Think out of the box. Step out of the comfort zone. Good advice that businesses are hearing more often as the marketing profession has to stretch their creativity further to reach today’s consumers. One of the more out of the comfort zone partnerships was reported in The Wall Street Journal (Friday, October 21, 2010) where Microsoft is paying one million dollars to promote rap artist Jay-Z’s new book.
Jay-Z’s Empire
According the WSJ article, Jay-Z has had partnerships with Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Reebok and now Microsoft. He has been featured on the cover of Forbes magazine as one of the 400 “Richest People in America” reportedly accruing $450 million in his soaring empire, and he has had more number one albums than anybody musical but the Beatles. He has won 10 Grammy awards and has sold over 450 million albums.
Jay-Z’s New Book
Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is now adding author to his list of accomplishments. Decoded is the title of his first book, scheduled for release November 16, 2010, and according to WSJ, it is a “hybrid of music history, social commentary and memoir, with an emphasis on his transition from the crack trade to the music business.”
The book is reportedly built around the lyrics of 36 of Jay-Z’s songs accompanied by footnotes explaining his meaning. And, surprisingly, Microsoft has put up a million dollars to help market the book.
Microsoft’s Marketing Success
Bill Gates and Microsoft’s history reads much like that of Apple and Steve Jobs. Gates took a product that was initially developed by another company and turned it into a personal computer empire. Gates’ success in the computing world was due in large part the way he decided to market his first operating system, MS-DOS, to the new world of micro and personal computers.
Microsoft intends to use its relatively new search engine, Bing, as the heart of its marketing efforts for Jay-Z’s new book. According to the WSJ, it is not the first time the two entities have combined forces. They have worked together informally since 2006 on a few projects.
Rap Music
At age 40, Jay-Z is still on top of the charts with his rap music and stage performances. He obviously knows how to market himself both to his audiences and to the big name partners he has worked with over the years.
For some in the business world, his music choice is a bit out of the box but it has worked for him. Microsoft’s decision to market his first book is a bit out of the box. Nonetheless, more than likely the company will make the partnership work for it.
