just business. So, this latest Beats by Dre collaboration was confusing to me. How do you appropriate a person’s skin tone, and profit? You create a product that’s clearly designed to blend in with said person’s skin tone, market it as nude, appropriate it by claiming it as a signature palette, use cool buzz words like, “vibe”, “neutral”, and “versatile”. Who’s doing this in 2022. Kim K and Beats by Dre.
Moon, Dune, and Earth pro series earbuds eerily look like skin tones. Kardashian herself posted an ig video marketing the new product.
“of course, i did my neutral colors, because I’ve always, just not really vibed when,
your little headphones are a color, and just kind of stick out…I did it in three tones,
three different shades of nudes.” – Kim
.
Kardashian’s announcement is in sharp contrast from the official announcement from Apple Beats social media account. Kardashian can be seen holding the product – photoshoot fresh in complimentary lighting. To be honest, I was like, “They pretend, that they can, but the vibes don’t fly, Bruh, I survived reading guys like you, I’m surprised y’all think y’all can disguise Ya’ll truths.” – Hov
“They pretend, that they can, but the vibes don’t fly, Bruh, I survived reading guys like you, I’m surprised y’all think y’all can disguise y’all truths.”
– Hov
Shortly after reviewing the product preview video posted to her Instagram, many fans pointed out that Kardashian’s “signature palette” packaging, is reminiscent of Ye’s stem player, released earlier this year exclusively for his Donda 2 album. Ye is a well-known fashion trailblazer, cultural icon and once creative director for the SKIMS brand, which also seems to be largely influenced by early Yeezy Season designs, created by her ex-husband. Shout out to Emma Grede too. But that’s for another day. The point is, the monochromatic palette has become synonymous with the Donda creator, in addition to masterminding the brand of ‘Kim’ for millions of internet users to love and worship today.
[Insert feminist quip]
Hold up…. * “I am woman hear me roar.” * Kim herself credits Ye for her career in fashion and building her confidence. So, I’m just stating the facts, SUPER facts.
“I like some of the Gaga songs — what the fuck does she know about cameras?” said Kanye West in 2013, referring to the pop star’s 2010 unconventional partnership with Polaroid, that made her the brand’s “creative director and inventor of specialty products. Well, the Kardashian and Beats by Dre collab, echoes that same exact sentiment with this latest offering. To be fair, the Beats collaborations appears to be just that, a collaboration.
So, wait, does her 2010 single ‘Jam’ connect the dots here? I mean, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart did produce the song, Hype Williams shot the video and Ye made a cameo. Although the song was made in jest and the proceeds were donated for cancer research, it was serviced to iTunes and aired on Ryan Seacrest in 2011.
Does her proximity to music vets such as, ex – husband Ye, brother-in-law Travis Barker, and Travis Scott, make this a sound business decision for the Beats brand? Or is this a money grab for her, adding these earbuds to a long list of ventures/products in the Kardashian portfolio.
This is where I’ll shamelessly plug in Raycon earbuds now. Ha!
“Kim is no stranger to making deliberate beauty and style choices that rely on racial performance—then turning around and finding ways to capitalize on it.”
– Cady Lang [Time Magazine]
Over the years the Kardashians have been accused of black fishing and appropriating black culture for personal gain. Kylie and Kendall were sued by the Tupac and Biggie estates for using their likeness to sell $125 vintage tees, and Kim is currently in litigation over the use of the “SKKN” trademark with a black woman owned, small business SKKN+. Of course, there are nuances in those instances however, a pattern is visible. This writer says enough is enough – we draw the line at making money off of skin tones. I’m quickly reminded of a KUWTK episode, where Ye requests a band-aid that matches his skin tone. Kardashian can be seen annoyed by the request, citing they would need three different color band-aids on hand, for him, her, and their children, and how unrealistic it was. Well, this isn’t a Band-Aid, it’s Beats by Dre, and this product is directly marketed to the black community.
According to Forbes 85% percent of women say if they like a brand, they’ll remain loyal to it.
Forty-three percent of Black women say they like to share their opinions about products and services by posting reviews and ratings online and 47 percent agree that people often come to them for advice before making a purchase.
Black women over-index by 29 percent for spending three to four hours each day on social networking sites and by 86 percent for spending five or more hours each day on social networking sites.
Stacey M. Brown [Washington Informer]
The black dollar represents 1.6 trillion dollars in spending power, according to Nielsen and black women are wielding it. Selling an electronic product like makeup, to the black woman, is either shameless or a sound marketing strategy. The Kardashians are often applauded for their sound business decisions, or their savvy ability to navigate the media – however, their personal brands often divide the black community, either you’re a “hater”, or you have a “yt savior complex”. The conversation usually boils down to, “Do you love yourself black people?” Naturally the hustle is always respected though. Common ground. To be honest, if you use a social media channel, Kardashian content is relentless and you’re probably learning things about them against your will.
Back to Beats, imagine the pitch, or the lack thereof one. The name recognition, social media following, and proximity alone might’ve done the trick. We’ll throw in the idea for good measure. Peep the bucket list. From a marketing perspective, snagging a collaboration with a culturally relevant brand, “Beats by Dre”[created by another hip hop juggernaut], check, create a product that “presents” inclusivity, check, execute a content strategy that implies “beauty and grooming”, check and check. On paper this collaboration is a winner, and according to fans, “say what you want about Kim, but she is always in her bag.” Makes sense, right? Well, things go extremely left, when the message isn’t inclusivity, or diversity but Kardashian’s “signature palette”. Some could argue this is an attempt to include black men, as all of Kardashian’s products are traditionally made for women. Maybe this is an attempt to expand her target audience.
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As a community, we should be careful of the brands we invest in. Are they investing in you? In us? Or is this a masterclass in politically correct capitalism? There’s nothing wrong with questioning the integrity of brands and collaborations you spend your money on. Could this offering have been a bit more honest about its intentions? A product created to match your skin tone. Would the product collaboration have been better coming from a person of color? “I guess we’ll never know”.
– The Pen
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Recommended Reading – ‘History of the Black Dollar’ by Angel Rich and Forward by Dr. Maya Rockeymoore
For tips and topic suggestions send a few lines to [thepen@infinitepressure.org]
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