The One Word That Solidified Adele's Brand: Hint, It's Not "Hello"

Adele's success is well known. Her first three albums, all named for her age at the time of release, have sold more than 57 million copies worldwide and solidified her rapid fan base.

Here's a quick snapshot if you are unfamiliar with her career trajectory:

19

Released in 2008, her debut album sold 7,000,000 copies and put Adele on our collective radar. A number of songs were released as singles and established her as a strong performer.

21

Sold over 31,000,000 copies worldwide making it one of the top 25 all-time albums. It reached #1 on the charts in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, and USA.

25

Sold 3.38 million copies and made music sales history in its first week, achieving a milestone debut on the Billboard 200 chart. Amazingly, 49% of worldwide album downloads during the week of the launch were Adele's album 25. To date, over 20,000,000 copies have sold. The album also reached #1 on the charts in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, and USA.

Recently, an article by Dan Wootton appeared in The Sun. The piece proclaimed that the Super Bowl producers were actively courting Adele for the halftime show.

I can reveal American football bosses are desperately trying to land Adele for what is one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. - Dan Wooten

Put yourself in her shoes.

Would you take the Super Bowl gig?

After all, more than 100 million people watch the game and many top stars have performed during the big show's intermission. Here are just a few:

2016 - Coldplay, Bruno Mars, & Beyoncé

2015 - Katy Perry

Of course, perhaps most famously, the halftime show featuring Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake in 2004 (viewer discretion advice...).

So, what did Adele say?

In short, she answered 'no'.

That one word, may have done more to define her brand than anything else.

Rolling Stone explained how things unfolded this way, "Earlier this month, rumors surfaced that Adele was the odds-on favorite to headline the Super Bowl 51 halftime show following reports that the 25 singer was approached by the NFL to perform at the February 2017 event in Houston. However, at Adele's concert Saturday night at Los Angeles' Staples Center, she confirmed that while she was offered the gig, she turned the opportunity down."

According to Adele, "I'm not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don't really -- I can't dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no."

The NFL responded to the story saying that they have not offered the halftime gig to anyone - yet.

The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele. We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else. We are focused on putting together a fantastic show for Houston and we look forward to revealing that in good time. ( CBS sports)

The point isn't about the exact way the deal (or lack of deal) went down.

The point is that she was clear on her brand and turned down the offer. In taking what most (or at least many) would consider a great (or at least very good) idea, Adele clarified her brand. This is a tough, but key step for any successful person or organization.

Here's the challenge:

There are more good ideas than you and your organization have the capacity to accomplish. 

When it comes to building a viable brand or business, it's paramount to decide what tradeoffs you are willing to make.

By saying 'yes' to one opportunity, you may miss out on something better, more fulfilling, more accurately aligned with your goals, etc.

The key takeaway is that you must learn to say 'no' to good ideas - even great ideas at times.

This is a hard one.

There are more good ideas than you and your organization have the capacity to accomplish.

Don't believe me?

Take a look around at the coffee mugs, posters, project names, t-shirts, and other artifacts of defunct initiatives that are collecting dust.

Honestly, who wants to say “no” to a good idea?

Whenever you are about to fall into this trap, remember that great brands learn to say "no" to good ideas. In fact, they learn to say "no" to great ideas, so they accomplish with excellence whatever they chose to tackle.

We say no to good ideas every day. We say know to great ideas. Therefore whatever we choose to do, we put tremendous energy behind it. - Tim Cook, Apple CEO

I wish you all the best as you define your company and its brand. I also invite you to consider reading my other posts on leadership, branding, and career development.

Best- Patrick

----------