Mark Ecko On Branding

In an article by the Associated Press, Mark Ecko, provides some stimulating thought on the development of trends outside NYC and LA. Makes us want to pack our bags and ship out:

AP: When you’re developing products, whether clothing or a magazine or
a video game, how do you know something is going to be a hit
nationwide? If something is hot in New York City, does it make it an
instant hit across the country (America)?

Ecko: Absolutely not. There is no more midwest, there are no more
coasts. It doesn’t exist anymore. The business of culture is regional.
Look at the music business, artists like T.I. in Atlanta, selling a
million units virtually just in that area alone. Artists like Bump
Johnson signed to Atlantic, who has the capacity to sell 1.5 million in
the Chicago area. Look at Green Day, they’re not very significant in
New York but they’re monsters on the West Coast. The country has
culture and personality all over the place. Minneapolis, they have one
of the most burgeoning music scenes in the whole country. Some of the
best real music talent, in terms of capacity to play instruments, is in
that scene. You say Minneapolis, Minnesota to a hipster in downtown NYC
and they laugh. But the cats in Minneapolis are every bit as cool.

AP: Where is this most prevalent in the music industry?

Ecko: Crunk music. You go to Atlanta and crunk means something
completely different than what it means in New York. Music has a
different meaning depending on location. You go to a real hip-hop club
in Atlanta and crunk music is CRUNK! You go to a club on Sunset
Boulevard and crunk is pop music. There’s something emotionally that
people connect to and that’s why they buy it. But people aren’t
checking for it in New York like they are down south. They like the
production but they can’t really get down with the culture.

AP: What’s the next big thing?

Ecko: Convergence. Blurring lines. Brands existing dynamically in
real time in multiple places. And being more purposeful and meaningful
than just being a commodity. You don’t really see companies who make
one product and that’s it. That’s the old-fashioned, dinosaur way of
thinking. In order for a brand to exist and survive and be relevant you
must exist in multiple space. It doesn’t mean that you still don’t have
to have a core competency. You have to really truly be a lifestyle
brand. You have to exist in our culture on all levels. Music, movies,
video games, cellphones, clothing.

Ecko Unlimited Site
AP Article Via Canadian Press

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