What was once a secret known only to those who were part of it, is now obvious to hundreds of millions of people around the world from ages eight to eighty-eight; hip-hop culture is the undisputed voice of the streets for people around the world.
And as the official voice of the streets, hip-hop culture is extremely influential in pretty much every facet of our society—especially as it pertains to determining what's hot in contemporary culture—or not.
Along with that influence, comes a great deal of income for brands who have been both bold and wise enough to align with the culture.
Make no mistake, if your startup has no interest in attracting consumers within the culture, it would be pretty pointless to devote your startup’s precious marketing resources towards enticing an audience that your company has absolutely no interest in.
However, if your startup aspires to one day become a major corporation like Apple, Microsoft, Nike, or McDonald’s; it would be in your company’s best interest to do what all of those colossal companies have done—which is to market specifically towards hip-hop culture. These are four ways that your startup stands to benefit by doing so.
1. A larger customer base/increase in revenue
Let’s keep it real, if this wasn’t No.1 on the list, you probably couldn’t care less about how marketing towards hip-hop culture could benefit your startup. Hey, I get it. You started your business to make a change in the world, serve your customers, but your startup cannot do any of those things for very long unless, at some point—it generates revenue.
Which brings us to the question that you’re really here for and has to be sitting atop of your mind by now; “Just how would marketing towards hip-hop culture be a contributing factor in increasing revenue for my startup?” Terrific question!
According to the New York Post, hip-hop culture now has over $500 billion spending power. One of the cool things about hip-hop culture is that it's a psychographic, not a demographic. In other words, hip-hop culture isn't about an age, sex, or race, it's a way of life. And according to an IFPI survey, over 1.85 billion people around the world identify with the way of life known as hip-hop culture.
Whether it’s tech, entertainment, fashion, CPG, QSR, insurance, or any other industry that you could think of, hip-hop culture already has a proven track record of directly increasing sales for brands in a multitude of industries.
But that’s only when those brands made the conscientious effort to market specifically towards the culture.
Before we go any further, let's address the elephant in the room. Which is even after hearing how financially beneficial it could be for your startup, I’m sure you’re probably still a little hesitant to market specifically towards hip-hop culture because you’re uncertain of just how it would go over with your brand’s target audience, correct?
If so, you could rest assured that if two of the most wholesome brands on the planet: Disney and Walmart, could market specifically towards consumers within hip-hop culture without upsetting their core audience—your startup could certainly do the same.
2. Brand equity
This point is pretty apparent, the more valuable your brand is; and the more people there are aware of its existence, along with an extensive customer base committed to it—equates to your brand having high brand equity.
Brand equity is important for your startup because it makes your brand itself a great asset. Which not only gives your startup an edge against competing brands in its category or industry—it also makes your startup extremely more attractive to potential buyers if you were to ever decide to sell your company.
By marketing towards hip-hop culture, your startup would be far more likely to resonate with consumers within the culture; which would not only strengthen its brand equity—it would also make your startup more appealing to consumers outside of the culture who follow popular trends that originate within the culture.
3. Cultural appreciation
At the end of the day, marketing is all about connecting with consumers. Unfortunately, far too often, businesses only seek to connect with the type of consumers that they’re already familiar with. As opposed to seeking to understand consumers from all walks of life; especially those who do not belong to, or are not within the peripheral of their target audience.
That’s not to say, however, that those businesses do not welcome those consumers’ business; they just do not make it a priority to understand and address their interests.
Once your startup begins making a concerted effort towards marketing specifically to consumers within hip-hop culture, you’ll then have a vested interest in understanding the culture as a whole.
And with understanding—often comes an appreciation of the consumer. Which something that is very valuable when it comes to your brand appealing to any audience.
4. Distinction
In the wonderful world known as branding, distinction is everything. And needless to say, your startup wasn’t created to blend in with others in its respective industry. Well, from a marketing perspective, that's exactly what your startup will do if it does not market specifically towards hip-hop culture.
How is that, you ask? The reason why your startup would blend in with the myriad of others in its industry from a marketing perspective—is due to the fact that despite all of the benefits previously listed, and the positive impact that hip-hop has had on the bottom-lines of some of the biggest brands on the planet; the vast majority of startups still do not make a concerted effort to appeal to consumers within the culture.
Which is a major mistake on their part that hopefully, you will not make with your startup.
Once your startup begins acknowledging, addressing, and appealing to the needs and interests of consumers within hip-hop culture; your brand will have a distinctive edge over all others in its industry that are currently ignoring the culture—to their detriment—but soon will be to your startup’s benefit.
Let us help you connect your brand to the culture
Okay, so now that we know just a few of the ways that marketing towards hip-hop culture will be beneficial to your startup. Now all that’s left do do is to go about doing it. But just how do you go about doing it, you ask? Another great question (you’re crushing it by the way)!
At Decryption, we specialize in helping startups connect with consumers through contemporary culture-focused brand strategy, social media marketing, and content that helps startups articulate their brand and offerings in a way that is appealing and congruent with the interests of consumers within the culture.
Our motto at Decryption is to “Connect via Culture.” And as a Decryption client, our mission will be to help your startup do just that. So, contact us today to schedule a meeting and we'll help your startup receive all of the benefits listed above. Plus many more!