Lawrence Gee | Marketing, Internet, Creativity, Strategy

50 Cent’s Curtis was Doomed from the Start

The much hyped album battle between 50 Cent’s Curtis and Kanye West’s Stronger is turning out to be not much of a fight. It is estimated that Kanye will win with approximately 800,000 copies sold versus 50’s estimated 600,000. This should not be of much surprise because 50 Cent’s album Curtis was doomed from the start.

From a marketing perspective, let’s look at the famed “4Ps”. Price and Place are identical for both artists. They both were sold in similar big box retailers for about $9.99. For promotion, each artist benefited by the media attention given to the same release date. Each artist was also heavily promoted on radio stations with similar radio spots and advertisements. 50 has recently been quoted as complaining about Kanye’s exposure on the MTV VMAs but I think that the last “P” is the real cause of his likely loss.

In terms of product, one could argue that one album is superior than the other, but for this debate we’ll assume they were of equal quality. Both albums hit up the hip-hop market with some pop crossover appeal. Packaging will roll up into Product and for this aspect, I give the advantage hands down to Kanye. If you look at the covers, Kanye’s is colorful, playful, and unique whereas 50’s looks serious, muted, and understated. If you saw both albums on the shelf, I feel that you would immediately gravitate towards Kanye’s.

Perceived image of the artists also plays a role in sales. Kanye is known as being more playful, lively, and he has more “pop” appeal. 50 drives home the more hardcore, gangsta, and “real” street edge. Unfortunately for 50, the bad boy image has taken a bit hit in the media this summer with the likes of Michael Vick being the poster boy for illicit behavior. I think youth today is also tired of reality and I think Kanye provides a bit more escapism.

All in all, 50 Cent’s album was disadvantaged from the start. Unfortunately, his “brand” of music does seem to be what people want at the moment whereas Kanye’s blend of humor, pop, and beats seems to fit the bill perfectly.