The Saga Continues...

Ahh, man! The sweet taste of success! Lots going on folks, lots going ON during my three month sabbatical hiatus: New York City seems to be on the up-and-up musically (as evidenced by Jet Audio & The Kid Daytona), activated a few really cool events (pictures and recaps to be posted later), was part of a panel discussion at the Latin Mixx conference that included several gentlemen-of-industry of whom I still follow suit, and have made the leap professionally from experiential to digital marketing!

As we play catch-up throughout the next few weeks, send me updates with what’s going on in your world. Show me your perspective so we can continue putting culture in context. (Feel free to reach out @ richie@suitsiswatching.com)

One thousand apologies to the readers for the lack of updates, but there have been plenty of things going on that I can’t wait to share with you all!

I’m also having the site undergo a creative & functional facelift that will make all of you

Be back in a few!

RC

I play basketball. I’m a diehard basketball fan. I believe LeBron will be a Knick in 1.5 years. And I loved when the Puerto Rico Olympic team smack the U.S. in 2004.

Boom.

Last week, the NBA announced they’d execute their third annual “Noche Latina” (think of it as a league-wide “merengue night” at Shea….kidding.), “a program that recognizes the NBA’s fans and players from across Latin America and U.S. Hispanic communities.”

Hmm, cool. It’s always good to be recognized. The underlying questions is: as an entertainment (and semi-cultural) entity, will the NBA make an attempt to EMBRACE the U.S. Hispanic community (because there IS a difference between recognizing and engaging)?

As a marketer, I understand the intricate challenges involved with communicating to macro vs. micro communities, but I for one would like to see some more impactful involvement other than “branded givaways” and “visits by streetball teams to Hispanic events…where they will perform basketball tricks”.

Some clinics maybe? Maybe play the games in the corresponding countries they’re “recognizing”? All I know is that until Mr. Stern cuts a check, I digress, I’ll be tuning in either way.

Those are just my thoughts.

And, honestly, I’m not mad at what’s located immediately located below this text. Suits out!

The other night in NYC, I attended XBOX/Microsoft’s influencer seeding event at Don Will’s in TriBeCa. In short, myself and other NYC media/marketing magnates ate and had a few drinks, all while previewing GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (which is disturbingly addicting). 

Interesting how Rockstar/Take Two have milked the franchise and found ways to integrate game play into the life of casual gamers, like myself. 

Props to Paul Estevez & Tony Martinez of Kinetix Integrated for producing a great event (and for the comp XBOX. holla.)… Pics are below.

(Atmosphere)

Datwon Thomas (EIC, XXL Magazine) & Paul Estevez (CEO, Kinetix)

DJ Enuff (HOT 97)

"Hawaii" Mike Salmon (LTD+), Rich Rodriguez (Triko/Amivectio), Hector Estrada (Triko/Amivectio)

Angela Yee (Sirius)

This is fresh.

Spotted over at Kenji Summers’ The Future Is Bright

A German ad agency by the name of Scholz & Friends put togther this video to show the evolution of marketing–specifically advertising–and how brands will have to engage consumers in brand new ways if they intend to survive. 

It’s stuff that you (should and probably) know already, but definitely worth the watch.

It’s always refreshing to see that no matter how posh our taste in fashion becomes, the urban (yes, i said “urban”) community continues to show an authentic affinity for sneakers- one of the pillars of the culture. 

The ATL-based producer Bangladesh (who I foresee having a monstrous 2009) and Kid Cudi have both recently illustrated their love for footwear: Bangladesh by creating a very simple-yet-visually-appealing video for his mixtape track “A.D.I.D.A.S”, and by Kid Cudi – ALLEGEDLY – getting into a scuffle during NBA All-Star weekend for refusing to take of his J’s at a Reebok-sponsored event.

(okay, he’s denied that was the cause of the incident, but he DID denounce the Reeboks on his page)

The point is that there’s a fine line between doing it right…..

and doing it wrong:

If you’re like me, you watched the Super Bowl last night in eager anticipation of which advertisers are getting it right, and who remain lost in the fray.

Long story short, Pepsi wins. Rather Pepsuber wins with by implementing branded content that’s executed perfectly. (SNL wins also- most of the ppl who have no idea who MacGruber is have probably Google’d it by now & are watching it on Hulu.)

suits out.

regime change. 

“The Millenials Have Arrived” is a testament to what I feel economic downturn will ultimately result in- new ideas, a new consciousness, and new corporate culture as those who cannot adjust to the volatile, forward-thinking environment will be weeded out. 

Check out the article by clicking here.

Happy Holidays to all!

rc

"Ayy Santo Domingo tomando mamajuana/Gozando en Colombia, Venezuela, y la Bahamas..."

There is something to be said about failures in the business of culture. Some products put to market fail immediately- the primary reasons being lack of functionality and/or the loss in translation- the product doesn’t complement the target consumer’s everyday needs. But for every 100 failures, there is a brand that gets it right. 

New to the beverage world is Palo Mamajuana (Palo Products, LLC). Now while it seems that barriers to entry in the functional beverage industry are low, and that new “energy drinks” appear to be popping up everywhere (especially amongst the urban segment), I’ve seen very few that target the Latino demographic. Familiar to Latinos (and more specifically Dominicans) mamajuana is typically used as a rum chaser (trust me), and is comprised of a mixture of tree bark, honey, and various herbs. It’s a little off-kilter to the typical American palette, but upon several tastes, the drink becomes nothing unlike port wine. 

Kudos to PP, LLC for delivering common sense to the beverage market. 

Plus, any product that reminds me of an Angie Martinez merengue song that features Big Pun singing is a winner lol… See below.

Peace,

RC