Kanye's Cannes content outburst: Kanye West's former creative director on the brand/artist dynamic

When I worked as Kanye’s creative director for his 2008 Glow in the Dark tour, he was already more forward thinking than his peers. So his recent comments come from a real place of experience. Rather than building a company to compete with established brands, he identified the value of hooking-in with brands like Gap and Apple because it’s smarter to be a part of an already successful company that you love.

Back then he was faced with the beginning of a new drive of well-targeted celebrity endorsement. I sat in many meetings with the expectation of a true collaboration, only to see that all brands wanted was his signature of approval on an existing piece of hardware. Similarly, it was an eye-opener for me to see the 'R' logo I designed for Rihanna later splashed over a campaign for River Island.

More recently the fortunes of collaborations such as Topshop with Kate Moss have fuelled the frenzy for what Kanye was dreaming of. But these truly collaborative partnerships don’t grow on trees. And this situation is exacerbated by a new sideways leap: that of meaninglessly awarding creative directorships to music artists. These tend to be empty gestures from brands who want to exploit a celebrity name and fanbase, rather than intelligently integrating an artist’s creativity. Almost as a matter of course, consumers will see this as yet another shallow marketing ploy.

Whatever your opinion of Kanye, there is no denying he has continually pushed the boundaries in his own field of music, and has not been afraid to fail in his attempt to make a mark in fashion, film and now art. The difference between him and many of his peers is that he is overtly opinionated, but also willing to study. In fact, he went back to school before starting his fashion line. His argument is simple: an artist’s demographic may well fit the brand, but is the artist a true “tastemaker”? Do they deserve to be put in a situation of influence? Are they there because they have great ideas to share? Or are they there just for the money?

We know celebrity sells, but also that consumers can sense poor dilution very quickly. The end result can be embarrassing for both parties. An ailing brand like BlackBerry can also find it hard to attract a high-profile, right-fit endorsement when it doesn’t have its own forward vision. The thinking does not change. These so-called creative directorships come with their assigned 'ghost writers' who are let loose with endless toys, but no real understanding of the brand’s needs, and nothing to bring to the table except their paying-in book.

As an artist’s creative director, it is always baffling to have discussions with a top brand about my artist as 'their' creative director. I’m employed by an artist as their creative director to come-up with ideas because they may not have many themselves. This throws into question the validity of using such an artist as a brand creative director.

Brands entice musicians through the artist’s desire to be a 'quadruple threat' – singer, dancer, actor, and now creative. Thanks to the trailblazing success of Jay-Z and P Diddy, it’s become almost mandatory. And the results are mostly more tedious than creatively exciting. So regardless of whether you believe Kanye is a true tastemaker, his much-quoted Cannes soundbite is creatively sound.

Simon Henwood has worked as a creative director for Kanye West, Rihanna and Alicia Keys. He is also a director for creative content studio Squire and the author of ‘Working with First Class Superstar Artists’ (the contract term used in legal agreements).