Las Vegas reminds us to embrace a small audience ??

Celine Dion revived them, Britney Spears made them cool again, and stars like Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson kept them going… I’m talking about Las Vegas residencies.

After Usher performed his nostalgic (and undeniably crunk) Super Bowl halftime show, I considered buying tickets to his newly announced U.S. tour. But in my mind, this experience couldn’t compare to his Las Vegas residency that wrapped in December.

Residency concerts are one of the best experiences you can have as a fan.

Rather than seeing the show in a giant arena with tens of thousands of people, you’re in a small theater. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, but the magic is beyond your vantage point.

There’s a special sense of intimacy you can create when your audience is smaller. This applies to an 8x Grammy-winner like Usher, or a brand on social media. Small communities are a big opportunity, and here’s why:

1. Personalization and Connection: A small but engaged following allows you to interact and make everyone feel seen and heard. This is your foundation.
2. Trust and Loyalty: When engagement goes deeper, you’re building relationships and trust. This sets the stage for unwavering brand loyalty.
3. Memorable Impact: When you make a great impression on your followers who were there from the start, they fuel your growth. They'll sing your praises and build your brand going forward.

So let’s not be so quick to chase a follower count. Unless you increase the resources to keep up with a huge following, you’ll also diminish the intimacy.

Embrace your beginnings and small but mighty audience — this stage is a chance to interact, listen, experiment, and learn.

Throwback Thursday ??

Today, we’re shining a light on Lil Jon — a special guest during Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show, but also one of the pioneers of the hip-hop music subgenre, “crunk”. So class, let’s sit back and learn the history of crunk music…

The term "crunk" is a blend of "crazy" and "drunk," reflecting the party vibes from the early 2000s. It was a simpler time when flip phones ruled, low-rise jeans were a fashion must-have, and we sang the most inappropriate lyrics at the top of our lungs. Other artists who influenced the crunk subgenre include the Ying Yang Twins, Three 6 Mafia, and David Banner.

By the late 2000s, the popularity of crunk began to decline, but we’ll always have this 2000s Crunk Hits playlist on Spotify, thanks to user, Crystal Patel Mody!

Headline of the Week ??

With YouTube and streaming, it seems like every major televised event has declined in viewership recently, but not this year’s Super Bowl. An average of 123.7 million people in the U.S. tuned in, making it the most-watched broadcast since the 1969 Moon landing.

This stat got me wondering two things…

1. Is this because of the Taylor Swift effect?
2. When is the next time we’re walking on the moon?!

The last time a person visited the moon was in December 1972, during NASA’s Apollo 17 mission. But we’re heading back in 2026 on the Artemis III mission! We'll have to see if we can set a new Nielsen viewership record.

Read: NASA's Plans for Artemis III ??

Making the Brand Podcast ??

College athletes have been influential for decades, but with the recent updates to the NCAA's name, image, and likeness rules, they can finally cash in on their influence.

But how should students navigate influencer marketing, brand deals, and entrepreneurship? ??

On episode 100 (!!!) of Making the Brand, I spoke to Ben Chase, director of NIL for the Florida Gators. He shares more about NIL strategy and how they help athletes monetize their personal brands in an evolving landscape.

LISTEN: NIL Strategy for Student Athletes ??

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