Nike Communications, Inc.

I recently partnered with Bacardi to launch a customized sneaker that pairs with a digital asset twin (otherwise known as an NFT) and this was all launched in conjunction with NYC’s premier music festival - GovBall 🥂 This project perfectly aligns 3 deep passions I have: Music Culture. Sneaker Culture. And Web3. This is not a paid post. 🙅🏻♂️ I want to thank the Bacardi team for the trust. Read that again. This is bigger than it sounds. TRUST. Often times, companies and brands think they deserve to have the final say in all decisions because they are providing the check💰 This is false and damaging to all parties: The Brand. The Collaborator. And ultimately the Community / Customer / End User. Brands should take the time to vet their partnerships even before the first call is ever made. 51% of the effort should go into THAT. I often see brands put in 10% effort into partnership identification which then makes the rest of the project a living hell for everyone. Bacardi - alongside BBDO Worldwide and Nike Communications, Inc. decided there was no better fit for this project than me and my team at Reed Art Department (And I firmly agree! 🤣) So what are THE LESSONS here? 💭 If you’re a Creator 🎭🎨🖌️🖼️🎤 and a brand comes a calling with a bag of cash and a seemingly dream opportunity … ask yourself if this is truly authentic for WHO YOU ARE. For example, I am not a drinker. I haven’t had a drink in 25+ years. But Bacardi came to the table with an idea that vibed with my whole being. (Music. Sneakers. NFTs.) Bacardi in this case positioned themselves as a platform and humbly, IN SERVICE TO THE CULTURE — not the other way around. And when I said I cannot and will not be photographed with a drink in hand, they happily obliged. (Actions speak louder than dollars.) So Creators: Be aware when it feels like it’s the other way around. When it feels like the one writing the check is being subtractive to you and the culture vs additive! And for Brands? Take as much time, energy and resource as possible to determine who the right partner is for you. And then … LET. IT. GO. Let them do their jobs. Of course monitor progress to ensure everything stays on the tracks, but if you did a good job in the upfront vetting process, trust that decision and allow the Creator to create! Because if you don’t, you just wasted all that time, effort and money and you’ll probably say to yourself at the end, “We should’ve just done this whole damn thing ourselves from the start.” ✌🏽🧠🫱🏻🫲🏽 #community #energy #culture #brand #money #art #project #opportunity #team #communications #partnerships