The video below begins with a voice over from Anthony, my talented artist brother...
When Anthony told me last year, that he was invited by the Absolut people to join a number of other artists in an art project around Lagos, I felt like: "Finally, a solid brand takes art seriously."
I was wrong. The ABSOLUT open canvas (Lagos Edition) is a scam and a ploy by the folks at Absolut to get free creative marketing contents, using lies and trickery.
Since December last year till today, not a single one of the participating artists have been compensated for taking part in this project. Emails have been sent back and forth. Phone calls have been made. But NOT ONE SINGLE ARTIST has been compensated. They didn't follow through with their promise of increasing the visibility of any of the artists, neither did they pay any of them off for their efforts. 20 artists in total.
The worst thing about this is that they use these materials for EVERY SINGLE MARKETING they are doing. EVERY-FUCKING-SINGLE-MARKETING!
NONSENSE.
Yesterday, they had a party with MTV Base, as a build-up to the MAMA awards and the artworks of these 20 creative geniuses was everywhere. The idiots didn't even think it was necessary to send out official invites to the artists.
I don't know why MTV would drag their brand in the mud by associating with these idiots. Dear MTV, Ciroc is both a better vodka and a better brand. See what they are doing at Rhapsody and Kudetta Lounge. They are better than the fuckers who call themselves Absolut.
Anyway, I've advised my brother to take legal actions against them. Get all the artists who took part in this to come together and sue these guys and make sure they pay with their last penny. We are educated enough not to allow some set of stupid people to come here and pull a fast one. That era passed away with the period of slavery, and intellectual rights MUST be respected. If that is how they do it, make them hold their kai kai, we no want!
P.S.
To try get some more free contents, the guys hired an unprofessional joker to side talk one of the artist to come and do another free art work at the party. This joker contacted my brother. Halfway into negotiation, the joker eloped without saying a word when the invoice was sent to him... and went on to restart negotiation with another of the artist involved in the open canvas project. The joker didn't know that they were all friends, so story went round.
Moral of the P.S.: These Absolut guys want contents but aren't ready to pay for it.
ABSOLUT Nonsense.
UPDATE:
The guys at Absolut read this and acted accordingly, to which all parties involved are grateful. I blogged about it here: http://ezeokoyecelestine.blogspot.com/2014/06/kudos-to-absolut.html. However, we are all looking forward to them keeping their promises.
2 comments:
verify before you start calling names... the project was contracted to insight who got paid to carry out the project!
INSIGHT is just an agency, it's not up to them to do a lot of things.
So they're only acting based on whatever directives they must have received from ABSOLUT. If absolut had meant well for us the Artists they'd have seen to it that we're properly treated.
Because it's ABSOLUT's reputation that's at stake and not that of INSIGHT.
How are you even sure that INSIGHT got paid by ABSOLUT when they can't pay the actual artists who did all the work in the sun?
...just saying.
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