From 2004, but still relevant today...

[reprobayt]

MORRIS O'KELLY: The Advertisment For Our Impending Demise

The late Ray Charles’ “A Message from the People” will always be one of my favorite albums. I was blessed enough to have my father introduce me to it as a toddler back in 1972 when it was released.
For the uninitiated, it’s the album in which his celebrated rendition of “America the Beautiful” appears. It was a body of work that didn’t just encapsulate what was on Ray’s mind, but on many African-Americans’ minds of that time.

It was poignant commentary on the social injustices of the era as well as offering insight into what we as a people held dear. It’s an album that internally, I still have with me today. It was something that I was exposed to repeatedly and thus will always be part of me.

It’s no secret; people emulate what they see, repeat what they hear and imitate the actions of those around them. The old adage remains true, “you are what you eat.” Meaning, that which you feed your body, conscience, your soul and spiritual being is the root of who you are and everything you aspire to be. You are the sum total of everything you bring into your life and internalize; physically, mentally, spiritually and ideologically.

With that in mind, here is some “food” for thought.

Conventional advertising wisdom is that with enough exposure to any idea, behavior can be altered on both the conscious and subconscious levels.

If you want to define it in quantifiable terms, it is theorized that on average, 7 exposures to an advertisement or idea is usually enough to influence behavior.

The “influenced behavior” could be as subtle as brand recognition/awareness or as overt as inspiration to purchase.

It can be positive or negative in nature, promoting (i.e. buy ‘x’ product) or discouraging (i.e. don’t smoke) a consumer to react in a preconditioned manner.

Traditionally, high impact advertising had been limited to commercial blocks on television, radio and select pages of print media. When that wasn’t enough, billboards, bus benches and even airplanes towing banners were called into service.

Things have changed and advertisements have evolved along with the consumers they seek to influence.

Yes, along came the internet and yes there were even professional boxers who painted themselves with logos before they enter the ring. But in truth, those advertisers weren’t necessarily getting as much bang for the buck as one might hope. Advertisers seek captive audiences, a consumer’s undivided attention. It’s called market segmentation.

Then … one day, somewhere, somebody realized that the people with the most disposable income were being greatly influenced by product references made in songs by their favorite artists.

The younger generation was responsive to ‘endorsements’ by Hip-Hop artists who drank a certain brand of liquor, drove a specific type of SUV or wore a distinct brand of clothing. Celebrity endorsements were nothing new in and of themselves. The manner in which it was done would be an altogether new strategy and formula.

Enter marketing maven Lucian James.

James publishes the website “Agenda” (www.agendainc.com), a marketing research tool used by corporations worldwide in assessing the effect of pop culture on consumer habits.

For example, his “American Brandstand” chart has catalogued and tabulated the number of product mentions in the top 20 songs (according to Billboard Magazine’s Singles Chart) since January 2003. It’s released on a weekly basis and has single-handedly shaped the way corporate America does business and in turn our collective spending habits.

His clients include: Visa, Sony, Nestle, MTV, Chrysler, Hennessy, Motorola and General Motors. That’s just a short list. For his most recently published weekly chart of August 19, here is some information for you to ponder:

Of the top brands that were mentioned in the top 20 songs in America…

· All songs that mentioned brand names were Hip-Hop. Hennessy was #1 with 48 mentions. 48!

· Car brands accounted for more than half of ALL product references.

· 21 different brands were mentioned overall, containing: 11 automotive manufacturers, 5 beverages (4 of which alcoholic), 2 apparel manufacturers and 3 ‘other.’

Of the top 10 brands that were mentioned in the top songs in America since January of 2003…

· Mercedes, Cadillac and Hennessy are 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

· ALL 10 are automotive, alcohol or apparel manufacturers.

· All songs with brands in the lyrics were Hip-Hop songs, except Jessica Simpson’s “With You,” which mentions Levi Strauss. In the whole of 2003, there was only one non Hip-Hop branded song, Good Charlotte’s “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

If that doesn’t raise an eyebrow or two, try this one…


Of the top “brands” or products mentioned for the first quarter (Q1) of 2004…

· Tying for 10th place with 8 mentions (which equaled the number for MTV, Geico, Bank of America and Pepsi) was “Sizzurp”

Sizzurp (SIZ’ zerp) – n.

An alcoholic drink consisting of the following:

1. Robitussin AC (Prescription Only)

2. Vodka

3. Rum

4. Red colored soda

5. Jolly Ranchers Red

I hope and pray that I’m not the only one mortified right now. There is one obvious question in this information. Is this the horse leading the cart or is the cart now before the horse? Meaning, who is the guiding force behind this phenomena? Is art imitating life or is art being manipulated by corporate America to affect life?

I know, I know, it’s a bit confusing. Let’s see if this clarifies things a bit. Let’s delve deeper.

Chrysler, once thought to be synonymous with the elderly and everything heretofore “uncool” has become more brand identifiable than Gucci, Courvoisier, Bentley and Mercedes Benz across all media among consumers 18-24. Earlier this month, Time Magazine reported that the Chrysler Corporation is ‘back,’ thanks specifically to the Hip-Hop crowd. “The (300) sedan, which went on sale in the spring, is the hottest iron out of Chrysler in a generation. Beefy, brash, styled like a gangstermobile, it is resonating with urban hipsters, popping up in music videos and car-makeover magazines, tricked out with big wheels, lowered suspensions and interiors with mini-bars and reclining seats. Shaq owns one; so does Snoop Dogg.”

“On the basis of strong sales of the 300, Chrysler reported last month that it swung to a $628 million operating profit in its second quarter, vs. a $1.2 billion loss a year earlier.” - Time Magazine

I said, Time Magazine…not Jet. And why in the hell would a car with a mini-bar ever be a good idea? Hello?

Cadillac’s Escalade sales grew 20% in 2003, although sales for every other car in its fleet were flat. You might argue that this is a by-product of the SUV craze. That’s true, to some degree. It seemed like everyone has been buying SUVs. But not everybody was buying CADILLAC SUVs prior to 2003…that’s the key.

Something must have changed…and change it did. Cadillac had surpassed all other SUV makers in brand awareness in the 18-24 year old demographic in 2003. Cadillac is also the #1 brand in terms of product mentions in music in 2004 and #2 overall since 2003 (Mercedes #1). If you’re willing to do the math, Cadillac is mentioned on average in 3 songs each week in the Billboard top 20. You can’t get that type of exposure even during the Super Bowl.

The New York Times reported on August 9th, how marketing agencies such as Nu America are specifically entering into promotional agreements with corporate entities to increase the visibility of products to the Hip-Hop audience.

I said the New York Times, not Blackplanet.com.

Esquire Magazine and the Wall Street Journal recently covered how Donald Trump is now making a foray into the fashion world, offering high-priced suits that are more stylish and flamboyant, more along the lines of the Hip-Hop entrepreneurs. The New York Post is now dubbing Trump as the “New King of Bling.”

I said Esquire Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post … not the Foxhills Mall (California joke) or one of those internet chain letters ‘we’ circulate religiously.

Last month, USA Today published an article on African-American spending habits.

“According to Target Market, a company that tracks black consumer spending, blacks spends a significant amount of their income on depreciable products. In 2002, the year the economy nose-dived; we spent $22.9 billion on clothes, $3.2 billion on electronics and $11.6 billion on furniture to put into homes that, in many cases, were rented.

Among our favorite purchases are cars and liquor. Blacks make up only 12% of the US population, yet account for 30% of the country's Scotch consumption. Detroit, which is 80% black, is the world's No.1 market for Cognac.”

- USA Today

Is it beginning to make sense?

Advertisement breeds product awareness. Product awareness breeds conditioned buyer behavior. The correlation is indisputable and undeniable. Time Magazine, The New York Times, Esquire, Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump, USA Today, et. al obviously have recognized the emerging trend and felt compelled to acknowledge it.

Do ‘we’ recognize what is going on? Do we realize the messages that we’ve been sending to ourselves, the messages that we are internalizing and obviously affecting our behavior? Do we ‘get it’ yet?

Let’s delve even deeper.

If we can agree that music is a form of advertisement, then we should also agree that it is an advertisement of not only the song, but for the content contained therein.

Jean Kilbourne, author of “Can’t Buy My Love: How advertising changes the way we think and feel.” asserts that advertising sells more to potential consumers than just products. In addition to shaping our purchasing habits, Kilbourne contends that it “sells” values, images, and concepts of love, romance, success, sexuality and the standard of normalcy … i.e. what is deemed acceptable.

“I got a sick reputation for handlin' broads. All I need is me a few seconds or more. And in my rap, tell valet to bring my 'Lac (Cadillac). And I ain't comin’ back. Just because you drive a (Mercedes) Benz I'm not goin’ home with you. You won't get no nookie or the cookies. I'm no rookie.” - “Goodies” - Ciara featuring Petey Pablo

Let me say it once again. In addition to shaping your purchasing habits, it “sells” values, images, and concepts of love, romance, success, sexuality and the standard of normalcy…i.e. what is deemed acceptable.

“Sniff a li’l coke (cocaine), take a li’l x (ecstacy), smoke a li’l weed, drink a li’l bit. I need a girl I could freek with and wanna try sh** and ain't scared of a big di** And love to get her pu*** licked by another bi*** Cause I ain't drunk enough to do that sh** - “Freek-A-Leek” - Petey Pablo

One more time, for those goofing off in the back of the classroom.

In addition to shaping your purchasing habits, it “sells” values, images, and concepts of love, romance, success, sexuality and the standard of normalcy…i.e. what is deemed acceptable.

“They wasn't telling the truth baby you know they was wrong. Now, make it official and drink some of that Dom (Dom Perignon).

I like how them Victoria's Secrets sit in that a$$. Lemme pour some more Hyp (Hypnotiq) and Hennessy in ya glass.

Who you wit' ? I'm in a rental today, it's going down at the Hampton Inn and I remember the way. Less money we spend on bullsh**, the more for the weed. - “Slow Motion” - Juvenile

You should know the words to MY song by now, so sing along … hit it!

In addition to shaping your purchasing habits, it “sells” values, images, and concepts of love, romance, success, sexuality and the standard of normalcy…i.e. what is deemed acceptable.

Taking it back to the top…

“You are what you eat.” Meaning, that which you feed your conscience, your soul and spiritual being is the root of who you are and everything you aspire to be. You are the sum total of everything you bring into your life and internalize. Mind you, the above excerpts are from songs that are in “high rotation” on radio, not obscure artists and songs.

Let’s delve even deeper … we’re going to the bottom of the ocean on this one.

Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) is a tool to monitor how often a song is played, when it’s played and where it’s played, all across the United States. It is a tool used by record companies to monitor the performance of its records, relative to its competition.

For example, the song “Lean Back” by the Terror Squad was detected as being played total of 12,372 times in the past seven days from August 16 to August 22 on radio stations around the nation.

What does that mean exactly?

WLLD (Tampa, FL) for example played the song 102 times in the past seven days. That breaks down to one ‘spin’ every 95 minutes approximately. Of course, that’s assuming that the play distribution is balanced in nature and spread out evenly over 24 hours…which is obviously not the case. During your waking hours in Tampa, (or any other city) you likely will hear it more often during the ‘dayparts’ of highest listenership.

WGBT (Greensboro, NC) 107 spins.

KDHT (Austin, TX) 100 spins.

WRDW (Philadelphia, PA) 130 spins!

KWID (Las Vegas, NV) 98 spins.

KXME (Honolulu, HI) 100 spins.

Using this song as an example, you can imagine the amount of advertisement or ‘idea’ exposure in which we’re being collectively subjected. Note: that does NOT include video airplay on BET/MTV, DJ mixshow play (which often can’t be detected) or DJ play in the clubs. That doesn’t include the “mom-n-pop” radio stations that aren’t monitored by BDS. That doesn’t include satellite radio or digital music provided by your cable TV system. That doesn’t include the guy in the SUV next to you blaring it from his speakers. That doesn’t include the times you hear it at the sports event when it’s played during timeouts. That doesn’t include you blaring it from your own speakers again and again after you finally decide to buy it. The behavior modification doesn’t end with the purchase. It is ongoing and incessant.



If it only takes 7 exposures to begin to affect a consumer’s conscious and subconscious behavior; listening to the radio on one day, watching BET for one hour and then going to the club on one occasion is all you need. You’ve reached your necessary quota. You can listen to any Hip-Hop station that plays the top Hip-Hop music and in effect hear “Hennessy” no less than 48 times a day if you listen to each song ONCE. It is inescapable…

You have been changed.

Maybe if we all read this six more times together we might change back. Then again, the onslaught against us is overwhelming.

“Got the Phantom in front of the buildin’, Trinity Ave. Ten years been legit, they still figure me bad. As a young'n - was too much to cope with. Why you think ? mu'f****** nicknamed me Cook Coke sh**. Shoulda been called Armed Robbery, Extortion, or maybe Grand Larceny.

- “Lean Back” – Terror Squad

Of course the profanity in songs is dropped out on the radio, but who doesn’t already know what the words are? Who really can’t figure out what rhymes with “bigger” or “sucka” or “pros” in a song when it’s dropped out? Let’s be real here.

But I digress…

Some questions to consider:

If corporate America fully understands that buyer behavior is influenced by our music, why do we not understand that our social behavior is not as equally susceptible to the messages contained in music? If corporate America understands that the repetition of brand names in music can influence your behavior, what does that say for the repetition of –gga and b!tch and other random references of lawlessness and misogyny?

If Time Magazine, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire Magazine and even The New York Post have noticed the correlation on a consumer behavior level, why haven’t ‘we’ noticed it on a social behavior level?

If we can agree that media reflect and influence culture, then our music says what about people of color and the direction in which we head?

Some answers that must be addressed:

It says that ‘we’ love alcohol, drugs, misogyny, cars and every other materialistic/derogatory social norm that deprecates a race of people. It says our music is dictating our culture and our supposed standards of decency.

It says we don’t have any common sense.

It says that Cadillacs, Hennessy and marijuana are at the root of who ‘we’ are and what ‘we’ aspire to be. It says that Hip-Hop is the arbiter of what is normal and deemed acceptable in ‘our’ communities. How it got to this point I’m not really sure and don’t really care. I just know that it’s a sad state of affairs and it has to change. Not “in the near future”, but right now.

And we have the unmitigated gall to be offended when we’re stereotyped by others?

Incredible.

Is that a slam against Hip-Hop? Absolutely not. It’s a slam against irresponsibility and ignorance.

We’re saying that it’s ok for our children to turn on the radio and learn everything there is to know about self-hatred, meaningless exploits and possessions, 24/7. It also says that our children can turn on the radio and learn about every sexual position Petey Pablo holds dear to him.

Children.

It says we’re irresponsible and unequivocally ignorant. It explains why we’re last in academia and first on the dance floor.

It says we wantonly disrespect women, specifically those of color. It says we love calling each other –ggas.

It says that collectively we are a mess; not overly concerned at the situation and not trying to change it. It says that we are the only ones championing the causes of Moet and Ketel One. It says that more of us recognize the words “Hennessy” and “spinners” than the words “d--- Cheney.”

Just in case you don’t believe me, according to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association, the trade group for automotive aftermarket suppliers, the market for ‘rims’ (custom wheels) represents over $3 billion annually.

That’s BILLION…with a ’B.’ That’s $1 million multiplied more than 3,000 times over, putting it in more comprehensible terms. If nobody bought custom rims last year and put that money to substantive use, it could fund a small country…like, say…the United States of Black America.

But I digress, again…

It says that ‘we’ have personally saved the corporations of Chrysler and Cadillac yet can’t save ourselves. It says that “Barbershop” was right … we don’t need reparations, as Cadillac would just then be the #1 dealership in all the country.

Well, not entirely right. We’re pushing Cadillac to #1 on our own…without reparations. Cadillac is doing just fine these days. But how are ‘we’ doing in the meantime?

One day, all of us will begin to ‘get it.’ Until then, I will continue to hammer the point home and beat this dead horse until it comes back to life. If you’d like more information, I encourage you to visit www.agendainc.com, read more books and spend less time doing the “Rockaway.”

Morris W. O'Kelly is a freelance entertainment writer who writes content for entertainment personality websites and national media. You can always reach him at: dark.gable@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all comments.

Comments

[libidoergosum.livejournal.com]

If I were what I my conscious and sub-conscious mind were force fed, I'd be a homicidal maniac behind my machine gun. I'd have already fallen into the depths of "gangsta" lifestyle.

Advertisements are the pied piper of the modern world. Television, fostering consumer culture is THE mousetrap that they always spoke of and we eat it up. I'm disgusted with pop culture and it's insidious lustre.

I just don't even know where I want to go with that rant. A lot of it comes from the fact that I believe that most "Black Leaders" (I will not use the term African American) are leading their flocks into blind faith, and mental weakness "Depend on Jesus for Everything" it doesn't foster any self-accountability. we as a nation are a flock of lambs lead to the slaughter on a wholesale level.