Beyond Urban Branding

This is easily my favorite Jay Z song. It is so powerful. As big as he ism I feel many of his more recent fans do not understand the depth of his lyricism and ability. Budweiser made a great choice in choosing him. Nobody in rap is as big ass Jay Z right now. Everything connected to him is winning. There is no better artist to be associate with. This ad is done crisp and clean. Nothing super flashy, just the feeling of almost being there...Feeling like you are a part of it...Solid....Somebody asked me if I think anybody will buy what he drinks cause of this ad. The answer, is YES! Here is the original version:

Resse's has been sticking with the urban feel for their commercials for a few years now. It must be working. The interesting thing is that they do small things to attract parents and kids to the brand. Its very subtle, but effective. They are sure to use kids of various races, so nobody feels left out. They always use an uptempo rap that chants the letters of the brand in creative ways. These guys pay attention. This one has a bit of a reto feel. All the haircuts are from the 80's. I suspect thats done to attract parents while the music and the editing and the cuts are meant for kids. Well played, Mr. Reese....well played.

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

This Walmart phone ad is great. Kinda flips the script on who is rich these days...Gotta love the little green Android guy to. He's cute. 

OK now, if you are a lover of the art of Hip-Hop , ads like this can make you angry. A lot of Hip-Hop purists get upset when they feel the culture is being mocked (see Heineken ad). However, I think its important to remember that this is an ad for kids! Kids is the key word here. Hip-Hop is youth culture. It could be argued that cereal is youth culture. I think this ad is fun and innovative and I know my kids love this cereal and they do indeed dig the rap. They think its fun...They don't get it confused with a real rap song. Its just a cool jingle that reminds kids to get Reeses Puffs Cereal. I think I might buy a bowl now, my mouth is watering. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Sometimes, the way a brand can win with a rapper is to just let them do their thing.That is the case with Eminem on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ad. I remember as the holidays approached this ad got my blood boiling. Its a very exciting ad. All they had to do was let Em rip and do what he does best- rap. The way they edited this, it felt more like a movie trailer than an ad. I know thats the desired effect. They nailed it. Just let the artist do them, and slide your name on it. The rest will take care of itself. -Beyond Urban Branding

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