Micky D's paying rappers...
paulnice
924 Posts
Talk about the co-opting of a culture.I'm making beats for big ad firms now so I know the drill, but this just seems like it's crossing the line.Please to discuss...Mac daddiesBy Maegan CarberryRedEye / Chicago Tribune supplementPublished April 1, 2005Pass the Courvoisier--and a Big Mac.Hip-hop has been known to holla at its favorite luxury beverages, jewels and rides in song lyrics the way Busta Rhymes did in his 2001 "Courvoisier" hit, but now McDonald's is trying to add its signature sandwich to the ranks of high-roller status symbols.The burger giant is looking into recruiting artists to write the Big Mac into their lyrics, McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa Howard told RedEye, confirming that the company has partnered with the same marketing company that successfully positioned Seagram's gin in songs such as Petey Pablo's "Freek-A-Leek."McDonald's executives said that this summer, the company is looking to promote the Big Mac--one of the fast-food chain's most popular sandwiches among men and women in the 18-to-34 set--in new and innovative ways."Product placement with hip-hop artists is one of many things that we are looking at to promote Big Mac," said one executive with knowledge of the company's plans. Concert promotions and product giveaways are also options, he said.McDonald's does not have agreements with any specific artists, Howard said. "It's really more of a concept right now." Representatives from Maryland-based marketing firm Maven Strategies would not comment on the work they are doing for McDonald's.Cheryl Berman, chairman and chief creative officer of Chicago-based Leo Burnett USA, said she has talked with McDonald's, an agency client, about their idea to pursue Big Mac references in songs. She believes that as long as the product's insertion seems natural in the song, it could be an effective way to advertise.Hip-hop listeners are no strangers to brand shout-outs. In 2004, 40 percent of the songs that landed on Billboard's top 20 lists mentioned brands such as Cadillac, Hennessy and Gucci, according to Agenda Inc., a San Francisco-based brand strategy company that tracks product mentions in songs. The only non-hip-hop song to mention a product was Jessica Simpson's "With You," which references Levi's jeans.The number of mentions in hip-hop songs can be attributed to the genre's major players, many of whom also are entrepreneurs, said Lucian James, Agenda's president."When Run-DMC sang 'My Adidas,' Russell Simmons made sure their marketing people were there to see it," James said. "There's always been an interest, but now it's becoming a little more strategic. Hip-hop has become very commercial. They know the price of what they bring to the table."Simmons denied that he has ever produced music with the intent of marketing a product, but he told RedEye that hip-hop is the best brand-building outlet there is and that companies often try to associate themselves with the genre.But publicity about the McDonald's effort might hurt its success, Simmons said."Rap is full of integrity," he said. "They are people who came out of struggle, and if they pick a luxury product to endorse, they are going to do it because they believe in it. Someone who loves McDonald's may now feel uncomfortable. He'd look like a sellout. [McDonald's] should have gone to them privately."Still, Simmons said, McDonald's has the right idea. "Rappers decide if Coke or Pepsi is hot," he said. "They decide if the Rolls or the Maybach is hot."Chicago's own Kanye West and Twista have had their share of determining what's hot. The rappers led the name-dropping pack in 2004, Agenda's James said.West mentioned 16 brands, from Mercedes to Geico Insurance, in four of his Billboard top 20 hits, while Twista slipped 15 references to the likes of Apple Bottom jeans and Range Rovers into three of his songs.Representatives for each of the rappers said that neither Kanye nor Twista has been contacted regarding a McDonald's Big Mac mention deal.Twista has benefited in the past from pimping various brands in his songs.His manager, Rawle Stewart, said that companies such as Rocawear and Seagram's Gin have given the rapper free clothes and alcohol after being mentioned in his songs. But Twista has never been paid to mention a brand, Stewart said.It is not uncommon, Stewart said, for rappers to approach brands they have mentioned about sponsorships or future payment after the songs have been written and released. It doesn't always work, he said."They're not going to spend money on something that's already out there," he said.Stewart said he does not believe that receiving compensation for lyrics is hurtful to a rapper's integrity as long as the rapper truly uses and believes in the product."Fans would be disappointed if Twista was rapping about going to a club in a car with big rims and meeting girls and suddenly he mentioned a Big Mac," Stewart said. "It just doesn't fit."Mentioning alcohol fits, though. Mentioning Cadillac fits."Some, however, say that product-placement deals do not reflect poorly on an artist.Larry Khan, a marketing executive at Jive Records, said the public is very comfortable with this kind of promotion. No Jive recording artists have been approached by McDonald's, he added."People look at an artist who does this and say, 'He can get McDonald's money. That's dope,' " Khan said. "If anything, it helps them."--kathryn masterson and delroy alexander contributed. 
Comments
ohlla search for the word big mac
any suspects yet?
Rap Republican Values
Coming at the heels of the recent announcement by marketing firm Maven
Strategies to pay popular rap artist to spit lyrics about the virtues
of McDonalds, in particular the Big Mac sandwich, other marketing
firms have taken note. It has become glaringly obvious to Fortune 500
companies and Madison Avenue advertising agencies that the best way to
sell a product is to employ the rhyming services of Hip Hop artists.
The successful marketing campaign behind Seagrams Gin via North
Carolina artist Petey Pablo who drove sales through the roof after he
rapped about it in his song 'Freek-A-Leak' has helped open the flood
gates. That particular song was played a whooping 350 thousand times
last year on commercial radio outlets and reached closed to 1.5
billion people (yes you read that correctly- 1.5 billion) world wide
with its enticing message. That's far better marketing penetration
then anyone could hope for with traditional advertising.
Enter the Tokeback Institute out of Resslin, Virginia. This is an
ultra conservative marketing firm that specializes in mainstreaming
right wing values that are being championed by the current Bush
administration. They pride themselves on being the marketing gurus
behind getting Americans to buy into the policies supporting the War
in Iraq as well as the new love and desire for 'High Morals'.
The secretive conservative institute now has set its sights on Hip
Hop. They not only want to, but fully intend to follow in the
footsteps of McDonalds and Seagrams Gin and will began paying popular
rap artists as much as a million dollars plus bonuses to rap about
conservative policies. It's called political product placement.
"We don't want them to change their style of dress or basic
mannerisms, we just want them to do what they do best except push our
various policy messages to their fans", said CEO John L. Kressler.
Our substantial contacts within media will insure that are seen and
heard".
"We are set to offer popular artists like 'Fiddy Cent', Fat Joe,
P-Diddy or The Game 50 million dollars to rap about some of our key
issues like renewing the Patriot Act, Abstaining from Sex and loving
the wisdom and integrity of George Bush.
"50 Million buckaroos is a lot of Bling Bling for these rap guys"
Kressler said. "what the heck we'll even throw in a couple of Maybach
automobiles and a case of Hennesy if that will help seal the deal. If
they can sell expensive basketball shoes and convince my good
Christian son to act like and little gang banger from the inner city,
they can sell the importance of joining the army which now needs new
recruits".
Kressler continued, "I am by no means a rap fan, but my kids are. I
have a son who is 14 years old who not only tries to dress like his
favorite rapper Fiddy Cent, but he has actually adapted some of his
habits, values and mannerisms. He walks around the house mimicking
this new African American rap style of speech in which everything
rhymes with the letter z. For example his name is Sam but he insists
on his friends calling him Sam-izzle".
Kressler laughed, "We are a conservative average ordinary white family
from Virginia, but because of this rap music my kids are turning out
Black.".
It is with this revelation that Kressler and his Tokeback Institute
decided to start approaching popular rap artists with offers they
simply can not refuse. "We can be very convincing when we have to
be", he smiled. 'Maybe it's money we offer, maybe it's a new
expensive car filled with all the latest gadgets and bling bling.
Maybe we can help get them out of legal trouble"
Kressler was of course referring to the recent rash of artists who
find themselves afoul of the law including Lil Kim who is looking at
20 years jail time after being convicted for lying to a grand jury.
"Let's just put it this way," Kressler chuckled "We can get you out of
jail is you start rapping for us conservatives."
Kressler went on to explain that the more trouble with the law a
rapper has the more credibility he or she has in hawking his message.
"Nobody believes a goody two shoes, he said. "But take a guy who has
been in jail or looks like he's is going to jail and his fan base will
follow him to the ends of the earth. So although this doesn't fit
well with our traditionally family values we clearly understand that
within the rap world, jail time and confrontations with law
enforcement are important criteria for success."
"My son Sam calls them 'Ghetto Superstars'. I call them the 'missing
ingredient' to winning over the inner city for the GOP. Everybody
knows a popular rapper in trouble with the law holds far more
influence than a Jesse Jackson or any other inner city leader",
Kressler asserted. "They keep it real which is important in the age
of Reality TV".
Kressler also noted that in addition to paying 50 million bucks to
popular artists to Rap for Bush, his firm is in the process of
recruiting, training and eventually releasing their own cadre of
conservative rappers. He explained that he was becoming increasingly
disturbed by the increasing number of gangster rappers who were
spreading lies and falsehoods about George Bush.
Kressler was referring to rapper Jadakiss who accused the president of
being part of a conspiracy to knock down the World Trade center
towers. "That was not only a big lie but totally irresponsible", he
quipped. "What we intend to do is bring forth our own rap army that
are on par with any other artist on the scene, the big difference is
they will speak the real truth. We want a conservative equivalent to
Public Enemy, dead presidents or Immortal Technique. Our institute
has been studying their records and overall technique and methodology
for delivery compelling political messages."
One technique being utilized by Tokenbach's new conservative rappers
is to take popular songs and rewrite them with conservative values.
For example, one group which call themselves Gangsta GOP have just
finished mastering a song called 'Fight The Liberals' which uses the
same rhythm track as 'Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power'.
Group founder and lead rapper Sinister X noted that what we heard will
be the second release for Gangsta GOP or GGOP for short.
The 6'6' dreadlocked Sinister who wears a huge red, black and green
microphone tattoo on his left arm explained that he's from
Brownsville, Brooklyn and had been in and out of jail all his life
before he found his way to the GOP side of things.
"I used to be a thug who terrorized the hood', but now I'm a
revolutionary who is riding thick for the GOP". He noted that the
groups first single is actually a dis or response record to Jadakiss
and his popular song 'Why'.
"Our song is called 'Why Sell Out', explained Sinister X. 'We wanna
know why the young comrade is espousing lies and trying to appeal to
the left which never ever does anything for our people. He's wrong
for misleading our brothers and sister. We had no choice but to dis
Jada on wax and let him know we coming at him GOP style.
He noted that people should be on the look out for a another group
supported and sponsored by the Tokenback Institute out of California
called CCC which stands for Compton's Conservative Comrads. They are
remaking NWA songs with a a soon to be released album tentatively
titled 'Straight From the GOP'
Kressler ended by p romising that within the next 3 months the
Tokenback Institute will have several conservative rappers like GGOP
on commercial radio that will totally change the music landscape. In
the meantime, they will be enticing artists with nice fat paychecks to
show their love and go conservative.
If you wanna peep the new single by Gangsta GOP you can download the
single by going to our music archives.
http://p076.ezboard.com/fpoliticalpalacefrm35.showMessage?topicID=2.topic
From a marketing perspective, it makes complete sense to try to co-opt artists in this fashion. Radio stations are starting to cut back the time they play commercials per hour because the average listener will tune out if they're too much advertising. With things like Tivo, pay-per-view and DVD rentals, there's less TV exposure for their products. So the marketers have had to change tactics to reach their target audiences, like showing a half hour of previews and other ads before the start of a movie in theatres, or, in this case, embedded product placement.
I'm interested to see how these tactics turn out in general. Are people gonna start getting pissed when the millionth TV character is drinking a Coke with the label plainly in view, or when every MC is big-upping the Hamburgalar?
A message to any MC being courted by McDonalds: check that contract, and make sure you don't go out like Hootie:
AI (and everyone else),
Be sure you click on that link above.