Avoid These: 5 Critical Mistakes Brands Make When Marketing Towards Hip-Hop Culture

Photo: Emanuel Slope/Pexels

At the end of what many hip-hop heads (myself included) consider one of the most underrated classic songs of all-time from a hip-hop group, rapper Treach, from the iconic group Naughty by Nature, ushered a warning to millions of the song’s listeners that would go on to become one of the most commanding lines in hip-hop history. 

On the song’s closing lines, Treach warns that, “If you ain’t never been to the ghetto, don’t ever come to the ghetto, ‘cause you won’t understand the ghetto, and stay the f**k out of the ghetto.”

Let’s keep it all the way real here, whenever most people outside the culture (and even some within it) think about hip-hop culture, one of the first things that come to mind is the ghetto or the “hood.” 

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Since hip-hop actually was created in the ghettos of America (The Bronx to be exact). 

Similarly to Treach’s warning to those never having been to the ghetto not to come to the ghetto because they wouldn’t understand the ghetto; brands outside of hip-hop culture with aspirations of attracting spendthrift consumers within the culture should also adhere to a warning.

That warning consists of your brand staying away from making these five critical mistakes in its marketing that would convey to the culture that your brand doesn’t understand the culture at all.

Negative stereotyping 

If for some strange reason, you were to ever decide that you wanted to make someone completely and utterly despise you, one of the fastest ways to do so would be by offending them. 

That’s because when people feel offended, they internalize the act that led to them feeling offended. Subsequently, their ire of the offense then turns toward the offender. 

From a brand perspective, the long-term effects of offending an audience could do devastating damage to the bottom-line of your business. Which would be the result if your brand makes the mistake of offending consumers by stereotyping their culture in a negative way through its marketing. 

What makes consumers within hip-hop culture such a coveted audience for thousands of brands isn’t just the fact that hip-hop determines which brands go on to become cool in contemporary culture; it’s also the fact that hip-hop culture now has over an estimated $1 trillion in spending power. 

Nonetheless, an easy way to prevent your brand from tapping into that $1 trillion is by offending the culture. 

Whether it be by making negative stereotypes about the culture in your ads, derogatory social media posts, or disparaging the culture in any marketing materials—be sure to avoid doing so by having a clear understanding of things that would offend consumers within the culture. 

Lack of commitment to the culture 

Another major mistake often made by brands hoping to attract consumers within the culture is believing that by simply making a few ads featuring a popular hip-hop artist or song—it would be enough to impel consumers to emotionally buy into their brand. 

Attracting hip-hop audiences encompasses much more than that. Brands must have an understanding that attracting those who are part of the culture requires catering towards them on a long-term basis. 

This involves making a commitment that even if may appall potential customers that loathe hip-hop—your brand will remain steadfast in its support of the culture by consistently making it a priority to implement elements of hip-hop in your brand’s marketing for the foreseeable future. 

For decades, brands like: Adidas, Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, and Sprite have made a conscious effort to specifically appeal to hip-hop audiences in their ads. And consumers within the culture have commemorated each of those respective brands for it with their wallets. 

Presenting an un-fresh brand 

I believe that with the proper marketing, any product or service could be made to appear more hip and cool than they actually are. However, regardless of how great the marketing is, some products simply will not appeal to certain audiences.  

And that’s okay. I mean, target audiences do exist for a reason, right?

The main reason why certain products could never appeal to hip-hop audiences, even if the biggest rappers in the world were to personally endorse them, is because the brands that present those products—aren’t congruent with hip-hop culture. Which is all about being fresh and rebellious. 

“Many companies confuse branding with marketing. And this confusion is costing them millions.” Says Donald Miller, StoryBrand CEO and author of the book, Marketing Made Simple: A Step-By-Step Guide For Any Business. “Branding affects how a customer feels about your brand. While marketing communicates a specific offer.” 

Brands that are perceived as cool, fresh, and hip could help make just about any product be perceived the same way. However, even the coolest products in the world could be attenuated if they are presented by a brand that comes off as being lame or out of touch with contemporary culture. 

Presenting cheap products

Another sure way your brand could turn off consumers within the culture is by presenting cheap products to them. And no, I’m not talking about cheap as in the way the products are manufactured. More so cheap as in the suggested retail price of the products.

Most (not all) consumers who identify themselves as being part of the culture, take pride in purchasing products that are considered exclusive and scarce. Typically, those types of products aren’t attached to inexpensive price tags.

So stay clear of associating your brand’s products with the word “cheap" in the collective mind of the culture by conveying premium value via the price points of your products.

Not directly marketing towards the culture 

So there you are, at a crowded business networking event, when suddenly, across the room, you spot someone that you find so attractive—you know that you’d never forgive yourself if you let the moment pass by not introducing yourself to them to at least see if they’re interested in getting to know you better. 

But how would you go about introducing yourself to that person?

One thing is for certain, what you would not do if you wanted to have a successful encounter with that person, is yell your name out to them across the crowded room in hopes that person would reciprocate.

Well, that’s sort of what brands do when they take a broad approach to marketing towards hip-hop culture. Instead of taking a more specific approach by speaking directly to the culture more intimately. 

As with each approach when marketing towards a specific audience, in order to appeal to the culture, it is an absolute must that your brand speaks directly to hip-hop audiences in both its marketing messaging and imagery—so that your audience could see themselves being represented by your brand. 

Conclusion 

At Decryption, we believe that truly great marketing consists of inviting consumers to join a journey that is enjoyable, personable, and relevant to their needs and desires. If you would like a marketing firm to help consumers within hip-hop culture to join your brand’s journey, reach out directly to our office today to schedule a complimentary client call.