Recently, Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am, was appointed to be the Creative Director at Intel.
What does the rapper know about re-branding?
The Black Eyed Peas have been performing together since 1995. 1995! Over 15 years. Did you know that? Before Stacy Ann “Fergie” Ferguson stepped onto the scene in 2001, they didn’t have a gold record, a Grammy, or a top 40 hit. The addition of Fergie transformed their music style from the underground hip-hop sounds of Doug E .Fresh to a more mainstream club appeal–like that of Rihanna. Their former fan base accused them of selling out. Sex appeal became a part of their brand personality. Did it work? Their first Fergie album, Elephunk went double platinum. The follow up album, Monkey Business, went triple. The band has been awarded six Grammys, to date. Recently, The Peas hosted the Super Bowl halftime show –quite a step up from the L.A. venues they played in the 90s.
It will be interesting to see how the avid tweeter, will.i.am, uses social media to advance Intel campaigns over the next few years.