for the exposure.
thoughts on getting paid what you're worth + reads & vibes for your weekend.
I don’t know about you but I am super excited that it’s Friday! Thank you so much for reading this newsletter. I appreciate your support. If you enjoy it, please share it with a friend.
Let’s jump in.
thoughts at large.
The Superbowl was wild. Shout out to the Chiefs for their victory. However, one thing I noticed coming out of the show is that people don’t really know how it works.
This year, the game was watched by 113 million people. It’s a global event - a LOT of people watch it. So, it’s not shocking to me that the SuperBowl half-time performer does not get paid for their performance.
That’s right, Rihanna did not get a paycheck for her performance on Sunday. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t get paid. In fact, her streaming numbers went up 140% after her performance, and she’s been trending on social for days. She used the opportunity to leverage her brand. She even used a Fenty Beauty product during the performance, which has also seen a massive uptick in sales. My point is that Rih was not an unpaid worker at this event. There was an equal benefit for both parties.
That’s why it’s weird for me when I see things like this:
Phaedra’s face in this meme is also my face reading this post. This is a false equivalency that I really hate to see. Unless you’re putting me in front of over 100 million people you don’t get to use this. Shaming people into free work is not the flex you think it is. Are there times when people probably should focus on doing things for the love rather than the money? Sure. But you have to use discretion and discernment to assess when it’s time to do that.
Using a billionaire’s performance for a massive crowd to encourage young professionals or creatives, or small business owners to work without compensation doesn’t make sense. If you don’t have 100 million people for me to get in front of we can’t have this conversation.
Our work has value. Value can and should be monetized. It’s important that we stop acting like getting paid is bad. We should also stop shaming people into doing work for free because you can’t afford their rate. If you can’t afford it, just say that. Anything else is manipulative. Let’s do better! If you want the work, you need to be willing to pay for it. And if you can’t, don’t shame the person who’s established their value.
Have you ever been asked to do real work in exchange for exposure? How did that work out for you? How did you decide what “exposure” opportunities to accept or decline? Let me know in a comment, or if you’re reading in your inbox, hit reply.
While we’re on the subject of Rihanna - I’d like to note that she is a marketing genius. She continues to expand her brand, and one of the things that I think helps her is that she’s centered on the consumer. The brand is not about her, it’s about the women who purchase her products. Think about it. Fenty Beauty literally shook the makeup world up (some brands are still trying to catch up) because she developed the widest color selection ever. Her lingerie company Savage X has inclusive sizing, and both of these companies are reflective of the brand that she’s built.
Beyoncè and her collaborative brand with Adidas, Ivy Park, are not doing as well. According to Forbes, the brand missed its sales projections by 200 million, and Adidas is now losing money on it. My thoughts on this are simple: Nobody thinks Beyoncè wears sportswear. It’s not in alignment with her brand as an artist at all. We’ve never seen her in sneakers, leggings, and a hoodie. It doesn’t make sense. She does have other brand partnerships, for example, she’s the face of Tiffany’s and while I don’t think it’s fully on target, it’s a better fit. Beyoncè’s brand is high-end luxury. If I was on her team, I would be looking for her to collaborate with a brand like Bottega.
Somebody tell Parkwood to hit me up.
reads & vibes.
The Underbelly Of Stan Culture: The Psychology, Legality of The Stan Experience - by Daric L. Cottingham via Essence
My Meet-Cute With Jonathan Majors - by Tahirah Hairston via The Cut
The final season of Snowfall begins next Wednesday on FX. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up for Franklin Saint.
If you like R&B - Eric Bellinger has a brand new album I think you should check out. Listen here via Apple Music or Spotify.
That’s all for this week! If you found this valuable, consider subscribing! You’ll get the newsletter in your inbox weekly.
