Scion's Jeri Yoshizu on Use of Hip Hop
12-13-2005, 06:28 AM
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Scion's Jeri Yoshizu on Use of Hip Hop
Original Story:
http://www.ballerstatus.net/print/89379960.html
http://www.ballerstatus.net/print/89379960.html
Scion: Wheel Talk
Wednesday - December 7, 2005
By: William Ketchum III
Jam Master Jay's Adidas sneaker was just the beginning: hip-hop's journey from taboo to marketing heaven is at its peak, and companies everywhere are adding a dose of hip-hop to their campaigns. With TV ads for K-Swiss shoes featuring young people awkwardly rhyming their color preference and McDonald's restaurant approaching MCs to mention its name in their lyrics, it's pretty easy to lose touch with the culture.
The Scion Corporation does things a little differently. The car company sponsors events such as DJ remix contests and b-boy battles, put on shows with RZA and Grandmaster Flash, and regularly releases mixtapes -- some of them featuring indie stars like Peanut Butter Wolf and Jazzy Jeff, and others filled with names you've never heard of. In an interview with BallerStatus.net, Sales and Promotions Manager Jeri Yoshizu explains Scion's hip-hop madness.
BallerStatus.net: What made you decide to use hip-hop so extensively in your approach?
Jeri Yoshizu: Before we launched Scion, we had to extensively study the market for a product launch. When you're putting a company together, you have a business plan, and part of that was product positioning.
What we found through our research was the common thread amongst a certain mindset is music. Sometimes you have car companies doing action sports, or you'll see a hotel trying to target people through business travel. We found various examples of what other people do, but we realized that for our target market, that we're going to address, which is roughly the 24 to 34-year-old group, is music during that part of their lives connects a lot of people together with one activity. When we decided music was going to be a critical factor, we had to pick a genre. We started off early with the dance music genre, because there were no lyrics in dance music at that time. One thing a lot of corporations may need is the assurance that whatever marketing you go to will not get a lot of flack from existing buyers. Our first event ever was the New York Auto Show in 2001; the line-up had Z-Trip. It was a fairly well-attended event, and Z-Trip was the closest to hip-hop that we had done.
As we were doing more research -- this is before we had any product out -- we started to kind of get into more pinpointing what other corporations were doing, what we were doing, and how we were going to carve our face. One of our objectives as a brand is the diversity factor. Toyota does well with a certain age group, they do very well with females, and they do very well with a certain ethnicity. One of our objectives is that we have a very diverse crowd -- we have to hit the Hispanic market, we need to hit the Asian market, etc. We decided that if we were going to be addressing music, hip-hop was the thread that had the most diverse breakout. We learned that not because we got a report telling us that, but we were attending events that were hip-hop related. Like the DUB car show, we would go there and it was 70% Hispanic, they had a hip-hop lineup, etc. We started to formulate, if we're going to go after a diverse male market, then hip-hop is what's going to happen. A lot of corporations at that time weren't even touching hip-hop like they are today. We needed to define our face -- we weren't going to be the action sports brand, we weren't going to be the collegiate brand. At that time, which was 2002, the relevance would be in the urban hip-hop market/street market.
BallerStatus.net: A lot of your events focus around grassroots elements of hip-hop. What made you take that approach?
Jeri Yoshizu: One reason is that we couldn't afford to go for the flashy, celebrity hip-hop avenue. We can't afford to pay Jay-Z. Kanye West was in our first magazine, but that was in like 2002; back then, he was still wearing black T-shirts and gold chains. That was exciting, but you see how that path goes. He moved up, and now he's totally inaccessible.
We launched a car brand off of three cars, which means that your budget is not billions and billions of dollars. It's very, very small. We didn't have a lot of cars to sell. What we did was...there were b-boy contests happening, there were MC contests happening, and we started sponsoring those activities because they were local. They were on the college circuit, and they weren't looking for a lot of money. We sponsored the And1 Tour, and you know that that wasn't expensive compared to a major hip-hop tour. I think just by the fact that we couldn't afford it, and we quickly realized that there's a reason why those things are so expensive. There are very high expectations for the audience. They're going for flashiness, but we had to be a humble brand at that time. We couldn't do the Honda Civic Blink 182 tour. It didn't make any sense, because at the end, I don't think anyone remembers that Honda had anything to do with that tour. They remember Blink 182 did a tour, and they had a car sponsor.
We've been approached by both Def Jam and Blue Torch to do marketing initiatives, and we turned it down, because you would only see Def Jam. You wouldn't even know there was a car company involved. We were letting everyone know at that time that we couldn't afford to be eclipsed by Jay-Z or Missy Elliot, because we're trying to launch a brand.
When people tell you they're going to do grassroots marketing, it's not what you would think. It's a lot different when you're dealing with promoters who do three shows a week in Raleigh, North Carolina, than it is trying to do a concert tour when you're working with a major promotions company. Because we work with these local promoters and artists that are not on MTV, the ground flow is a little bit more authentic because of our support -- the support directly to the people in the market versus who would want a print ad or watching the VMAs and someone starts shouting out their car company. The media communication on one level, versus "I heard that Nike gives Fat Joe free shoes all the time"...I think that does a lot for some people, but we decided that that's something that we can't even compete with.
BallerStatus.net: What kind of results has your hip-hop marketing garnered on the business side of things?
Jeri Yoshizu: I think the standard answers are sales are doing really well, and meeting the need of the target. We're doing well on paper for a car company, but as far as non-corporate ways of measuring success, we're showing up in places that most car companies don't get press, whether it's something like Mass Appeal, Scratch, or AllHipHop.com, we're getting into the niche areas more frequently. The attendance of our events, from speaking to the talent, and just seeing the way they react to the events, like, "Wow, this is the real crowd." If Premier has a bad attitude, you know that there's a reason. At the end of the night, he is being very appreciative of the crowd that we delivered. Premiere is a pretty intense man (laughs), we toured him for two years, and he brings his guys. I like to stay away from him, because he's just a different type of person, but he does show a lot of appreciation, more than I would expect from someone hardcore like that.
It's the same continuously, from Premiere and Jazzy Jeff, to Biz Markie and Grandmaster Flash, to GZA and Raekwon, they've all been into it because of the crowd that our corporate events deliver. I know everyone gauges success on different things; I like to listen to what the artists are saying because they see it all the time. I know Grandmaster Flash can be jaded, because he gets corporate gigs, and he's played for half-empty rooms to a bunch of people who don't even know who he is. You're still an artist, and you still have integrity about what you do. By him telling me that he would lower his price to play our shows, that's kind of a compliment. He can charge whatever he wants, because of his kind of level of demand. He said that he can't believe how great the kids were, and I think that can be a compliment that we're delivering the right show to the right people.
BallerStatus.net: What would you say are some of your favorite moments with the company's hip-hop marketing history?
Jeri Yoshizu: I think my favorite was when we had Guru MC for the Hip-Hop Orchestra in Las Vegas. We've been supporters of the Hip-Hop Orchestra for a while, and they have so much respect for Guru, and he had no idea there was an orchestra that played Gang Starr. No one had really seen him for a long time, and he came out and he had a really good time. He was really excited, and the orchestra was really excited. The energy was very positive, and I think it was getting to these people to connect, that was really special. We put a lot of work into that show too; there was a lot of coordination. It's a 65-piece orchestra. They kicked off doing songs by The Roots, and then they ended it with Guru. They also performed with Saul Williams, and that was really crazy too. I think I've had a lot, but I think that with the orchestra, there's always the more powerful experience.
But the fact that we haven't had any negative incidences at any of our hip-hop shows, I think that's also (significant). Corporate America is always afraid, but the fact that we've done three years of events and never had an incident, and we're doing six a month. I think that somebody needs to say that it isn't about the negative stereotypes of hip-hop. We focus on the positive, and it's worked out very well for us.
Wednesday - December 7, 2005
By: William Ketchum III
Jam Master Jay's Adidas sneaker was just the beginning: hip-hop's journey from taboo to marketing heaven is at its peak, and companies everywhere are adding a dose of hip-hop to their campaigns. With TV ads for K-Swiss shoes featuring young people awkwardly rhyming their color preference and McDonald's restaurant approaching MCs to mention its name in their lyrics, it's pretty easy to lose touch with the culture.
The Scion Corporation does things a little differently. The car company sponsors events such as DJ remix contests and b-boy battles, put on shows with RZA and Grandmaster Flash, and regularly releases mixtapes -- some of them featuring indie stars like Peanut Butter Wolf and Jazzy Jeff, and others filled with names you've never heard of. In an interview with BallerStatus.net, Sales and Promotions Manager Jeri Yoshizu explains Scion's hip-hop madness.
BallerStatus.net: What made you decide to use hip-hop so extensively in your approach?
Jeri Yoshizu: Before we launched Scion, we had to extensively study the market for a product launch. When you're putting a company together, you have a business plan, and part of that was product positioning.
What we found through our research was the common thread amongst a certain mindset is music. Sometimes you have car companies doing action sports, or you'll see a hotel trying to target people through business travel. We found various examples of what other people do, but we realized that for our target market, that we're going to address, which is roughly the 24 to 34-year-old group, is music during that part of their lives connects a lot of people together with one activity. When we decided music was going to be a critical factor, we had to pick a genre. We started off early with the dance music genre, because there were no lyrics in dance music at that time. One thing a lot of corporations may need is the assurance that whatever marketing you go to will not get a lot of flack from existing buyers. Our first event ever was the New York Auto Show in 2001; the line-up had Z-Trip. It was a fairly well-attended event, and Z-Trip was the closest to hip-hop that we had done.
As we were doing more research -- this is before we had any product out -- we started to kind of get into more pinpointing what other corporations were doing, what we were doing, and how we were going to carve our face. One of our objectives as a brand is the diversity factor. Toyota does well with a certain age group, they do very well with females, and they do very well with a certain ethnicity. One of our objectives is that we have a very diverse crowd -- we have to hit the Hispanic market, we need to hit the Asian market, etc. We decided that if we were going to be addressing music, hip-hop was the thread that had the most diverse breakout. We learned that not because we got a report telling us that, but we were attending events that were hip-hop related. Like the DUB car show, we would go there and it was 70% Hispanic, they had a hip-hop lineup, etc. We started to formulate, if we're going to go after a diverse male market, then hip-hop is what's going to happen. A lot of corporations at that time weren't even touching hip-hop like they are today. We needed to define our face -- we weren't going to be the action sports brand, we weren't going to be the collegiate brand. At that time, which was 2002, the relevance would be in the urban hip-hop market/street market.
BallerStatus.net: A lot of your events focus around grassroots elements of hip-hop. What made you take that approach?
Jeri Yoshizu: One reason is that we couldn't afford to go for the flashy, celebrity hip-hop avenue. We can't afford to pay Jay-Z. Kanye West was in our first magazine, but that was in like 2002; back then, he was still wearing black T-shirts and gold chains. That was exciting, but you see how that path goes. He moved up, and now he's totally inaccessible.
We launched a car brand off of three cars, which means that your budget is not billions and billions of dollars. It's very, very small. We didn't have a lot of cars to sell. What we did was...there were b-boy contests happening, there were MC contests happening, and we started sponsoring those activities because they were local. They were on the college circuit, and they weren't looking for a lot of money. We sponsored the And1 Tour, and you know that that wasn't expensive compared to a major hip-hop tour. I think just by the fact that we couldn't afford it, and we quickly realized that there's a reason why those things are so expensive. There are very high expectations for the audience. They're going for flashiness, but we had to be a humble brand at that time. We couldn't do the Honda Civic Blink 182 tour. It didn't make any sense, because at the end, I don't think anyone remembers that Honda had anything to do with that tour. They remember Blink 182 did a tour, and they had a car sponsor.
We've been approached by both Def Jam and Blue Torch to do marketing initiatives, and we turned it down, because you would only see Def Jam. You wouldn't even know there was a car company involved. We were letting everyone know at that time that we couldn't afford to be eclipsed by Jay-Z or Missy Elliot, because we're trying to launch a brand.
When people tell you they're going to do grassroots marketing, it's not what you would think. It's a lot different when you're dealing with promoters who do three shows a week in Raleigh, North Carolina, than it is trying to do a concert tour when you're working with a major promotions company. Because we work with these local promoters and artists that are not on MTV, the ground flow is a little bit more authentic because of our support -- the support directly to the people in the market versus who would want a print ad or watching the VMAs and someone starts shouting out their car company. The media communication on one level, versus "I heard that Nike gives Fat Joe free shoes all the time"...I think that does a lot for some people, but we decided that that's something that we can't even compete with.
BallerStatus.net: What kind of results has your hip-hop marketing garnered on the business side of things?
Jeri Yoshizu: I think the standard answers are sales are doing really well, and meeting the need of the target. We're doing well on paper for a car company, but as far as non-corporate ways of measuring success, we're showing up in places that most car companies don't get press, whether it's something like Mass Appeal, Scratch, or AllHipHop.com, we're getting into the niche areas more frequently. The attendance of our events, from speaking to the talent, and just seeing the way they react to the events, like, "Wow, this is the real crowd." If Premier has a bad attitude, you know that there's a reason. At the end of the night, he is being very appreciative of the crowd that we delivered. Premiere is a pretty intense man (laughs), we toured him for two years, and he brings his guys. I like to stay away from him, because he's just a different type of person, but he does show a lot of appreciation, more than I would expect from someone hardcore like that.
It's the same continuously, from Premiere and Jazzy Jeff, to Biz Markie and Grandmaster Flash, to GZA and Raekwon, they've all been into it because of the crowd that our corporate events deliver. I know everyone gauges success on different things; I like to listen to what the artists are saying because they see it all the time. I know Grandmaster Flash can be jaded, because he gets corporate gigs, and he's played for half-empty rooms to a bunch of people who don't even know who he is. You're still an artist, and you still have integrity about what you do. By him telling me that he would lower his price to play our shows, that's kind of a compliment. He can charge whatever he wants, because of his kind of level of demand. He said that he can't believe how great the kids were, and I think that can be a compliment that we're delivering the right show to the right people.
BallerStatus.net: What would you say are some of your favorite moments with the company's hip-hop marketing history?
Jeri Yoshizu: I think my favorite was when we had Guru MC for the Hip-Hop Orchestra in Las Vegas. We've been supporters of the Hip-Hop Orchestra for a while, and they have so much respect for Guru, and he had no idea there was an orchestra that played Gang Starr. No one had really seen him for a long time, and he came out and he had a really good time. He was really excited, and the orchestra was really excited. The energy was very positive, and I think it was getting to these people to connect, that was really special. We put a lot of work into that show too; there was a lot of coordination. It's a 65-piece orchestra. They kicked off doing songs by The Roots, and then they ended it with Guru. They also performed with Saul Williams, and that was really crazy too. I think I've had a lot, but I think that with the orchestra, there's always the more powerful experience.
But the fact that we haven't had any negative incidences at any of our hip-hop shows, I think that's also (significant). Corporate America is always afraid, but the fact that we've done three years of events and never had an incident, and we're doing six a month. I think that somebody needs to say that it isn't about the negative stereotypes of hip-hop. We focus on the positive, and it's worked out very well for us.
12-13-2005, 07:44 AM
#3
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I neither agree nor disagree with the following link, but I think it is a poignant commentary from the coming from the other end of the Scion marketing machine...
http://beerandrap.com/2005/01/scion-fist-of-power.html
http://beerandrap.com/2005/01/scion-fist-of-power.html
12-13-2005, 09:16 AM
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^^I think the guy who wrote that article in the link needs a hug. Interesting marketing concept IMO. And YES, there is a difference between Gangsta' Rap and Hip Hop! Scions are selling like crazee, so I seriously doubt that since somebody heard Madvillian on one of the Scion Mix CDs they ran out and bought a Scion. My point? I don't think the genre of music Scion picked really matters any more. Scion = Toyota. Toyota = reliability. That's why I bought a tC. It just so happens that I listen to Hip Hop. So, I'm cool with the whole marketing thang.
12-13-2005, 06:00 PM
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i actually don't like underground hip-hop. although i admit i haven't listened to it to extensively. i am a beat first guy, and it never got to me. i apologize, because i know i should listen. i am not at all saying underground hip-hop is bad music though. with that said, this next part is a bit contradicting, but i hate gansta rap. the guy that wrote that article, imo, doesn't understand rap. i understand that rap and hip-hop started somewhere. but, it's more about the lyrics than anything else. it's about the poetry of the lyrics. not about when i was in the hood i had the biggest gun and killed the most people. god forbid if someone can take a headband and make something lyrical out of it. that's still awesome. i imagine that this same guy doesn't listen to jay-z, because he's mainstream crap. i think people are haters, they don't like mainstream because they feel like the guy sold out. because he got into hip-hop for you? no man, perfect example is jay-z, all he talks about is making money. that was his goal from before he was a rapper, but through rap he found a legal way to be a millionaire, because he is lyrically uber. wether you don't like the fact that he made money, so now he doesn't have to rap about getting shot at (because if you, say, won the lottery, you would stay in the same place as now...right). people grow up.
wow, that was a lot, sorry guys. i love what scion has done. i didn't buy my car because i went to a scion sponsored show. oh, and i bet that this guy who wrote the second article is an awesome rapper, and he puts on free shows. i think some people get caught up. i bet this guy isn't even from the ghetto ghetto. actually i take that back...don't wanna sound assumptive (although i am). edit...strike the last comment from the record.
anyways...i don't think scion sponsors the meet i went to at krispy kreme, that's scion culture. i just happened to be listening to hip-hop on the way there.
matt
wow, that was a lot, sorry guys. i love what scion has done. i didn't buy my car because i went to a scion sponsored show. oh, and i bet that this guy who wrote the second article is an awesome rapper, and he puts on free shows. i think some people get caught up. i bet this guy isn't even from the ghetto ghetto. actually i take that back...don't wanna sound assumptive (although i am). edit...strike the last comment from the record.
anyways...i don't think scion sponsors the meet i went to at krispy kreme, that's scion culture. i just happened to be listening to hip-hop on the way there.
matt
12-13-2005, 06:27 PM
#7
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How does Scion actually measure the success of its hip-hop marketing? We know the cars sell well, but how much of it has to do with hip-hop? I know I bought my xB because it is a good value and it meets my needs. I wonder how many people actually got sucked into Scion and actually feel they are part of a "movement" and are closer to Hip-Hop culture? If so, I think that is stoooopid.
I think that point of that blog guy's rant wasn't about gangster/underground hip-hop Vs mainstream/frat-boy hip-hop, but rather that Scion is creating a false sense of identity/community. In my opinion, the folks at ScionLife has made the REAL community and should get a whole lot of credit for the success of Scion Corporate.
Now Gansta Rap vs. Hiphop? That's whole different debate...haha. Can you say Kool G. Rap!? I think it's lame when people try to separate the two. You can't just pick and choose what is hip-hop (Like what Scion has done). Hip-hop is all all encompassing - it comes with the good and the bad.
I think that point of that blog guy's rant wasn't about gangster/underground hip-hop Vs mainstream/frat-boy hip-hop, but rather that Scion is creating a false sense of identity/community. In my opinion, the folks at ScionLife has made the REAL community and should get a whole lot of credit for the success of Scion Corporate.
Now Gansta Rap vs. Hiphop? That's whole different debate...haha. Can you say Kool G. Rap!? I think it's lame when people try to separate the two. You can't just pick and choose what is hip-hop (Like what Scion has done). Hip-hop is all all encompassing - it comes with the good and the bad.
12-13-2005, 07:37 PM
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I wonder what Jeri Yozishu would be saying if Forbes magaine was doing the interview instead of ballerstatus.net.....
http://www.houstonpress.com/Issues/2...usic/wack.html
I'll say it again. Scion ain't hip hop. Toyota just decided that hip hop was the best way (at the moment) to get 18-25 year olds to think Scion is cool and go in to debt. When it fails to suit their needs, (or causes bad press for them) they will ditch it for the next big thing. Buying a car because it's hip hop is as retarded as buying one because it has a red tag discount and two years of free gas. Yet another reason why this is the worst generation ever.....but I digress.
bottom line, pruduct is king. Scion is trying way too hard with their marketing to be cool.
http://www.houstonpress.com/Issues/2...usic/wack.html
I'll say it again. Scion ain't hip hop. Toyota just decided that hip hop was the best way (at the moment) to get 18-25 year olds to think Scion is cool and go in to debt. When it fails to suit their needs, (or causes bad press for them) they will ditch it for the next big thing. Buying a car because it's hip hop is as retarded as buying one because it has a red tag discount and two years of free gas. Yet another reason why this is the worst generation ever.....but I digress.
bottom line, pruduct is king. Scion is trying way too hard with their marketing to be cool.
12-13-2005, 09:07 PM
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Hip-hop music snobs!
Hee!
I just thought of John Cusack in high fidelity. He and Jack Black and some other guy are slacker friends working at a record store and are music snobs (rock and roll? alternative? I can't remember.)
Some middle aged dude walks into their record store and asks for N'Sync for his daughter and is ill-treated by the three.
I just had a mental image of John Cusack and some rapper / hip-hop / "thug" starting out with a yelling match about whose music is more "real" and then getting into a slap fight. (you know, the ones where people flail uselessly at each other with their hands while scrunching up their face and looking away)
12-13-2005, 10:30 PM
#11
Well, Stanley, I don't know how much credence to lend to someone who is so limited in his vocabulary that in a short article (only 924 words) uses "s**t" 25 times and "f**k" 32 times (yes, I cleaned those up for inclusion here...), but he certainly is opinionated with his incredibly limited view of the world...
Finally, is Scion hip-hop? No. Very simply they needed a hook to attract the attention of their target audience, and Perry Como didn't cut it...
Finally, is Scion hip-hop? No. Very simply they needed a hook to attract the attention of their target audience, and Perry Como didn't cut it...
12-13-2005, 10:47 PM
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ididnt buy mine b/c of hip hop i listen to metal and hardcore music i bought mine b/c at the time no one in my area had one and i wanted to be different and original now i just blend in with the ocassional tuner noticing mods and other than that nothing
12-13-2005, 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Tomas
Well, Stanley, I don't know how much credence to lend to someone who is so limited in his vocabulary that in a short article (only 924 words) uses "s**t" 25 times and "f**k" 32 times (yes, I cleaned those up for inclusion here...), but he certainly is opinionated with his incredibly limited view of the world...
Finally, is Scion hip-hop? No. Very simply they needed a hook to attract the attention of their target audience, and Perry Como didn't cut it...
Finally, is Scion hip-hop? No. Very simply they needed a hook to attract the attention of their target audience, and Perry Como didn't cut it...
I know they wanted new younger buyers, but maybe had they used Perry Como, they might have sold even more to those much older wiser buyers with a wider view of the world!
12-13-2005, 11:07 PM
#14
Actually, Toyota's point was made whether or not they are really hip-hop - Scion's use of emasculated hip-hop as a 'hook' may not have 'hooked' the ranter, but it DID do what it was supposed to do: It got attention and got the brand spread a little more broadly in the target group because he DIDN'T like it.
In marketing it doesn't matter if one actually likes some Scion executive's choice in music, what matters is market penetration. Toyota couldn't have PAID what's-his-name to write about their cars, but there he is, spreading their name in his 'in' group, for free.
The marketing worked...
Both of his readers are now aware of Scion...
In marketing it doesn't matter if one actually likes some Scion executive's choice in music, what matters is market penetration. Toyota couldn't have PAID what's-his-name to write about their cars, but there he is, spreading their name in his 'in' group, for free.
The marketing worked...
Both of his readers are now aware of Scion...
12-14-2005, 12:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Tomas
The marketing worked...
Both of his readers are now aware of Scion...
Both of his readers are now aware of Scion...
I guess any type of market penetration is great when trying to position a new brand name, but we're 2.5 years into its launch now. I know whats-his-name is just one guy, but it just seems I've observed (in whatever demographic I am part of) a lot of negative association with the Scion brand. Because of what? I'm not sure, I haven't setup any polls or focus groups lately. I guess bad exposure really is better than no exposure, though
12-14-2005, 12:35 AM
#16
2.5 years was only a limited launch - There really is more than just California in the US... :D
In most of the country the penetration of the new marque is very shallow and recent. Most of the non-Scion owners I talk to have zero idea what it is I drive, and have no idea what a Scion is - other than a decendent.
Actually, the ScionLife map really does give some idea of where Scion is known and not known: http://www.frappr.com/scionlife.
In most of the country the penetration of the new marque is very shallow and recent. Most of the non-Scion owners I talk to have zero idea what it is I drive, and have no idea what a Scion is - other than a decendent.
Actually, the ScionLife map really does give some idea of where Scion is known and not known: http://www.frappr.com/scionlife.
12-14-2005, 04:36 AM
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I found this interview with jeri very interesting because it is a (limited) view into the minds of a group of people who have been very successful in an area of marketing where few who could afford otherwise would dare go. It’s also an area where few have succeeded. Also, because of the ‘copernican revolution’ in mindset that was needed to attract a much younger market segment, I find this marketing approach even more successful than what the numbers really speak to.
I am not in marketing per se, but I feel what jeri and team (of 5!!!) have accomplished is almost as groundbreaking as the concepts behind (dare I say?) Google.
And… I wasn’t even going to glorify this with a comment…but what the hell…
AS FOR the crackhead article slamming scion for it’s commercial interest in hip-hop – so be it. I will bet dollars to doughnuts the dude is white, and whether he can recognize it or not, he has been COMPLETELY OWNED by the commercial aspect of hip-hop. He’s thinks he’s special because he feels connected to ‘underground’ bleeding-edge hip-hop, and that’s great – everybody could use a hobby, but only the very first few pioneers of hip-hop could possibly argue that they were not acting under commercial pressure. It’s so high-school to think that you’re ‘above the fold’ just because you can drop names that don’t appear on the top 40 list. The guy lives in the bay area for christ’s sake…thuggish ruggish like my cat.
I am not in marketing per se, but I feel what jeri and team (of 5!!!) have accomplished is almost as groundbreaking as the concepts behind (dare I say?) Google.
And… I wasn’t even going to glorify this with a comment…but what the hell…
AS FOR the crackhead article slamming scion for it’s commercial interest in hip-hop – so be it. I will bet dollars to doughnuts the dude is white, and whether he can recognize it or not, he has been COMPLETELY OWNED by the commercial aspect of hip-hop. He’s thinks he’s special because he feels connected to ‘underground’ bleeding-edge hip-hop, and that’s great – everybody could use a hobby, but only the very first few pioneers of hip-hop could possibly argue that they were not acting under commercial pressure. It’s so high-school to think that you’re ‘above the fold’ just because you can drop names that don’t appear on the top 40 list. The guy lives in the bay area for christ’s sake…thuggish ruggish like my cat.
12-14-2005, 06:56 AM
#18
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 985
To understand the “HipHop” culture, one must understand there are 2 domains. There is the outer surface which is comprised of your typical pop culture/mainstream gibberish. And than you have the Underground….The Root @ its core…. Art forms true to Realness, not commercially molded through the masses. Underground HipHop is one art form that stands with this Movement, as well as many other art forms that defy the propaganda of the mainstream.
Scion is evolving into a culture synchronous to this movement ~ to be unique, whether they continue down this road nobody knows, nevertheless the uprising has already begun.
Scion is evolving into a culture synchronous to this movement ~ to be unique, whether they continue down this road nobody knows, nevertheless the uprising has already begun.
12-14-2005, 03:10 PM
#19
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Rolling Meadows, IL
Posts: 882
Originally Posted by Tomas
Finally, is Scion hip-hop? No. Very simply they needed a hook to attract the attention of their target audience, and Perry Como didn't cut it...
12-14-2005, 11:33 PM
#20
Senior Member
SL Member
Team ScioNRG
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New Jerusalem
Posts: 506
None of the marketing would matter if they made crappy cars though. Case in point Mitsubishi. Cool music (and creative financing) will only get you so far.....
Scion is not a culture.
Scion is not a culture.