Beyoncé, Jay-Z Help Boost Black Entrepreneurs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Beyoncé and Jay-Z have visited Minnesota on numerous concert tours, but they performed together for the first time ever in the state Wednesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Gov. Mark Dayton made a resounding proclamation earlier in the day: Minnesota is one with the "Beyhive."
"Through their lives and music, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have inspired Minnesotans, and music fans around the world," Dayton said. "Now, therefore, I, Mark Dayton, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, August 8, 2018, as: Beyoncé And Jay-Z Day."
Read More: Thousands Turn Out For Beyoncé And Jay-Z's 1st Joint Minn. Concert
Their music is wildly popular, but Beyoncé and Jay-Z are also admired for their genius when it comes to marketing and branding -- and for their efforts to boost black business owners.
Some would call it a match made in music heaven. Branding and marketing expert Patrick Milan, chief creative officer at Tunheim, says they exude strength, confidence and a distinct image.
"They don't follow a rule book. They have broken the rules on branding. They're their own thing standing alone, and they're something else together," Milan said. "The brand is what your customer feels in their gut when they think about you. This is why Jay-Z and Beyoncé are so strong. People have an immediate gut feeling about who they are, their music, what they do, their business."
As tens of thousands of fans filled U.S. Bank Stadium for the concert, they encountered security officers. Among them were VJ Smith from the Minneapolis Chapter of MAD DADS. He says Beyoncé and Jay-Z's team sought out black-owned security firms to provide support, and one of those companies contacted him.
"We are excited to do it. You know, we prevent crime downtown, we prevent crime in north Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park, all over the place," Smith said. "But rarely do we get an opportunity to do something like this, for a superstar, so we're excited."
And Beyoncé fans like Desirae Butler are also excited.
"She's an epic superstar, she's a lifestyle icon, just a media mogul," Butler said. "If you think about how she brands herself and just how she controls her image, and her Instagram and social media presence, she could be compared to Oprah in some respects."
A lot planning went into what fans wore and what kind of hairstyles they rocked. Both Beyoncé and Jay-Z have their own clothing lines.
