Politics Goes Hip Hop

Remember when I confessed that I was hunting for a new adventure? Well, since then I've taken up leçons des français again, and I've taken up to reading all things about moving to France and what to expect as an expat. It's this research that led me to Americans in France, a great site that keeps me informed on happenings in France. And it's this site that showed me just how cool politics can be in a foreign country. 

This video posted last week, covered by The Local. It's a new campaign video showing Socialist candidate Francois Hollande hanging with youths in the French banlieues. That's nothing awesome, but check out the soundtrack to the campaign video.

One word - AMAZING. Can you imagine if our politicians would embrace this tactic?

Missing You

Friends, I have been missing you so much. I haven't read a blog for days, and each day I wear a cute outfit hoping to take outfit photos, only to leave work when it's pitch black outside. I guess you can say I'm a little busy this week (3 clients prepping and pitching for one of their busiest trade shows of the year.) Sanity should resume next week. Until then, here's what I'm playing on repeat to get me through the craziness. 

See you next week (when my office officially moves into the city!)

HOVA

A SUPER HUGE THANK YOU to PBS Gal for scoring my tickets to see only the hottest rapper March 11.

Jay-Z is playing at the TD Bank Garden and I am just so giddy at the thought of seeing him live!

Did anyone else notice the BP3 tour kicks off in Houston? Looks like Mr. Carter is giving a shout out to his wife, Beyonce.

Music Mogul Does Not an Adman Make You

I came across this article today in the NY Times announcing that rapper Jay-Z and IPG (one of the largest holding companies for PR and advertising agencies) are opening a multi-cultural agency focused on African-American consumers because many people don't get speaking to minorities.

I'm sorry, Jay-Z, but just because you've had success lending your name to market everything underneath the sun does not mean that you get advertising OR speaking to your audience. Yes, you came from Marcy and you've come from nothing to be one of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, but your view of reality - and more importantly commonality - is probably so far skewed now that you can't say with certainty what your community wants and how they want to hear messages.

Before everyone jumps on my back, I have to say that I LOVE Jay-Z; I think he is brilliant and he knows that all he has to do is put his name on something for it to sell. But that's what he's done: built an empire on his name alone. I've worked on launching and building the brand of a minority-owned-and-operated agency; it takes more than a name to make something successful. Here's to hoping that he's more than just a name; I look forward to seeing where he takes this agency.