What writers can learn from Beyonce
BEYONCE'S CLOTHING LINE STRUGGLES
Writing Beyonce and failing in the same sentence feels unsettling. How can Beyonce fail at anything? As we make our way through this article, I want you to pay attention to a couple things. First, failure is relative. Next, the principles don’t change just because you’re a celebrity. That means Beyonce needs to follow some of the same rules you do when it comes to being a creative. We’ll break down what those rules are.
Let’s set the landscape
None of this makes sense until I give you some context, so let’s get into it. The Wall Street Journal put out an article titled Beyonce’s Clothing Line with Adidas Suffers from Weak Sales. In this piece, the writer details how Ivy Park, Beyonce’s clothing line, fell about $200 million short of what Adidas projected it would do.
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Adidas anticipated about $250 million in sales of Ivy Park in 2022. Instead, the Beyonce-led clothing line did $40 million, which was down 50% from the previous year.
What does this have to do with you? We’re writers, not celebrities with 300 million followers on social media. Stick with me, though, because the lessons are ones I will continue to reiterate till you can recite them verbatim.
First lesson: Success is dependent on expectations
If I told you that your clothing brand would sell $40 million worth of products, you’d absolutely lose your mind. But when you’re Beyonce, who’s getting paid $20 million a year in this Adidas sponsorship, that same $40 million must be disappointing.
With that in mind, it’s vital that you clearly define your expectations. When your expectations are clear, you’re pushing toward something and all of your decisions should reflect whatever that something is. When you do this, it also becomes much easier to gauge your progress. If you’re a freelancer trying to build clients, if you’re an author trying to build readership, if you’re a blogger trying to brand, start with where you want to end and take steps towards getting there.
That’s the first lesson. Pretty straightforward, right? The second lesson is also simple but takes a bit of explaining.
Ask yourself this question (if you haven’t already): How can Beyonce’s clothing line be performing so poorly? She’s Beyonce. She’s literally one of the most famous people in the world. She’s won the most Grammys in history. Her upcoming world tour is expected to be one of the biggest ever and…she’s Beyonce.
But here’s something even the most famous people in the world can not escape: If the story doesn’t make sense, your audience isn’t buying it. Let me say that again, more slowly this time: If the story does not make sense, your audience is not buying it.
Here’s what I mean:
The first thing people think about when they hear Beyonce is her music. She’s given us over two decades of hits so that makes sense. People also think about her music videos and performances. Beyonce is legendary for her stage shows and music videos like Single Ladies are etched in stone as historical pop culture moments.
But what people, even her fans, don’t immediately think about with Beyonce is her fashion. It’s not something Beyonce has been revered for. Not saying her fashion sense is bad, but stars like Rihanna are much more synonymous with fashion than Beyonce, which is why Rihanna has been able to seamlessly crossover into that world.
So that’s the first disconnect. Beyonce starting a fashion line is a story that doesn’t directly reflect what her fans appreciate about her. But there’s more.
Sometimes it’s OK to step outside of yourself and ask your audience to open their minds to seeing you in a different light. Great. It’s been done plenty of times with other celebrities and influencers. But if you’re asking your audience to believe a different story, you need to actively be telling that different story.
Beyonce is infamous for her lack of social media presence. She doesn’t tweet, only posts on Instagram once in a while and when she does, her captions are short or nonexistent. She’s not storytelling. She’s hoping her stature as Beyonce is enough. But like I said to open this piece: no one escapes basic principles. That includes superstars like Beyonce.
I’m going to make an assumption here, but it’s one based on some research and experience. If Beyonce posted five times a week and told the story of what Ivy Park means to her, I am almost certain we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.
Beyonce is asking her fans to make a leap from her music to her clothing. If she told a better story, it would act as a bridge to make that leap a lot more accessible for more of her fans. As it stands right now, fans are unsure what to make of Ivy Park. Why is it for them? Is it even for them?
This leads me to my next point: execution matters.
If you’re already asking your fans to take a leap and you’re not helping them get there by committing to storytelling, then the product better be undeniable. Ivy Park is not.
Ivy Park is elevated streetwear with high price points (cargo pants for $220 and tights for $120 as examples). Who are these clothes for? What statement is Beyonce trying to make with Ivy Park? More importantly, what statement is someone who wears Ivy Park trying to make? And what makes Ivy Park different from the million other fashion lines out there?
If you took a poll of Beyonce fans and asked them what they thought of Ivy Park, many of them would have to admit that it’s just not their cup of tea. I followed several Twitter threads from Beyonce stans who said just as much. So if even your biggest fans aren’t feeling it, it means that somewhere along the line, you missed.
All of this still making sense?
Now, let’s bring this back to writing. Do you know how you are showing up for your readers? Your clients? Have you committed to telling a brand story that they can follow? And are you delivering on whatever outcome you’re promising with your story?
Authors, do readers know WHY they should buy your book? Freelancers, do people know WHY they should subscribe to your blog or newsletter or trust you to deliver whatever service you’re providing?
Storytelling matters. Doesn’t matter who you are or what level of success you’re experiencing. If people are not connected to your story, they aren’t buying sh*t.