Every once in a while -- maybe only a few times a generation -- someone comes along that's so thoroughly, so passionately authentic that we simply have to love them. Prince was the very definition of that one-of-a-kind individual, and the news of his passing at the young age of 57 was truly devastating for many.
Naturally, many people felt the need to react on social media to his passing -- and some brands did, too. It makes sense. Prince was an icon, and the whole world is talking about him, so it might feel strange not to weigh in.
So, many brands did. Some made made heartfelt remarks, whereas some took a more opportunistic approach. Let's run down some of the comments and get a better sense of how to approach the death of an icon if you're a brand.
The sincere approach
Prince was born in Minneapolis and pioneered the Minneapolis sound. He will always be deeply intertwined with the state of Minnesota. As a result, it makes sense for Minnesota-based Best Buy to say something. They did:
Short, sweet, and lacking any kind of self-promotion. If your brand is going to comment on the passing of an icon like Prince, that's really the best way to do it, because it really feels like it's from the heart. It's not the time to be witty or self-referential. Best Buy set the standard of sincere simplicity.
The tribute
For some brands, making a statement wasn't enough. They wanted to pay tribute with some kind of visual or action. In many instances, people's hearts were in the right place. For example, NFL Network honored Prince by purpling out their studio. Are they drawing attention to "NFL Total Access"? Sure (after all, they even tagged it) -- but the point of the message is clearly a tribute to an incredible man.
Not all tributes are created equally, though. For example, Maker's Mark tweeted this:
Maker's Mark later tweeted a response to clarify that they have done purple dips in the past and are thinking of bringing it back as a tribute to Prince. "Keep an eye out," they said in a tweet. It's this sort of opportunism that can get a little complicated for a brand. Everyone appreciates some kind words and a nice tribute, but when you design a product to capitalize directly on the person's death, it changes the tribute's meaning. Throw in that Prince has made statements opposing alcohol, and you have a ill-fitting tribute that could come off as self-serving. Many Twitter users have called for the tweet to be deleted.
The downright strange
Perhaps the most perplexing brand tweet regarding Prince's passing came from Homebase's help account. Here is their tweet, which has since been deleted:
Confusing would be an understatement. First off, coming from your support account instead of your main account is an odd choice. Secondly, the juxtaposition of "Have a good day!" and "#RIPPrince" is, at best, terrible. And to top it all off, this tweet isn't even about Prince. It's about how their support team is ready to help. It was quickly deleted, and rightfully so.
So, what have we learned? The biggest thing we can take away from all of these tweets is that Prince touched so many people's lives. He was truly a legend, and the fact that this many different brands wanted to express their sympathies -- regardless of how they did it -- is in many ways a beautiful testament to what a special person Prince was.
The takeaway for brands is pretty straightforward: If you're going to express condolences, do so without self-promotion. If you're going to pay tribute, do so selflessly. Mean what you say. If there's an element of salesmanship, if people can think for one second that your intentions aren't pure, it hurts you. And it hurts the people who loved Prince even more.