The Big Tent

There May Never Be Another Magic Johnson

Road to Corporate Success for Celebrities Is Littered With Asterisks

Posted by Doug Melville on 02.10.09 @ 01:36 PM

Doug Melville

This has been a weird few weeks on the credibility front. Three big corporate darlings who personified what people have come to expect from a brand ambassador fell by the wayside. Michael Phelps*, Olympic posterchild, got caught smoking weed. Alex Rodriguez*, the richest contracted athlete in sports history, admitted to using steroids. And Chris Brown*, teen singing sensation, got into trouble over Grammy weekend.

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Sorry, Super Bowl, but Barack Has You Beat

Sports Taking a Back Seat to Politics Is a Sign of the Times

Posted by Doug Melville on 01.20.09 @ 10:48 AM

Today is the big day. The day that the most influential and inspiring figure of our generation takes the oath to be the 44th president of the United States of America. A truly historical moment -- not only for President Obama's race, but also for the importance of his decision-making during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. While a record 69 million registered voters came out on Election Day and "Baracked the Vote" for Sen. Obama, how many people will watch? More than any other TV program in our lifetime.

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Urban Trend Spotters Can Now Look to White House

Obama Family May Introduce New Flavors to America

Posted by Doug Melville on 11.17.08 @ 08:30 AM

Doug Melville

Now that Barack Obama has won the election, we have just seen the tip of the iceberg in regard to interest in African-American nuances. The fist bump, soul food, pickup basketball, clothing choices and slang terms are all examples of trends, habits and thoughts urban America has brought to the forefront of American culture with the help of the advertising, marketing and media world.

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It's Time for Brands to Embrace Text Messaging

It Can Provide a Direct Route to the Urban Market

Posted by Doug Melville on 09.15.08 @ 01:46 PM

Doug Melville

I want this post to inspire you about the power of text messaging as a way to reach your urban audience.

I have the fortunate position of sitting on the Leadership Council of the Cellular Telephone Industry of America. This past week in San Francisco the semi-annual CTIA conference took place, with the main theme focused on Wireless IT & Entertainment. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend for the first time in three years. It was hard for me to sleep thinking about all the new gadgets, data and trends that would be discussed at this year's gathering, but the one area that I was most interested to explore was data use and how that could be applied to marketers and advertisers.

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The Changing Face of 'Urban' Consumers

Not Always an Issue of Black and White

Posted by Doug Melville on 08.07.08 @ 12:16 PM

Doug Melville

When you are addressing urban references to your employees, consumers or customer base, how do you define "urban"? The answer could help you get a better understanding of what urban means to your brand.

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Brand Jackson vs. Brand Obama

There Are Better Ways to Keep Your Brand Relevant

Posted by Doug Melville on 07.10.08 @ 12:04 PM

Doug Melville

What happens when the best-in-class marketing and branding genius goes up against a brand that used to occupy the same space but didn't change with the times and is seen by many as irrelevant?

Ding-ding! Put the gloves on. Introducing Barack Obama vs. Jesse Jackson.

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Is Beverly Hills 'Multicultural'?

Answering a Simple Question With a Complex Answer

Posted by Doug Melville on 06.03.08 @ 03:30 PM

Doug Melville

Last week I was on a conference call with a colleague talking about the different makeups of multicultural cities, states, DMAs, etc. In regard to the city/DMAs, all the multicultural "usual suspects" came up -- Detroit, D.C., Miami, New York City, Atlanta, et al. -- along with their various defining geographic properties (check out this multicultural melting-pot map for a quick reference). Next, we went on to discuss what specifically makes up a "multicultural" market, based on my colleague's definition.

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Immersion Is Priceless

Morehouse College Valedictorian Is the Epitome of Cultural Immersion

Posted by Doug Melville on 05.20.08 @ 01:43 PM

Doug Melville

This past week in Atlanta, Morehouse College welcomed its 22-year-old valedictorian, Joshua Packwood, to give a speech to his fellow graduates. The president of the University called him a "Renaissance Man."

Joshua focused on African-American studies at Morehouse seeking to be a part of the tradition of Morehouse Men, and follow the higher educational path of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the university's most symbolic alum. A Rhodes Scholar finalist, Joshua turned down an Ivy League scholarship to Columbia University because he felt if he was going to study African-American Culture, he should attend a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). "If I really want to learn it, if I really want to understand it -- maybe it's best if I immerse myself in the culture," he said.

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We're on Time's Side

A Modest Proposal for an Urban Rebranding of Standard Time

Posted by Doug Melville on 03.24.08 @ 04:10 PM

Doug Melville

Almost two weeks have gone by since the "springing ahead" of the majority of clocks in America for the annual ritual of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

But is DST good marketing, or just a symbol of the "Founding Father's generation" who came up with the idea?

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The Minority That Doesn't Exist

A Halfrican's Story

Posted by Doug Melville on 03.04.08 @ 11:11 AM

Doug Melville

Hello all. Today is my first blog. Ahhh, how trendy! Blog is the new brain dump.

As I scribe my first entry, I want to thank Ken Wheaton for letting me into the Big Tent -- I didn't even have to pay a cover charge, although I did wait in line for a few weeks. Now that I'm in, I got the memo telling me a few things: Most readers don't look at the bio section (shame on you); I should be creative (sounds fun already); I should be original (write what you know in a special way); and get it in under 700 words (even digital ink has limits). Exhale. Since I didn't want to be swayed by reading the whole Tent that has come before me, I decided to jump in without looking -- so I don't think I've plagiarized anything. But if I have, let me know and I will send a word to Hillary letting her know I "Xerox." Funny she says that, because I was always taught that if it was mentioned twice by two people, it was worth repeating.

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