In a new interview with Adweek, Travis Scott rejects terms like “branding” and “marketing,” which may strike some as sort of ironic. Over the course of the past year, his brand partnerships netted him over $30 million, landing him on Forbes magazine’s coveted 30 Under 30 list thanks to deals with McDonald’s, Nike, and Sony PlayStation. He also launched his Cactus spiked seltzer brand earlier this year, pulling down some truly impressive sales figures for a brand-new product. Still, despite all that, he insists his process is based on vibes, not a business strategy based on branding.
Receiving Adweek’s inaugural Creator Visionary of the Year designation, Travis downplayed his gift for selling himself, saying, “I don’t like words like ‘branding’ and ‘marketing.’ I just wasn’t ever really into it, you know? I guess I’m a naturalist in that sense… I’m just more about putting out very cool things that inspire me and I hope one day inspire other people. I’m trying to bring a utopian effect … hoping to inspire the next person to just get creative or even just live their life in an aesthetically pleasing, vibed-out way.”
However, he also pointed out how choosy he can be when picking partners to collaborate with. “I can’t do anything that I’m just not totally comfortable with,” he said. “I was never into being handed anything and just standing behind [a product]. Then we wouldn’t be creators. I’ve always set out to formulate something to bring to each partnership. I’ve just stood on that since day one and maintained it… I do think there is care in how you present things. It’s all about how you deliver things to people. My intentions aren’t to market a brand.”
You can read the full profile here.