The brand I chose for this assignment is the Beyonce brand. She is a global pop and R&B icon. She has also recently taken on a new activist role in the Black Lives Matter movement. More than 111 million viewers saw her and her dancers dressed in the controversial outfits as you can see above, while they raised their fists as a salute to the nationalist Black Panthers. Beyonce has received both flack and praise for this performance, even from the African-American community. Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clark Jr went on Fox Business and stated his opinion. “Beyonce coming out.. in those Black Panther type uniforms, would that be acceptable if a white band came out in hoods and white sheets in the same sort of fashion? We would be appalled and outraged.” Treva Lindsey, an assistant professor at Ohio State University who specializes in popular culture and black feminist theory had a more positive spin on it. “This is the most explicit she’s gotten on race. I think her brand is at least opening itself up to be more publicly politicized around these issues.”
The Beyonce brand wasn’t just trying to reach the the African American communities, but every community regardless of race. The purpose of her performance and her song “Formation” is meant to build awareness of the issues at hand regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and police involved violence. She’s also trying to tell everyone, regardless of race, that they should be proud of who they are and where they come from, which is evident from her lyrics in the song “Formation.” She might have done it in a very controversial and bold way, but the purpose was to get people to think. Sometimes you might have to be controversial or bold to get peoples attention and get them talking, which this has obviously done. It makes sense for Beyonce to speak up and be an activist for this cause because she’s a worldwide brand, and a very influential person, not just in the black community. After the Super Bowl Beyonce announced her “Formation” world tour that will begin in April. She used the Super Bowl to get her message across, and she will more than likely continue her message throughout the entire upcoming tour. All of the publicity that Beyonce is receiving as a result of the Super Bowl halftime show is earned media. She has produced earned media for her own personal brand, the Black Lives Matter movement, and her upcoming tour. She probably won’t even need to promote her tour that much because of all the attention she has received, and will continue to receive.
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