13485: White Ad Agency Hires Black Guru.

Adweek reported The Marketing Arm hired Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton—whose résumé features producing for hip-hop artists including Jay-Z and Common—to serve as the White advertising agency’s “Chief Music Strategist.” The Omnicom shop will definitely mark the move as a diversity hire, even though the holding company will not share its EEO-1 data to display the true minority figures. The appointment also shows that it’s easy for Blacks to land a job in advertising—provided you have A-list celebrity status.

How Jay Z’s Producer Engineered a New Role for Himself at an Ad Agency

Young Guru brings his sonic sensibility to The Marketing Arm

By Kristina Monllos

At first blush, a résumé highlighting work with Jay Z, Common and Alicia Keys making its way to the top of the pile may seem like an odd move for an ad agency, but that’s exactly where Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton’s CV landed.

The celebrated audio engineer in December joined Omnicom Group’s The Marketing Arm to become the shop’s first chief music strategist, a new role that will be creative and consultative, according to Larry Weintraub, The Marketing Arm’s chief innovation officer and president of music. “There’s not a pitch that you go into, especially if you’re trying to reach young people, where you’re not talking about how important music is,” said Weintraub, noting that clients like State Farm, AT&T and Hilton Hotels have been asking more and more for music-based ideas.

For his part, Young Guru plans to boost The Marketing Arm’s music capabilities. “[I’ll tap into] more than 20 years of experience engineering, DJ-ing and producing in the music industry,” he explained. “It’s given me an holistic perspective on what different people desire sonically.”

Guru’s music startup, Era of the Engineer, will assist with the new role, which came about after Guru had worked with The Marketing Arm on a project with AT&T. “My team, Era of the Engineer, constantly has their ear to the streets,” he said. “We consider ourselves sociologists, and my team and I talk every day about what is driving our culture.”

Curriculum Vitae

Producer, DJ, engineer, 1996 – present

Engineers and produces live shows for artists like Jay Z and Alicia Keys. Nominated for two Grammy Awards for his work with Common and Jhené Aiko. DJs around the world for clubs, private events and exclusive corporate sets for brands like Google and AT&T. Collaborated with Gatorade (to see what impact sound has on athletes) and BMW Design Group.

Co-founder, Era of the Engineer, 2011

The social enterprise and advisory startup builds relationships between musicians and businesses.

The Era of the Engineer Tour creator, 2013

Visited 13 colleges, including MIT, Cornell and NYU, to explain the creativity and problem-solving skills needed for engineering. Partnered with Hewlett-Packard and The Recording Academy for “The Era of the Engineer,” which was the Grammy’s first educational tour.

Job Profile

As The Marketing Arm’s chief music strategist, Young Guru will work with the agency to find ways that brands can collaborate with artists through the production and advisory arm of Era of the Engineer. He will also work on original music for campaigns and content created by The Marketing Arm. “I will be bringing strategy and creativity to both current and future client work,” said Guru.

How He Got the Gig

“The Marketing Arm brought me on board for an ad campaign for [AT&T],” explained Guru. “We clicked. Lucky for me they were expanding their music capabilities and we already had a conversation going. It just made sense.”

90-Day Plan

“From client needs and analysis to internal operations, I need to first be fully immersed to have that big impact I’m aiming for,” said Guru. “I have always had ideas for brands to push the envelope musically—especially as it relates to technology. I’m friends with a bunch of young founders with promising technologies that a lot of brands could really take advantage of.”

13253: Bacardi Loves Hip Hop.

Advertising Age reported Bacardi enlisted Swizz Beatz and handed him a “Global Chief Creative for Culture” title. Wow, that’s an original idea. Wonder if Bacardi’s lead White advertising agency—BBDO—will count the move as a diversity hiring.

Bacardi Names Swizz Beatz ‘Chief Creative for Culture’

Celeb Won’t Appear in Ads, But He Could Influence Them

By E.J. Schultz

Bacardi Limited has named Swizz Beatz as its “global chief creative for culture.” But the celebrity music producer won’t be appearing in ads for the liquor marketer anytime soon.

The multi-year agreement covers Bacardi’s entire brand portfolio, which includes its namesake rum, along with Grey Goose, Martini, Bombay Sapphire and Dewars. “The goal is to develop partnerships, activations and ideas that further incorporate the Bacardi brands into the worlds of music, art and film,” Bacardi said in a statement. Swizz Beatz will also represent Bacardi brands at cultural events in the U.S. and in emerging markets, although details have not yet been released.

There are no immediate plans to put him in ads, according to a Bacardi spokeswoman. But the music maven could hold influence over Bacardi’s marketing. “As the Bacardi global chief creative for culture, I will be involved in all aspects of the product—from brand marketing and advertising to innovation and selling platforms—areas to which I will bring a new, fresh perspective,” he said in a statement. Bacardi will work with him to “forge deals with the most creative icons in sports, fashion, technology, art and film around the world in the coming months,” according to the statement.

Bacardi Limited CEO Mike Dolan stated that “consumers are identifying with brands that fit their lifestyle in culturally relevant ways and Swizz is the perfect partner to identify and forge these new consumer connections.” Bacardi did not release dollar terms of the deal.

Bacardi’s lead agencies are BBDO Worldwide for creative and OMD Worldwide for media. The Omnicom shops won the accounts in April 2015.

Under BBDO, Bacardi rum has pivoted away from ads that played up its heritage, while taking a more contemporary approach. Bacardi will “go harder at embedding our brands back into culture,” Mauricio Vergara, Bacardi Limited’s chief marketing officer for North America and the global lead for the Bacardi brand, told Ad Age last year. “We have one of the most iconic brands in the industry, but over the last few years we were not really connecting as effectively as we could with our target consumers and the new millennial.”

TV ads link the brand to house parties by showing drinkers partying in a house that is being towed on streets and highways.

12956: Chief Creative Officer Cannon.

CNET reported RadioShack hired Nick Cannon to serve as Chief Creative Officer. Seems like a logical move to complement the failing retailer’s decision to partner with Sprint, a company that could be dubbed “The RadioShack of Telecoms.” Cannon joins a parade of questionable creative lead appointments including will.i.am, Alicia Keys, Sean Combs and Jay-Z. Then again, clients continue to do a much better job of hiring minorities than White advertising agencies. But does it indicate celebrity status is a requirement for non-White people to be considered for senior-level positions in the field?

RadioShack hires Nick Cannon to lead its renaissance

Technically Incorrect: The rapper, actor and “America’s Got Talent” host is named RadioShack’s chief creative officer. Will the company rise again to glory?

By Chris Matyszczyk

I fear that for too many people RadioShack has become as prominent as actor Josh Hartnett (remember, from “The Faculty” and “Pearl Harbor”).

The electronics chain is still there, you assume, but you haven’t seen one in a long while. Perhaps, though, RadioShack has a remedy. It announced a startling appointment as its new chief creative officer: Nick Cannon.

The rapper, actor and “America’s Got Talent” host is a lifelong RadioShack aficionado. Indeed, he credits the brand with “fostering his creative spirit and interest in electronics.” At least, that’s what RadioShack said Wednesday a press release.

Michael Tatelman, RadioShack’s chief marketing officer, told me: “Nick will play an active role in the creative process and his innovation and creativity will continue to help us curate the in-store experience. He’ll also be developing an exclusive line of products, as well as help RadioShack continue to grow our educational and S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering and math) initiatives nationwide.”

That all sounds like a task even bigger than winning a TV talent show.

The company filed for bankruptcy in February so that an investing firm could buy 2,400 of its stores. The new RadioShack, owned now by General Wireless Inc, says it has more than 1,700 company-owned stores and nearly 500 independent dealers.

RadioShack insists that with this hire it’s signaling that “RadioShack is back.” How much time will the busy entertainer and entrepreneur (his company is called NCredible Entertainment) dedicate?

“Nick’s goal is to be in Fort Worth working with the RadioShack team as often as possible,” Tatelman told me. Ah.

The tech world is strewn with the memories of stars appointed to add their creative wits without necessarily delivering the creative hits.

Perhaps the most celebrated was Alicia Keys, hired in 2013 by BlackBerry in a role similar to Cannon’s with RadioShack. Soon after her appointment, she was caught tweeting from her Apple iPhone. As was popular in those days, she claimed she’d been hacked. She left BlackBerry less than a year later.

Cannon does have tech credentials. He appeared on CNET’s CES stage last year and said he’s been a regular visitor to Las Vegas over the years. “I was a RadioShack kid,” he explained in that interview. “I would go to RadioShack every week. It was my favorite place. It was the place I got my first DJ equipment, keyboards, that’s where I would go buy RCA cables.”

To begin its quest for hearts and minds, RadioShack recently launched a website and had a Black Friday sale. But how much life does the brand still have? Despite this latest marketing effort, will it still be cannon-fodder?

12274: Translation Loses Beer Business.

Advertising Age reported Anheuser-Busch InBev cut its ties with Steve Stoute and Jay-Z of Translation, ultimately handing the shop’s duties to White advertising agencies BBDO and Anomaly. Translation is clearly going though tough times, with leadership shifts and account losses. It doesn’t help that the place has never produced consistently decent work. Having access to celebrity talent—even with an industry that loves hip hop—doesn’t equate to professional, sustainable success. Otherwise, Will.i.am would be the next Bill Bernbach.

A-B InBev Ends Relationship With Translation

The Shop Was Lead Agency for ‘Made in America’

By E.J. Schultz

Anheuser-Busch InBev has cut its final ties with Translation, which has served as the lead ad agency for Budweiser’s much-hyped Made in America summer music festival curated by Jay Z.

The shop first won its way on to the brewer’s roster in 2011 and was named lead agency for Bud Light in 2012. BBDO won the Bud Light account in 2013. Translation managed to hang onto Bud Light line extensions like Platinum until earlier this year, until BBDO took that business too.

That left Translation with only the Made in America business. The shop, founded by former music exec Steve Stoute, played a key role in the 2012 launch of the Made in America event, which has served as a key plank in the brewer’s millennial marketing strategy. The concert originally was staged in Philadelphia and was expanded to Los Angeles this year.

Anomaly, which is the lead shop for Budweiser, will assume Made in America duties, according to an A-B InBev spokeswoman. Asked about what the move means for the brewer’s partnership with Jay Z, she said: “We have an ongoing, global relationship with Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter. It will continue.”

She described the consolidation with Anomaly as a “synergy” move that was not tied to Translation’s performance. Mr. Stoute did not immediately reply to an email for comment. The brewer has yet to announce plans for the 2015 music festival. Other organizations that have been involved with the festival include Jay Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, and Live Nation.

12158: Translation Terminates Trio.

AgencySpy reported Translation may have cut President Nils Peyron (pictured above between Steve Stoute and John Norman) and ECDs Marc d’Avignon and Jay Berry—and the the trio had only clocked a few months at the shop. Wonder if Jay-Z canned the executives. Could anything be more embarrassing than getting dumped at Translation by Jay-Z—except maybe receiving a creative pink slip from Will.i.am?

11817: Jay-Z’s A Five Percenter…?

From The New York Post…

Jay-Z’s bling from ‘whites are devils’ group

By Gary Buiso

Black people are the fathers and mothers of civilization, white men are the devil, the Christian god is nothing more than a ghost and only a small percentage of people understand the world.

These are just some of the beliefs behind the bling — the gaudy Five Percent Nation medallions worn by Jay Z and Carmelo Anthony.

Last week, all eyes at the Barclays Center weren’t on Jay Z’s better half, Beyoncé — but on the coaster-size golden pendant swinging from the rapper’s neck as the couple sat courtside. Asked once if the group’s symbol — an eight-point star with the number 7 in the middle — held any meaning to him, the rapper shrugged, “A little bit.”

So what exactly do Five Percenters believe?

“The rationale is that the black man is God and created the universe, and is physically stronger and intellectually stronger and more righteous naturally,” says Michael Muhammad Knight, an author of two books on the radical group.

“Whiteness is weak and wicked and inferior — basically just an errant child who needs to be corrected.”

The group was founded in 1964 in Harlem by Clarence Smith, who later changed his name to Allah, a former student of Malcolm X who disagreed with the Nation of Islam over the nature of God.

Smith rejected the notion of a supernatural deity and instead believed that all black men had God in them and that black women were “earths” who took on a complementary yet subordinate role to their gods.

The idea is empowering, Knight says.

“Anytime someone is saying you have to accept your conditions of oppression and slavery and pray to an unseen god — that kind of god is just being used to keep people down and to keep people from looking to themselves as a solution to their problems,” he notes. “If there is a problem, no one will fix it for you, except yourself.”

Five Percenters don’t consider themselves Muslim, but their name comes from the Nation of Islam’s belief that 5 percent of humanity are “poor righteous teachers” who exist to enlighten the masses about the truth of existence.

Members will sometimes refer to themselves as “scientists” to drive home the search for truth. And they face a tall task, because under their belief system, 10 percent of the world’s population controls the other 85 percent by spreading the belief in a “mystery God.”

To show followers the way, members must learn the Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet — powerful tools to decipher the meaning of the universe. In both, each letter and number represents a concept, for example, 1 is knowledge, 2 is wisdom, while A is Allah and B is be, or born. The number 7 on Jay Z’s pendant stands for God.

Caucasians, meanwhile, don’t enjoy an exalted status in the narrative of the Five Percenters.

“The first lesson I learned from the Five Percent was simple: F–k white people. Seriously. White people are devils,” Knight, 36, who is white and converted to ¬Islam as a teenager, once wrote.

He insisted the movement has been welcoming and that he views the controversial sentiment as a statement about power rather than biology.

“For me, it is about who is marked as privileged in the power relations of this society,” he says.

Some followers take exception to those who transform their flag into a fashion accessory.

“Jay Z is not an active member — no one has vouched for him,” Saladin Allah, a representative of the group’s upstate region, told The Post. “It was always understood that you don’t wear the regalia if you don’t totally subscribe to the life.”

11816: Translation Gobbledygook.

AgencySpy reported Translation is shuttering its Chicago office. Founder and CEO Steve Stoute wrote:

“As an agency our mission has always been to provide exceptional service to our clients, and to bring purpose and precision to our creative output. With the recent additions of President Nils Peyron and CCO John Norman in New York, and always with an eye toward the long-term growth of our organization, we have made the decision to bring our team together in New York and close Translation’s Chicago office. This was a hard choice for all of us, but one that will strengthen the agency immediately and for years to come.”

Is Stoute evolving into a bona fide adman? To construct a sentence that starts with “long-term growth” and ends with the announcement of an office closure is about as corporate as it gets. And adding that the move “will strengthen the agency immediately” sorta indicates there are serious financial problems at the shop—plus, it delivers a slap in the face to the Chicago staffers now seeking employment. Wonder if the severance packages included Jay-Z music collections.

11529: Jay-Z On Barneys Bias.

From The New York Daily News…

Jay Z breaks his silence over Barneys furor, says he’s ‘no stranger to being profiled’

After days of backlash over his high-end deal with Barneys, as they face racial profiling accusations.

By Rich Schapiro / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Jay Z is finally rapping about Barneys.

Facing a backlash over his links to the under-fire department store, the superstar rapper insisted Saturday that he has remained silent until now because he’s been “waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys.”

“I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it’s towards, aren’t I committing the same sin as someone who profiles?” Jay Z said in a statement. “I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position. Hopefully this brings forth a dialogue to effect real change.”

Jay Z drew ire after two black customers stepped forward this week accusing Barneys of racial profiling.

The Brooklyn-born rapper has a collection with Barneys scheduled to debut on Nov. 20.

“I am not making a dime from this collection; I do not stand to make millions, as falsely reported,” Jay Z said.

“Making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project, wouldn’t hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education,” he added.” I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn’t harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration.”

Jay Z insisted the attacks against him are unfair.

“Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately?” he said. “The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn’t want to make without the full facts.”

11527: Jay-Z & Barneys Odd Couple…?

From The New York Post…

Fans target Jay Z over Barneys ‘racism’

By Tara Palmeri

Fans are targeting Jay Z for continuing to endorse Barneys after the store was accused of racially profiling two young black shoppers.

Brooklyn dad Derick Bowers has set up an online petition to boycott the Upper East Side fashion emporium and pressure the hip-hop mogul to end his collaboration with it for allegedly making false complaints against Trayon Christian and Kayla Phillips.

“Jay Z should be appalled by Barneys’ actions,” Bowers wrote in the petition on Change.org.

“Without his vast wealth and brand power, they would see him the same as they see Trayon Christian.”

Jay Z is collaborating with the store on a collection called “A New York Holiday.” His rep did not respond to calls for comment.

Meanwhile, Barneys yesterday apologized for the way the two black customers were treated, and said the store has hired a civil-rights expert to review what happened.

11199: Four Of The Creativity 50.

Advertising Age presented the 2013 Creativity 50 to honor the fifty most influential creative figures in entertainment, tech, advertising, publishing and more. Three of the four Black honorees were movie director Ryan Coogler, TV show innovator Shonda Rhimes and Jay-Z. The only legitimate advertising representative was R/GA VP-ECD Tim Allen, who runs the user experience design department. Is Ad Age unintentionally telling Blacks there are greater opportunities in entertainment than advertising?

11042: Lost In Translation.

AgencySpy reported Translation CCO Chris Cereda left the agency. If Cereda was responsible for the Bud Light campaign, he should have been booted. Fortunately, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are available to pick up the creative duties.

10603: Stoute Spouts.

Adweek presented a video featuring Steve Stoute declaring his shop—Translation—is a new model agency. Stoute shouldn’t call his enterprise special before it actually produces something special, just as his partner Jay-Z shouldn’t proclaim the Brooklyn Nets as championship caliber when the starting lineup might not be capable of beating the coaching staff. The Bud Light win was huge, and Stoute makes a few decent comments about industry diversity, but other agencies that were anointed or self-appointed as groundbreaking wound up breaking down. Hey, talking the talk hasn’t worked for Will.i.am either.

10506: Jay-Z On Occupy Wall Street.

From The New York Daily News…

Jay-Z knocks Occupy Wall Street

In a new interview, the legendary rapper says he never threw his support behind the protest movement because he didn’t understand what it stood for.

By Rich Schapiro / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Jay-Z says Occupy Wall Street had a fatal flaw: Its 99 messages.

The legendary rapper, in a new interview, says he never threw his support behind the protest movement because he didn’t understand what it stood for.

“What’s the thing on the wall, what are you fighting for?” Jay-Z told The New York Times in a wide-ranging interview.

The Brooklyn-born hip-hop king said he made his feelings clear to Russell Simmons, who was a full-throated supporter of the Zuccotti Park demonstrators.

“I’m not going to a park and picnic—I have no idea what to do,” Jay-Z said, recalling a conversation with Simmons about joining the movement.

“I don’t know what the fight is about. What do we want? Do you know?”

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, transformed himself from a poverty-stricken crack dealer to a multimillionaire music mogul and co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets.

He said Occupy Wall Street’s blanket demonization of the rich is un-American.

“I think all those things need to really declare themselves a bit more clearly because when you just say that ‘the 1 percent is that,’ that’s not true,” he said.

“Yeah, the 1 percent that’s robbing people, and deceiving people, these fixed mortgages and all these things, and then taking their home away from them, that’s criminal, that’s bad.

“Not being an entrepreneur. This is free enterprise. This is what America is built on.”

10422: Jay-Z + Hollywood = Bud Light.

Advertising Age reported more details that may reveal how Steve Stoute and Translation succeeded in completely securing AOR status on Bud Light. Stoute apparently tapped his entertainment connections—and even turned the client into an executive movie producer. While it would be nice to see the agency actually produce a breakthrough campaign, it’s hard to knock Stoute for doing what gets things done in the advertising industry. That is, building relationships trumps building brands.

New Jay-Z Movie Will Be Backed By Budweiser

Ron Howard, Brian Grazer To Film Documentary of “Made in America” Concert Next Month

By Rupal Parekh

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s reasoning behind strengthening ties with Steve Stoute’s agency Translation is becoming more clear, given news today that the “Made in America,” concert festival the agency put together is now being made into a film by Hollywood heavy-hitters Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

What’s more, when the movie comes out, the brewer’s U.S. Marketing VP Paul Chibe will have equal billing with rapper Jay-Z as an executive producer. Mr. Stoute is a co-producer with Mr. Grazer, while Mr. Howard is the movie’s director. The filming will largely take place during the two-day festival in Philadelphia in early September, which features some 25 hip-hop and electronic-dance music acts.

As Mr. Chibe tells the story of how the film came about, Mr. Stoute presented the concert idea to the brewer, but it was Mr. Chibe who took it a step further, suggesting that a film of the event be made—using heavyweight talent—with Budweiser serving as an investor.

“The way that Budweiser remains an icon is to be a force in pop culture,” said Mr. Chibe. “Things like this are exactly the kinds of things that a brand like Budweiser should do.”

Mr. Stoute worked with Mr. Grazer, who co-founded movie and TV production company Imagine Entertainment with Ron Howard, on the film “8-Mile,” starring Eminem. After Mr. Chibe suggested the concert movie, Mr. Stoute rang up Mr. Grazer, who says it was a “fortuitous event.”

“Ron and I try to do new things, and this is a new thing; I like high-stakes creative challenges,” said Mr. Grazer. Asked what we can expect out of the film, he said “I hope what happens is that we are able to find a vertical narrative that drives the story but integrates in all these great acts and a lot of it is filtered through the perspective of Jay-Z’s mind…it’ll have footage and the story will be informed by the footage that Ron shoots but it will have a story and narrative that drives through it.”

Mr. Grazer noted the film will be assembled “pretty quickly” and then the filmmakers will choose a distributor. They do not yet have a timetable for when they hope it to be released. But it’s safe to say we can expect the film to be submitted into film festivals.

Mr. Grazer added that he’s excited about the involvement of Budweiser in the film, and when asked why he said: “I like their media campaigns. They always capture my interest…they are dynamic and progressive. That’s the extent of my knowledge of Budweiser.”

Earlier this month, Anheuser-Busch InBev dumped its lead agency for Bud Light, Dentsu-owned McGarryBowen, after only eight months. Without a review, McGarryBowen was supplanted by Translation Advertising, a roster agency brought aboard in tandem with McGarryBowen that was originally intended to handle work for line extensions such as Bud Light Lime and Bud Light Platinum.

When Translation took over as the main agency for Bud Light, people near the situation told Ad Age that among the reasons were a frustration with planning executives and problems with testing. But now it feels like whatever problems there may have been, it’d be difficult for the agency—whose founder John McGarry boasts some of the best connections in adland—to compete with the entertainment and music industry connections that Mr. Stoute can offer.

In short, Mr. Stoute may be the one person on Madison Avenue with a more robust rolodex than Mr. McGarry.

On Budweiser’s part, the involvement in this film feels like an increasing move toward branded entertainment and an attempt to be more central to the cultural conversation. Budweiser in the past has sponsored concert tours for acts like the Rolling Stones, and it used to run a concert series called “SuperFest,” but this is a huge investment in music and entertainment on behalf of the brewer.

Additionally, given the strengthened relationship with Translation, whose roots are in multicultural advertising, and the concert’s lineup being heavy on hip-hop (in addition to Jay-Z, the acts include Drake, Rick Ross, Wale, Janelle Monae, and Jill Scott), it also signals a focus on Bud’s part to try and capture more fans in the urban demographic.

“This is us being innovators and thinking differently and trying to connect with our consumers,” said Mr. Chibe.

10393: Translation Makes Advertising History.

Not sure what to make of the news that Translation won the entire Bud Light account. The shop has yet to create an advertisement on par with the classic Bud Light campaigns. Then again, mcgarrybowen was clearly unqualified to handle the challenge. So for now, Steve Stoute and Translation deserve praise for masterminding an unprecedented achievement. A Black-owned advertising agency has won AOR status on a major beer account.

10105: Budweiser Loves Hip Hop.

From Advertising Age…

Jay-Z Strikes Deal With Budweiser to Stage Annual Concert

‘Made in America’ Part of Beermaker’s Emphasis on Music, Multicultural Audiences By Rupal Parekh

Budweiser is reviving its annual tradition via a partnership with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who has agreed to curate and headline a summer music festival in Philadelphia, “Made in America.”

The move is a bid to breathe new life into Budweiser Superfest, which between 1979 and 1999 was known for featuring some of the biggest names in music, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Budweiser tried to bring the festival back recently—last year’s show featured songstress Jill Scott—but it didn’t reach the series didn’t seem to match its former glory.

Rebranding the event “Made in America” is a play on words: It underscores the Anheuser-Busch brand’s American heritage, as well as a song featured on Jay-Z’s 2011 album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne.

Company execs say this is part of an effort to target a younger, more multicultural demographic.

“Budweiser is expanding into a bigger and deeper connection [with consumers] through music,” said Rob McCarthy, VP-Budweiser at Anheuser-Busch. The initiative is meant to “engage young adults who have a passion for music,” and is focused on an artist lineup that is “very diverse, touching all [consumers] that make up America,” he said.

Indeed, the brewer has put more emphasis on music across its brand portfolio under U.S. VP-Marketing Paul Chibe, who took that role about a year ago.

Kanye West’s “Runaway” was the featured song in a Super Bowl spot for higher-alcohol Bud Light Platinum. Bud Light Lime’s newest ads feature a remix of Will Smith’s “Summertime” by Swizz Beatz that was produced for the campaign.

As part of the Bud deal, Jay-Z will curate a roster of 30 artists and headline the concert. Made in America will also be available for people nationwide via live-streaming. An unspecified portion of the proceeds will go to charity, Budweiser said.

The event is just one more way that Budweiser is trying to emulate Coca-Cola; the brewer has previously stated a strategy of becoming a truly global beer brand, or the “Coke of Beers.”

Coca-Cola has put a renewed emphasis on connecting with consumers via music. At Ad Age’s Digital Conference in April, Coca-Cola announced its launch of a new partnership with Spotify. This year it also kicked off its largest teen-focused campaign, Coca-Cola Music.

Budweiser’s lead agency is Anomaly, but this deal was struck by Translation, which was chosen last year to handle advertising for the Bud Light Platinum brand and other brand extensions.

Jay-Z has partnered with Budweiser before. In 2006 the company named him a brand director for Budweiser Select. But in 2007 Select saw sales declines.

E.J. Schultz contributed to this story.

10087: Jay-Z And Selling The Brooklyn Nets.

The recent Phil Mushnick mess prevented MultiCultClassics from commenting on Jay-Z’s marketing efforts for the Brooklyn Nets. The hip-hop mogul’s creative work reflects the team’s 2012 season: 22-44; 0.333 winning percentage; 5th Place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

The new Brooklyn Nets logo won’t make any highlight reels. Jay-Z is a multi-talented artist, but graphic design is not one of his gifts. Conceptually, there’s something there, with the nod to subway system signage. And the black and white color scheme is OK. But the mark, well, misses the mark. Jay-Z should have access—and certainly funds—to hire a top-flight designer. Hell, Craig Brimm probably would have taken the assignment for six figures and created something waaaaay better. For a more technical and thoughtful critique, check this.

Is Jay-Z also responsible for the ads and videos hyping the team? If so, he’s making Will.i.am look like Bill Bernbach. Sorry, but the man has never been a successful adman. Indeed, the only award-winning campaign connected to Jay-Z was produced by Droga5. Again, he should tap professionals—Wieden + Kennedy or Jimmy Smith’s Amusement Park would be perfect choices.

Most importantly, Jay-Z needs to realize that great marketing will only accelerate the death of a shitty product. And the Nets are currently a very shitty product. Forget branding. Recruit ballers.

10081: Phil Mushnick Fan Rides To Rescue.

The byline for Forbes columnist Tom Van Riper includes, “I cover the business of sports for Forbes.” Which clearly qualifies the man to declare, “Phil Mushnick’s Rants Were Not Racist.” Thanks for putting the controversy to rest, Tom.

But seriously, Van Riper is simply playing a stereotypical role in the proceedings, as evidenced by the following quote:

The furor is the latest sad example of political correctness stifling actual meaningful discussions of race in America. Context is thrown out the window—if you use the word (or allude to it), you are a racist.

In short, a man writing sports columns for a business publication feels entitled to pooh-pooh the offended as “politically-correct” and averse to conducting meaningful discussions on race in America. Why, Phil Mushnick was only seeking to engage in a thoughtful conversation on social issues facing us all. Guess the critics were just too jaded to realize such enlightenment could come from someone who has spent over 30 years covering the Nets, Rangers and New York Cosmos.

Bless you, Tom Van Riper, for clarifying matters with such eloquence. For a sportswriter, you’re very articulate.

10072: Phil Mushnick, Please Shut Up.

Phil Mushnick sent a response to sports blog Bob’s Blitz that’s worth further examination:

Bob — Such obvious, wishful and ignorant mischaracterizations of what I write are common. I don’t call black men the N-word; I don’t regard young women as bitches and whores; I don’t glorify the use of assault weapons and drugs. Jay-Z, on the other hand.....Is he the only NBA owner allowed to call black men N---ers?

Jay-Z profits from the worst and most sustaining self-enslaving stereotypes of black-American culture and I’M the racist? Some truths, I guess, are just hard to read, let alone think about.

(Same column I provide support for Amar’e Stoudemire at a time when everyone in town is ripping him to shreds. That was my LEAD, too, but what does that matter?)

Gee, Mushnick is creating an Al Campanis scenario for himself. Perhaps “such obvious, wishful and ignorant mischaracterizations” of his work are common because Mushnick is so obviously ignorant.

Mushnick insists he does not refer to Black men with the infamous slur. Yet he has done exactly that three times in three days. His references to “the worst and most sustaining self-enslaving stereotypes of black-American culture” are so culturally clueless, it’s not even worth discussing.

Mushnick wrote in his original column, “…what a shock that [Jay-Z] chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new ‘urban’ home.” Sorry, but Mushnick needs to verify his statement. Most official presentations claim the color scheme is a nod to local subway system signage. Additionally, black as a primary color for professional sports franchises has been a proven sales success—as evidenced by teams like the L.A. Raiders, Chicago White Sox, Miami Heat, etc. It’s not news—and not a racial thing. Except to people like Mushnick.

Finally, Mushnick building a defense around providing support for Amar’e Stoudemire is completely asinine. Stoudemire’s problems have nothing to do with race or culture. The hydrant-punching NBA star is simply an idiot. Mushnick, on the other hand, appears to be something much worse than an idiot.

10069: Mushy Thinking From Mushnick.

Wanted to provide extra commentary on New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick and his remarks on Jay-Z and the Brooklyn Nets. In his Friday column, Mushnick wrote:

Nets on Jay-Z track

As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots — what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new “urban” home — why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?

Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!

When James King of the Village Voice criticized Mushnick’s rant, the veteran columnist responded as follows:

James — did you actually read what I wrote and what I’ve been writing for 30 years? I don’t call black men niggas; my kids never heard the word until folks such as Jay-Z came along. I’d suggest you talk to him about it. What I wrote today was on Jay Z’s artistry, and only the wishful and foolish would so badly misinterpret and mischaracterize it as you plan to do. Thanks — mushnick.

Guess MultiCultClassics should be categorized with the wishful and foolish, because it’s pretty clear that Mushnick is culturally clueless—and minimally a latent racist. Taking the Michael Richards-Don Imus-Laura Schlessinger route of dodging matters is getting a tad tired. One would think a professional journalist—even a journalist specializing in sports—would at least get his facts straight when fabricating excuses.

Jay-Z didn’t come up with the slur. People like Mushnick did.