E-Squared Magazine
Art + Science | Culture
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Sunday, September 22nd, 2024

Brand Collabs Aren’t Bold—They’re Boring: The Art World Did It First

Brands embracing “unexpected” collaborations may be the hot trend in today’s corporate world, but let’s be real: this isn’t groundbreaking—it’s repackaging. Not sure what I’m talking about? Have you seen Velveeta nail polish? McDonald’s Crocs? According to Adweek, bizarre brand pairings are on the rise as companies scramble to capture consumer attention. These offbeat collaborations—think Dunkin’-themed Scrub Daddy sponges—aren’t just about getting noticed…they’re marketing gold, increasing visibility, driving sales, and tapping into younger, social media-savvy audiences eager for the next viral sensation.

Brands are banking on the weird to win over new customers in a crowded marketplace. It’s marketing, wrapped in a shiny bow of “innovation.” For those of us in the art world, it’s like watching the kid who shows up late to the party and acts like they’re the host. Artists have been collaborating with unexpected partners for centuries. From surrealist collaborations with psychoanalysts to Andy Warhol’s Coke bottles, artists live on the edge of the unexpected.

Now, when a fashion house teams up with a gaming company or a fast-food chain collabs with a luxury brand, we’re told it’s “disruptive.” But let’s not fool ourselves—it’s capitalism. This wave of “unconventional partnerships” in branding is more about selling to new markets than actual artistic vision. It’s a business strategy cloaked as cultural dialogue. You’re not breaking the mold; you’re cashing in on a trend that artists have been using to provoke thought and question reality long before it had a hashtag.

In art, collaboration has always been about merging perspectives, challenging boundaries, and engaging in uncomfortable, necessary conversations. Brands, however, often reduce these complex synergies to commodifiable spectacles, pre-packaged for mass consumption. So, let’s call it what it is: creative exploitation. Brands aren’t doing anything new—they’re just catching up, and while they’re patting themselves on the back for their “boldness,” they’re missing the point (and you might be too…).

Sure, fashion x tech sounds sexy, but are they saying anything new? No. They’re saying, “Buy more.” Artists, on the other hand, have long seen collaboration as a way to question power, disrupt the status quo, and inspire social change. When Dali collaborated with Disney, he wasn’t looking for likes—he was fusing dream and reality, tapping into a deeper, surreal human experience. When Duchamp slapped a mustache on the Mona Lisa, he wasn’t looking for sales metrics—he was obliterating what people thought art should be.

Brands, you’re not bold. You’re profit-driven. So, let’s not confuse art with marketing strategies. True artistic collaboration disrupts. Yours just disrupts shopping carts and your bottom line.