I wasn’t overly impressed by Beyoncé’s Black Is King.
Sure it was a visual feast and a beautiful celebration of black culture and ancestry, but I didn’t expect anything less from Queen Bey. The soulful singing, the mind-blowing dance routines, and the poetic interludes were dazzling. In an interview with Fox seven years back, I spoke about the power of brand Beyoncé and her sheer authenticity when many were labeling her “over-rated.”
However, the sheer fanaticism that Black Is King created on social media is what fascinated me the most.
Forget COVID-19 second waves, dozens of court documents released of Ghislaine Maxwell’s allegedly shady dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, and potential delays to the 2020 election. From Thursday evening, Twitter was ablaze with excitement for the release of the visual album. And #BlackIsKing has been trending, numero uno, around the world.
And believe me when I say, those on social media tweeting about Black Is King were no Beyoncé fans, they were fanatics – with copious amounts of blind faith in their Queen Bey.
So how did brand Beyoncé pull off this level of fanaticism?
Firstly, Beyoncé kept things mysterious. Despite the intense buzz on social media leading up to Black Is King’s release at midnight Los Angeles time, no one had full clarity around what they were going to see. Was it a movie? A series of music videos? A “visual album?” And how exactly did this tie into The Lion King? The explanation from Beyoncé’s team was vague at best. Nevertheless, the lack of definition didn’t confuse her fans but generated even more excitement. Beyoncé allowed fans to define her art for themselves. And fans ideated – primarily through a wide variety of hilarious memes – on what they were going to see.
Secondly, Black Is King was timely. Successful ideas often tap into the current cultural conversation. That’s how brands start spontaneously emerging within the culture. Think Dove’s campaign for real beauty and the cultural conversation around inner beauty and self-esteem. Or De Beers right-hand ring (a diamond ring that women brought for themselves to signify independence,) and the cultural conversation around female empowerment. And while Black Is King was in the making, far before the horrifying death of George Floyd and the recent Black Lives Matter protests, the project used this cultural momentum to its advantage. It became the voice of black people worldwide by celebrating the beauty and richness of blackness.
Thirdly, Black Is King was as much about the narrator as the narrative.
Allow me to explain.
For decades in Hollywood, we have seen how others have told Black people’s stories for them. From Jay Z to Naomi Campbell to Pharell, Black Is King was about Black people telling Black stories. Brands need to recognize this shift towards even greater authenticity through representation and inclusion. I wrote about Endeavor’s CEO, Ari Emanuel, who understands this concept better than most and generated the ultimate action plan to address the systemic culture of racism in Hollywood.
In true Disney style, I love how Black Is King kept it playful and positive. It was difficult not to like the Tweets on social media that had the hashtag #BlackIsKing because the favorite button turned into two lions. There was also a sense of community and collaboration in its marketing. The Black Is King brand extended to merchandise on Beyonce’s website to support black businesses.
While I talk a lot about influential female leaders who are change-makers, rule breakers, and pioneers in my book, The Kim Kardashian Principle. Women like Kim Kardashian, Josephine Baker (the first black superstar who rattled her way to stardom despite the New York Times calling her a Negro wench,) generated similar fanatical followings. And like Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Josephine Baker’s power lies in their sheer authenticity. They’ve never pretended to be anything but themselves. And they’ve done it without regard for what other people think of them.
Sure, Black Is King was an ode to the beauty of blackness and a love song to the Black diaspora.
But you want to know what it really was?
The power of brand fanaticism and Beyoncé Supremacy.
Named Esquire’s Influencer Of The Year, Jeetendr Sehdev is a media personality, international speaker and the author of the New York Times best-selling book, “The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (and How to Do It Right).” Follow him on Twitter @jeetendrsehdev, Instagram @jeetendr_sehdev.
I’m the author of the New York Times best-selling book The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells And How To Do It Right. Variety describes me as “the best in the
I’m the author of the New York Times best-selling book The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells And How To Do It Right. Variety describes me as “the best in the business,” Harper’s Bazaar as “the most relevant voice of the social media era,” and I was honored to be named Esquire’s Influencer Of The Year. You might well recognize me from my work on television and in the media. I’m also an international speaker and advise leading organizations on all things celebrities and brands.