Beyond Urban Branding

I know a lot about this trend. I was a teenager when it was unfolding. This was an amazing time. The cross-cultural dynamic of football and Hip-Hop has never been the same.

Lebron & Dwight  McDonalds Ad in India   Teyonnah Parris

If you won't do that, you should pay him to rep your brand....this is dope....

Nike gets the nod for taking risks in ads. This one paid off big. LeBron James, Rev Burke and RZA really brought it in this ad. Complete with a symphony to back up the manga styled cartoon. The message here is about having a solid work ethic regardless of the odds. Who can argue against that in 2010?! -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I recently got an email request from a fan of the blog based in the UK named Amjid. He asked me to discuss at some of the old Air Jordan ads by Nike. I don't think any shoe in the history of the world hit with the impact of Nikes Air Jordan. Michael Jordan was a force of nature on the court. Spike had the world in his hadn, when it came to Black film. I don't know who's idea it was so team these guys up, but the result was unforgettable. For those that don't remember, Spike Lee had created a character named Mars Blackmon for his movie Shes Gotta Have It . The movie was about a single Black woman was dating several Black men. She was trying to decide which was the best guy to marry. Mars was one of the characters and he (Mars and Spike) both gained large cult followings from the film. This series of ads is top notch. I especially love how the ads are shot in black and white. Mars was the epitome of NY coolness at the time. His style and slang exemplified everything in th...

Hip-Hop DX did an editorial on the Christmas ad campaign ran by Nike. I thought this was interesting (though I don't fully agree with the author): http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/editorials/id.1480/title.get-your-mind-right-nba-puppets Be sure to check out the comments below. Just do it. In case you missed the ad itself, here it is: -Beyond Urban Branding