Black Coffee is said to have ‘manhandled’ acclaimed hip hop artist AKA’s road manager. This could have resulted in a dent in Black Coffee’s reputation. However he appears to have walked away unscathed, while AKA has been portrayed as the villain. This could be attributed to the size of their respective deposits in the Bank of Goodwill.
AKA’s musical credentials are solid – we can even describe them as exceptional. Yet music lovers love to hate him, which (as one of his hit songs is titled) may be attributed to jealousy. However, a Google search of AKA reveals media reports around industry ‘beefing’, and personal (or at least they should be) matters. These types of reports create the impression of a man who will walk off a live interview set, kick you off stage, and throw your cell phone off the balcony. This may sound unfair and harsh. However, even though last week’s news has no impetus on what happened today, you can’t shake it off. The Bank of Goodwill would classify this as a high-risk client.
The perceptions we have of Black Coffee are different. We see an individual who works hard, stays focused, prioritises his family and is disciplined. This is based on the type of news he generates in the media. His engagement with fans and corporates is endearing. We shared the fulfillment of a life-long dream with him, when he met PDiddy (as shared on his Facebook page). We look, with admiration, at his beautiful wife and adorable boys (as reported in DESTINY MAN). The hairs on the back of our neck rose when he accepted his BET Award, and we nodded with pride, when President Zuma congratulated him. All of this point to years spent building his brand – being calculating about everything. The public loves to love Black Coffee, and this love is accepted by the Bank of Goodwill as legal tender.
In what seems to have been a dispute over the timing of performances by the two crowd-pulling entertainers, Black Coffee is shown on a video to have ‘smacked’ a member of AKA’s team, with no physical retaliation from the attacked. Black Coffee assaulted this man! It’s on video. There is evidence to prove it. No one can question whether or not it happened. Yet the public is prepared to (not only) stand by Black Coffee – they are fighting on his behalf on social media; justifying these actions as what could only have been the result of significant provocation, because really, this is Black Coffee, our Black Coffee – calm, professional, respectful Black Coffee. The support from the public, when read between the lines, says: “It’s obvious that Black Coffee must have been pushed to the point of momentary-loss-of-discipline by the team of ‘a temperamental and volatile’ musician. Black Twitter went so far as to create GIFs about it, and it really has turned into a joke.
As the sun goes down on this, Black Coffee stands as the hero. With personal bankers on stand-by 24/7, he made a withdrawal from what would appear to be a healthy account with the Bank of Goodwill, and he will live to tell the tale tomorrow, when he’s ready to talk about it, on his terms.
Many corporates in South Africa could learn from Black Coffee. It cannot be emphasised enough how important an account with the Bank of Goodwill is, because no brand is immune to challenges. However, with a strategic and consistent communications plan that is actively making deposits into the Bank of Goodwill, a brand can weather any storm, and may be given the benefit of the doubt, in the same manner that Black Coffee clearly enjoys.
