Russell Simmons – Offering His Perspective On Hip Hop, Minorities and Branding
photo by steed media service |
President/CEO, Rush Communications
As he glanced at the multi-ethnic tapestry of successful marketing professionals around him at the 2008 AdColor Awards, Russell Simmons offered a proclamation: “The next America is coming.” Since the historic 2008 presidential election, many pundits and citizens have been pontificating on the dawning of a new day in this country—led by a new generation of empowered and diverse citizens.
Russell Simmons’ proclamation of a “next” America isn’t merely an assessment of President-elect Barack Obama’s ascension and what it means; it’s an affirmation of the entire hip-hop generation. This generation, Simmons believes, is the guiding force in American commerce and culture.
“Every second-generation Asian, Latino [and] black is branding everything. It’s important to have diversity for social [reasons]. But [recognize] how important it is from a brand standpoint, [or] you’re doing your brand a disservice.”
Simmons recognizes that as the hip-hop generation has matured, it has become the core demographic in American media. “I think the chief thing that you can do to build most any brand in America is recognize hip-hop space,” he says. “[They’re] already driving the entire American pop culture. Speak to them. They’re not small pockets, either. They are the core of brand building in America. Give your money to those groups and the rest of the stuff will fall into place.”
And how do you succeed in business endeavors? Simmons’ advice is simple: “You study your subject then put your head down and go to work. Studying means don’t make the same mistakes people around you did; carve out something unique, but if no one knows what it is, you’re going to have to have resilience. People don’t recognize sometimes that it takes a day longer than you expected. You have to keep working at it.” –todd williams
