Nike, Media, Elections, AR, Cognac, Crypto, AI, Wu-Tang. Click Now For Your Weekly Cultural Intel Brief!

Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a good start. As always, here is a quick look at a few things I'm tracking at the intersection of power, deals, trends in emerging tech, and media/entertainment through a pop culture/hip hop lens. This is fuel for your insights and strategy to better reach GenZ and Millennials.

Here we go!

1) Well, looks like emotions are still high after the U.S. elections no matter which side of the aisle for which you were rooting. No middle of the road here. Either extreme joy or extreme depression. Couple of things to note for this particular newsletter, however:

• Seems older generations are finally waking up to something that GenZ and Millennials have known for quite a while: that streaming and podcasts are where you get unfiltered information that is on the bleeding edge. However, hip hop has known this since forever. Once not having been welcomed on any radio stations and certainly no television outlets, this culture is magnificently adept at connecting with its "target demographic" in alternative ways. Indeed, much of what is being leveraged today are old skool hip hop methods revved up for a new, digital world. Watch for this to amp up but many (yes, I'm looking at you Chris Wallace now formerly of CNN) are going to try to jump on this trend only to play themselves. Outsiders play outside and are so alluring that they create an arena that magnetizes others to them. Their precise desire to color outside of the lines is the draw. Those who color inside the lines don't need an alternative method to do what is already being done on the world stage. In addition, watch for more long-form content within "alternative" media to be used in new ways which will be promo'd by clever short-form content that will probably be AI-generated/AI-enhanced to grab eyeballs. So if this is the case, what's your strategy for 2025 so that you are in the mix in an organic manner? Start mapping things out now!
• Last issue, I mentioned that I thought there was a bit of celeb-collabo overkill on the Harris campaign side of things. Looks like I kinda turned out to be correct. Let's look at why. First, it was only the top of the top of the food chain. That means no edge, no surprise. Don't do this. Second, there was a complete lack of regard for the fact that the one-way preach-at you vibe has BEEN over. What could have been killer engagement opportunities in the form of even AMAs within a pop-up Web3 space, for example, were completely missed. Don't do this either. Also don't believe what is in the air now that celeb power is over. Hardly (and I'm about to show you a thing that just happened that proves it). This issue is and will always be about who, how, and where such notables are leveraged. It's critical to get this right and have your game plan tight. (I go into this in more depth on the latest issue of my "Beats & Bytes" podcast, fyi. Links below.)

Oh! I happened to touch on the first bullet point during a panel discussion I was asked to participate in at a conference at NYU just a few days ago. Shout out to the Peiying Gu and the IMA (Interactive Media Arts) department and attendees at the University. It was an honor to attend and speak about AI, brands, and more. My fellow panelists influencer, Zhang Dwanzi and VP of Growth at Audible Amazon, Bolong Li were amazing! Here are a couple of images below!

2) Last week was super busy, now that I think about it. Not only did I partake in the above, but I was also asked to co-host CryptoMondays NYC a few days before my NYU gig. The speakers were amazing. With all the revived digital currency activity, keep your eye on a new company called Agant . Andrew MacKenzie who flew in from London spoke about their unique approach and what they have coming up next. Sharing a few images here from that as well!

3) Okay, so I said I was going to touch on why, in no way, is celeb power x brands dead. Sold out in minutes, the Nike x Wu-Tang Clan Dunk is a thing to behold. Even released a little film about it. Wish they had thrown just a touch of say, augmented reality, in there to put it even further over the top; but I have no doubt that's coming. Why does this work? Several reasons: classics, organic collabo, scarcity, the "killer" bees, and more. It's just, right! ICYMI, read all the deets about this drop right here.

*** Quick Note: if you are someone who wants to learn more about this powerful space of youth culture and how you can use it to better connect with Gen Z and Millennials and/or become part of the cultural narrative, connect with celebrated recording artists/notables in the space, and/or creates brand?strategy,?DM me to discuss further.

My team and I provide strategy and consulting for demystifying relevant emerging tech, defining the cultural opportunity, and defining a roadmap for the new era. We also provide talent access, content development, live event production, concept marketing ideas, proofreading/copywriting!

Learn about my Innovation Strategy & Creative Studio right here .

Not ready for a full strategy but definitely looking for insights to better plan for 2024 and beyond? Book?me to speak. From Keynotes to corporate leadership workshops, I provide competitive advantage through powerful insights, cultural intelligence, and emerging tech forecasts. Don't forget to check out my weekly podcast. ***Season 6, Episode 4 is now live! Don't miss new info on the the new intersection of emerging tech, celeb talent, and brands! Listen now! *** I mix it up between an interview with an industry figure and analysis of the latest deals and news to help you make sense of the opportunities. Think of it as an extension of your weekly brief here. Click now to get the scoop. Apple or Spotify. Please rate and follow!

4) Finally, while others might be sleeping on the benefits of AR, D'USSé cognac is not. They recently tapped GRAMMY Award-winning producer Hit-Boy for a little something special for the holidays. I like how this is easily accessible via a QR code and actually offers a bit more than the standard attempts at this. I haven't heard a lot on the streets about D'USSE, however. So their challenge will be connecting beyond Hit-Boy's fanbase to get onto more radars. Once (if) they do that successfully, this could be an interesting little brand to watch. Read the full story right here.

Quick bit: Live Nation reported that earnings fell while sponsorship and advertising (looks that Snap AR collabo is paying off) is up. Interesting. Read more about the deets and if the incoming administration will make a difference on its DOJ case right here.

Whew! Okay, that's it for me. See ya next Tuesday! Have a great rest of the week!

LdC