You never know how an interview is going to turn out when you sit down with a writer, especially when you're in the space that I'm in. I recently sat down with Blogger and sneaker aficionado Steez for an in-depth interview on the book and my experience at Nike and Jordan Brand. In this case, he killed it. This article is, by far, one of the best written about me or on me. I urge you to read this blog and share with your network, especially those with an interest in sneaker culture. For sneakerologists, it's a must! We drop some real science here and exclusive insight into Nike and the making of the Jordan Brand. Here's the link to the blog and Steez' new site, Project Bluefoot which is a forum for thoes who live, eat, breathe and design kicks! Without a doubt, Project Bluefoot will change the game. Good looking out, Steez!!!
http://www.projectbluefoot.com/blog/2009/06/15/the-mastermind-erin-patton-interview-part-1/
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Chapter 3 Excerpt
From Chapter 3: "The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It"
New York is to urban culture what Silicon Valley is to technology. As
the birthplace of Hip-Hop music, it has traditionally served as the epicenter
for innovation and inspiration within urban culture. New York’s
pace and competitive street dynamics also foster creativity, ingenuity,
and a hustler’s ambition among the urban culture “software developers”
to come up with the “killer app” for the culture.
That can be a new artist, a new dance, a new drink, or a new brand.
Later I’ll discuss the role these urban culture “software developers”
play in overall marketing schemes. Much like the Internet start-ups
that were born out of and led by a new generation of avant garde,
“techpreneurs” who were products of the Silicon Valley culture and
not classically trained business schools, the “Hip-Hopreneurs” who
profi ted most from the urban marketing boom were the Generation
X urban culture “software developers” such as Jay-Z, Sean “Puffy”
Combs, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri, and Master P who
married their passion for Hip-Hop music and lifestyle with street-level
business instincts.
These artists leveraged their understanding of what drove the culture
as former users and consumers. They designed the very “programs
and applications” corporate America was profi ting from to start
their own companies and command more equitable partnerships with
the “hardware manufacturers” representing the record companies,
fashion brands, television networks, and Hollywood studios.
Thus, instead of adopting an apparel brand, wearing it in their
videos and generating huge profi ts for someone else, they launched
“insider” brands like Rocawear and Sean John that provided products
that refl ected the desired fi t and look for the urban consumer. Then they
licensed it to retailers for distribution to the masses. The marketing and
advertising of these brands was also more refl ective of the cultural and
lifestyle nuances that corporate America could never replicate.
Of course, Hip-Hop music was the prevailing software in the culture.
The urban marketing boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s
saw a steady stream of independent record labels launched by these
Hip-Hopreneurs who signed lucrative distribution deals with the
music industry mainframe to reach a broader, mass market audience
such as Bad Boy Records (P. Diddy), Roc-A-Fella (Jay-Z) No Limit
Records (Master P), So So Def (Jermaine Dupri), and Death Row
Records. Death Row Records founder Suge Knight took the Bill Gates
approach by owning all of his label’s masters and commanding even
greater licensing and publishing fees.
These innovators were, in large part, building off a blueprint established
by the godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons. He pioneered the
way from the streets to the boardrooms by turning Def Jam records into
a brand portfolio encompassing music, fashion, technology, and TV.
Like Russell, these Hip-Hopreneurs eventually mastered the art of
designing their software and content to run across multiple platforms.
Their clothing brands showed up in the music videos they began directing
and even the movies they wrote, produced, directed and appeared
in and they licensed their brands to mobile phones.
HIP-HOP QUOTABLE
Far from a Harvard student,
Just had the balls to do it.
Jay-Z, “What More Can I Say”
As a demonstration of the bona fi de, measurable impact Hip-Hop
culture and these entrepreneurs were making on the economy, in 2003,
a BusinessWeek cover story examined Hip-Hop’s influence on corporate
America and dubbing Russell the CEO of Hip-Hop. In that same article
I sounded the alarm for marketers that the urban market had formed
a critical mass and was the new mainstream general market.
The fl oodgates were opened on Madison Avenue as everything Hip-
Hop touched was beginning to turn gold. Not only was the Big Apple
ripe with opportunity, but also it provided a laboratory for clinical
observation of urban consumer behavior that supported my philosophy
of applying consumer insights in real-time and helping brands
generate products and marketing born out of an authentic consumer
experience.
Data from the 2000 Census revealed shifting demographic patterns
that were presenting a new set of challenges for marketers who
could no longer ignore the growth of multicultural populations in the
United States. Our vision for Edelman’s Diversity Marketing practice
to establish a boutique specialty across a general market agency’s U.S.
office network was right on time. In addition to work for Fortune 500
clients such as Absolut, Home Depot, Pfi zer, and Nissan, my sports
marketing experience led to us managing Wrigley’s Doublemint on
its partnership with Venus and Serena Williams.
New York is to urban culture what Silicon Valley is to technology. As
the birthplace of Hip-Hop music, it has traditionally served as the epicenter
for innovation and inspiration within urban culture. New York’s
pace and competitive street dynamics also foster creativity, ingenuity,
and a hustler’s ambition among the urban culture “software developers”
to come up with the “killer app” for the culture.
That can be a new artist, a new dance, a new drink, or a new brand.
Later I’ll discuss the role these urban culture “software developers”
play in overall marketing schemes. Much like the Internet start-ups
that were born out of and led by a new generation of avant garde,
“techpreneurs” who were products of the Silicon Valley culture and
not classically trained business schools, the “Hip-Hopreneurs” who
profi ted most from the urban marketing boom were the Generation
X urban culture “software developers” such as Jay-Z, Sean “Puffy”
Combs, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri, and Master P who
married their passion for Hip-Hop music and lifestyle with street-level
business instincts.
These artists leveraged their understanding of what drove the culture
as former users and consumers. They designed the very “programs
and applications” corporate America was profi ting from to start
their own companies and command more equitable partnerships with
the “hardware manufacturers” representing the record companies,
fashion brands, television networks, and Hollywood studios.
Thus, instead of adopting an apparel brand, wearing it in their
videos and generating huge profi ts for someone else, they launched
“insider” brands like Rocawear and Sean John that provided products
that refl ected the desired fi t and look for the urban consumer. Then they
licensed it to retailers for distribution to the masses. The marketing and
advertising of these brands was also more refl ective of the cultural and
lifestyle nuances that corporate America could never replicate.
Of course, Hip-Hop music was the prevailing software in the culture.
The urban marketing boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s
saw a steady stream of independent record labels launched by these
Hip-Hopreneurs who signed lucrative distribution deals with the
music industry mainframe to reach a broader, mass market audience
such as Bad Boy Records (P. Diddy), Roc-A-Fella (Jay-Z) No Limit
Records (Master P), So So Def (Jermaine Dupri), and Death Row
Records. Death Row Records founder Suge Knight took the Bill Gates
approach by owning all of his label’s masters and commanding even
greater licensing and publishing fees.
These innovators were, in large part, building off a blueprint established
by the godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons. He pioneered the
way from the streets to the boardrooms by turning Def Jam records into
a brand portfolio encompassing music, fashion, technology, and TV.
Like Russell, these Hip-Hopreneurs eventually mastered the art of
designing their software and content to run across multiple platforms.
Their clothing brands showed up in the music videos they began directing
and even the movies they wrote, produced, directed and appeared
in and they licensed their brands to mobile phones.
HIP-HOP QUOTABLE
Far from a Harvard student,
Just had the balls to do it.
Jay-Z, “What More Can I Say”
As a demonstration of the bona fi de, measurable impact Hip-Hop
culture and these entrepreneurs were making on the economy, in 2003,
a BusinessWeek cover story examined Hip-Hop’s influence on corporate
America and dubbing Russell the CEO of Hip-Hop. In that same article
I sounded the alarm for marketers that the urban market had formed
a critical mass and was the new mainstream general market.
The fl oodgates were opened on Madison Avenue as everything Hip-
Hop touched was beginning to turn gold. Not only was the Big Apple
ripe with opportunity, but also it provided a laboratory for clinical
observation of urban consumer behavior that supported my philosophy
of applying consumer insights in real-time and helping brands
generate products and marketing born out of an authentic consumer
experience.
Data from the 2000 Census revealed shifting demographic patterns
that were presenting a new set of challenges for marketers who
could no longer ignore the growth of multicultural populations in the
United States. Our vision for Edelman’s Diversity Marketing practice
to establish a boutique specialty across a general market agency’s U.S.
office network was right on time. In addition to work for Fortune 500
clients such as Absolut, Home Depot, Pfi zer, and Nissan, my sports
marketing experience led to us managing Wrigley’s Doublemint on
its partnership with Venus and Serena Williams.
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