Polls: Kanye West Signs with adidas & Drake with Jordan Brand – Who Came Out On Top?

Polls: Kanye West Signs with adidas & Drake with Jordan Brand – Who Came Out On Top?

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Earlier this week we saw two of the biggest sportswear brands make arguably their most significant signings in recent memory. We’re not talking about established all-star athletes but rather Kanye West andDrake, who each signed with adidas and Jordan Brand respectively. Kanye West’s move to adidas despite surprising was facilitated by his numerous diatribes against Nike and Mark Parker in the last few weeks, but Drake’s signing with Jordan Brand seemingly came out of nowhere. Whether deliberate or not, the timing of such a bold decision is certainly a curious one. The question then is who stands to benefit more?

As the current situation seems, Kanye West’s shift to adidas has already raised the brand’s profile and has many people eagerly anticipating the fruits of this partnership. From a sales standpoint, adidas has the opportunity to capitalize on Kanye West’s creative output in a way that Nike never did. While it’s unlikely West’s line will be as big as say, adidas Originals, it certainly has the potential to fill a niche in the same vein as Y-3 and, until recently, the soon to be defunct adidas SLVR. To that, one can add West’s undeniable influence on style and fashion. His penchant for Nikes and Jordans is well documented, and while it’s impossible to gauge what kind of an effect it has had on sales, it’s hard to deny that seeing Kanye West in the latest Jordans or Nikes make them that little bit more desirable to some. We can only presume that seeing West rocking the latest and greatest from adidas will have a similar effect.

On the other hand, Drake’s potential impact on Jordan Brand is a little unclear. Contemporaries within the music industry, Drake has yet to approach West’s level of influence when it comes to fashion and style. What Jordan Brand intends to do with the star has yet to be seen; the question for them then is how to best capitalize on its newest signee. Will this come in the form of a new model, or will it be a simple case of new colorways? Both options present their issues, as historically, non-original Jordan silhouettes have failed to reach the same heights as the MJ-worn editions, and JB has, in the last few years, been churning out a slew of new colorways for its OG silhouettes. While the former option could present itself as an interesting new direction for the brand, the latter option isn’t terribly innovative. That being said, a lack of innovation hasn’t stopped Jordan retros from selling like hot cakes, and we’re sure that would be the case with Drake.

At the end of the day, there are no simple answers. Looking at it from the outside, one could say that adidas as a brand seems more likely to benefit from the added exposure that comes with being aligned with West. On the flip side, one could argue that this is a win-win for Jordan Brand, as it already has the kind of exposure and brand recognition that most brands would kill for, and adding Drake into the mix will only boost that. From a commercial standpoint, it seems like Kanye West wants to reach more consumers, and if adidas is willing, all the right ingredients are there for a hit. On a personal note, I’m looking forward to seeing what Kanye West does given the bold proclamations he’s made over the last few weeks.

Success can be measured in several ways. It can be a function of increased sales which could be the case of the Drake and Jordan partnership, or it can be seen as the result of a heightened level of brand visibility and identity which Kanye West stands to give adidas. We leave it to you to let us know who stands to benefit more: adidas and Kanye West or Jordan Brand and Drake. Cast your vote now.

Happy Birthday HOV

From Homeless to Multimillionaire

Chris Gardner, the man whose rags-to-riches story inspired the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, explains how he harnessed his passion to turn his life around

It's not every day you get the chance to pick the brain of a man whose real-life rags-to-riches story was turned into a Hollywood movie starring one of America's top actors. But the other day I had the opportunity to spend time with Chris Gardner, subject of the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness, in which Gardner was played by Will Smith.

While attending an unpaid internship program at Dean Witter Reynolds in 1981, Gardner spent a year on the streets with his two-year-old son. They took refuge at night in a church shelter or the bathroom of a BART subway station in Oakland, Calif. Nobody at work knew. Gardner eventually won a position as a stockbroker at Dean Witter. Two years later he left for Bear Stearns (BSC), where he became a top earner. In 1987, he founded his own brokerage firm, Gardner Rich,in Chicago. Today, Gardner is a multimillionaire, a motivational speaker, a philanthropist, and an international businessman who is about to launch a private equity fund that will invest solely in South Africa. His partner in the fund? Nelson Mandela. Not bad for a guy who, six years before founding his own brokerage firm, was "fighting, scratching, and crawling my way out of the gutter with a baby on my back."

"Passion is Everything"

Gardner is a magnificent speaker and has an engaging personality—qualities all business professionals would crave. But what's behind his success? What is the one thing—the one secret—that helped him change his life? "It's passion," he told me. "Passion is everything. In fact, you've got to be borderline fanatical about what you do." Gardner says he was fortunate to find something he truly loved, something where he couldn't wait for the sun to rise so he could do it again. His advice to entrepreneurs and those seeking a career change? "Be bold enough to find the one thing that you are passionate about. It might not be what you were trained to do. But be bold enough to do the one thing. Nobody needs to dig it but you."

Gardner wanted to be "world-class at something." For him, that something was being a stockbroker. For you, finding something you are passionate about will make the difference in how engaging you become as a communicator and as a leader. If you love what you do, you'll eagerly share the story behind it with boundless enthusiasm.

Passion is not teachable. As a communications coach, I can help clients craft and deliver a powerful story, but I can't create passion. But it's passion that separates the electrifying presenters from the average ones. I'm absolutely convinced of it. As a former television journalist, I've interviewed thousands of spokespeople and personally coached hundreds of others in my current profession. Donald Trump once said: "Without passion, you have no energy—and without energy, you have nothing." Your listeners want to be in the presence of someone with energy, a person who greets people with a smile and an abundance of enthusiasm. Passion is not something you necessarily verbalize, but it shows. When Gardner walked into Dean Witter after having slept in a subway station the night before, he only wanted to leave one impression on his co-workers. "All they needed to know is that I would light it up day after day. Passion is not something you have to talk about. People feel it. They see it just as clearly as the color of your eyes, baby."

Coffee and Commitment

I have spent the last several years interviewing inspiring leaders, and I can say without hesitation that passion is the No. 1 quality that sets them apart. In many ways, my talk with Gardner reminds me of a conversation I once had with Starbucks (SBUX) Chairman Howard Schultz. Like Gardner, Schultz used the word "passion" throughout our entire conversation. But remarkably, the word "coffee" was rarely spoken. You see, for Schultz, coffee is not his passion. Instead, Schultz says, he is passionate about creating a workplace that "treats people with dignity and respect;" a workplace environment that his father never had the opportunity to experience. The coffee product offers the means to help Schultz fulfill his passion. In much the same way, stock trading and commissions offered Gardner the means to fulfill his passion, which was to give his son something he never had—a father.

Passion is the foundation of effective communication. Dig deep to discover your core purpose, your true passion. Once you connect to it, use it as fuel to build a rapport with your audience—recruiters, managers, employees, etc. Your presentations, pitches, speeches, and all forms of business communication will be more engaging than ever. Nearly everyone has room to increase what I call the "passion quotient"—the level of passion you exhibit as a speaker. The higher your passion quotient, the more likely you are to connect with people. Chris Gardner's passion fueled his determination in the face of overwhelming odds and obstacles. Take the time to imagine where harnessing your passion can take you.

Business Exchange related topics:

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Unlock your Vision........Art

David Datuna Makes Jay Z Face Off Picasso for Art Basel Miami Beach

Jay Z has been in the art spotlight this year, starting with his "Picasso Baby" performance piece at Pace Gallerywhere he danced with Marina Abramovic. Most recently, he purchased a new Basquiat painting and was the subject of a creepy/cute sculpture by Daniel Edwards. Now Jay is being put alongside one of art history's most famous faces—Pablo Picasso.

As part of David Datuna’s Google Glass project, where he invites audiences to try on a pair to view his work, the New York artist is bringing a portrait of Jay Z and Picasso to Art Basel Miami Beach. The work, which features the two men locked in a stare, will appear at Contessa Gallery's booth at the fair.

"The two portraits together serve as a collective image, with Picasso embodying and conceptualizing the energy, fundamentalism, and expression of the 20th century, and Jay-Z's fragmented portrait representing modern art as an experimental puzzle," reads the press release.

Datuna's work plays with the notion of reflection and projection of identity. His medium, lenses, allows the two famous men to reflect off one another—conflating their worlds across history. By introducing Google Glass, the viewer also takes part in this reflective exchange. 

Swizz Beatz Shows Off His Recent Collaboration With Hebru Brantley

When you're the unofficial spokesperson for the #ArtLife, you don't take breaks from creating and inspiring others to do the same. Swizz Beatz posted this photo to Instagram of a piece he recently created with Hebru Brantley. Swizz has collaborated with various artists recently including Damien Hirst and Marcelo Eco, and we're sure the list will grow. Brantley has been making noise for a while now (see his segment of Complex TV's "Bold Moves" series here) and celebrities like Carmelo Anthony, Jay Z, and others have begun to pay attention. Check out the work that they created together and visit Brantley's Instagram for more awesome art.

Kanye West Looks to Silicon Valley for DONDA Investors

In a move to back his creative plans for DONDA with solid administration, Kanye West is looking towards Silicon Valley in search for investors. With everything from hushed rumors regarding business lunches with Kevin Systrom to Kanye’s on-stage proposal for investment from Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Kanye is definitely working towards making his vision a reality with hopes of turning DONDA into a trillion-dollar business that completely disrupts the fashion industry. Although it’s currently unclear on weather a move for investment has begun or if Kanye’s talks are just starting, head to ValleyWag for further details.