Summer 2016 intern presentation

1. millennials and rap
hayden lewis
july 12, 2016

2. raised in chicago (suburbs)
university of missouri 2016
major: journalism - strategic communication
minors: political science & religious studies
studied abroad in brussels spring 2016
about me

4. i am
a millennial who listens to rap

5. rap listeners
majority millennials aged 18-24
skews hispanic and african-american
significant white suburban listenership
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2015/hip-hop-nation-how-the-genre-is-turning-up-in-2015.html
"the single most important event that
has shaped the musical structure of
the american charts"
rap music
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/tech/pop-music-study-hip-hop-the-beatles/

6. millennials

7. the millennial starter kit
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/
values:
authenticity
transparency
connectivity
social responsibility
word-of-mouth
experience-driven

8. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/
it can be helpful…
overall strategic guidance
top-level brand planning
large-scale campaigns
forbes.com pieces of questionable authority
the millennial starter kit
values:
authenticity
transparency
connectivity
social responsibility
word-of-mouth
experiences

9. is there a way to better discuss millennial
values, motivations, and desires?

10. bifurcation of millennials
builders
&
firebrands
Nathan Heller
Writer, The New Yorker
Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, The New Yorker May 2016

11. Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, The New Yorker May 2016
builders (26-34 y/o) :
“having reached adulthood on unstable ground,
they’re opportunistic entrepreneurs, restless
climbers, and deferential compromisers.”
firebrands (18-26 y/o) :
“adept and accomplished, but many feel
betrayed by their supposed political guardians,
and aspire to tear down the web of deceptions
from the inside.”
bifurcation of millennials
Nathan Heller
Writer, The New Yorker

12. builders

13. firebrands

14. we can use rap to break these down even further

15. drake

16. started from the bottom…

17. now he’s here

18. here

19. gotta be here

20. drake
29 years old (born 1986)
more top 100 singles than The
Beatles
nielson n-score: 73%
themes: fame, backstory, wealth,
braggadocios tenderness, lucid yet
evasive sensitivity

21. Views (2016)
debuted 1 on Billboard 200
245 million streams in first week
broke previous record of 115.2
million by Beyonce
first UK number 1 album for drake

23. drake = builder
Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, New Yorker May 2016
drake as builder:
protean showmanship (opportunistic)
apolitical diffusiveness (deferential)
calculated appeal (entrepreneurial)
Nathan Heller
Writer
The New Yorker

24. drake also represents a heavy-handed use of the millennial starter kit

26. but within rap, drake is an outlier

27. chance the rapper

28. chance the rapper
22 years old (born 1994)
has only released 3 mixtapes, in
defiance of record labels
latest mixtape released to ‘universal
appeal’
themes: positivity, community,
nonviolence, religiosity

29. Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, New Yorker May 2016Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, New Yorker May 2016
chance = firebrand
Source: “The Big Uneasy”, Nathan Heller, New Yorker May 2016
Nathan Heller
Writer
The New Yorker
chance as firebrand:
betrayed by political guardians
socially minded
reigniting activism amid unmet change

30. chance’s firebrand psyche appeal

31. brands can tap into firebrand cultural tensions by
taking a stance on a controversial issue

33. firebrands: 8.1%
builders: 21.1%
most likely to have increased purchase intent from a company
with a stance aligned to their own
http://www.forbes.com/sites/datafreaks/2015/03/12/brands-take-a-stand-when-speaking-up-about-controversial-issues-hurts-or-helps-business/#4d44d0a44c08
gay marriage health care reformclimate changegun control

34. there’s more to firebrands than just positivity
and productivity

35. tyler, the creator

36. tyler, the creator
25 years old (born 1991)
four albums
signed with sony
founder of rap group Odd Future
themes: irreverence, extreme vulgarity, dark
humor, brutal pop culture satire, nostalgia

37. “I'm an overachiever, so how about I start a team of leaders
And pick up Stevie Wonder to be the wide receiver?
Green paper, gold teeth and pregnant golden retrievers
All I want, f*ck money, diamonds and b*tches, don't need them”
- Tyler the Creator, Yonkers

38. tyler represents a different strain of firebrands

39. growing frustration yet patience
amid unmet change
=
productivity and positivity
absurdist nihilism and political
apathy amid unmet change
=
cultural defense mechanism
active firebrand dismissive firebrand

41. brands can reach into dismissive firebrands
through internet culture, memes and absurdism

44. and just like there’s more to firebrands than positivity, there’s
more to builders than calculated opportunism and showmanship

45. yeezy

46. kanye west
39 years old (born 1977)
21 grammys
music & fashion mogul
themes: arrogance, fame, creative
expression, brashness, complex
emotional states

47. narcissistic builder:
egotistical and abrasive
upon success amid
tumult
=
daring innovativeness
sympathetic builder:
apolitical and calculating
upon success amid
tumult
=
inoffensive popularity

48. ego -> expression -> innovation

49. Life of Pablo (2016)
February 14, 2016
released unfinished
updated 12 songs post-release
"a living breathing changing
creative expression.” - west

50. tech-fueled egotism -> innovation -> more relevant/live content

51. brands can tap into narcissistic builders by empowering
them — putting them as close to their content as possible

52. sympathetic builders
apolitical and calculating
upon success amid tumult
=
inoffensive popularity
narcissistic builders
egotistical and abrasive
upon success amid tumult
=
techno-innovation
absurdist nihilism and political
apathy amid unmet change
=
cultural defense mechanism
dismissive firebrands
growing frustration yet patience
amid unmet change
=
productivity and positivity
active firebrands

53. there is a limit to how much we can
understand about millennials

54. childish gambino

55. childish gambino
32 y/o (born 1983)
real name: donald glover
wrote for 30 Rock at 21
also an actor, comedian
themes: techno-skepticism, info-manic
mindfulness, cathartic artistry, introversion,
lyrical density and innovativeness

56. masterful performer like drake
dabbles in racial politics like chance
cultural innovativeness of tyler the creator
creative inventiveness of kanye
gambino isn’t a
firebrand or a builder

57. gambino is doing
something different
2013 instagram breakdown/revelation
2013 release of Because the Internet
2016 pharos.earth promotional app and tour

58. gambino’s tech-mediated revelation

59. Because the Internet (2013)
album cover is a gif
debuted #7 on Billboard 200
2015 Grammys Best Rap Album
nominee
recorded at chris bosh’s mansion
under strict tech-based rules:
no tweeting
no instagramming

60. 2016 breaking silence, promotional app and tour

61. brands can reach broad swaths of millennials
with innovative technology

63. but there’s something deeper…

64. gambino’s tech-mediated revelation

65. distinctly millennial tension:
digital vs. analog self

66. rap can help us make
sense of the noise

67. rap can help us make
sense of the noise

68. questions?

69. thank you