Learning About Target Markets from Soulja Boy

When I first began partaking in DECA/marketing in high school seven years ago (oh my god, I am getting old), we wrote and presented marketing plans. I remember copying down a list of demographic and psychographic target market ranges – 18 – 24 year old men and women, who attend college. Was this really how advertising was back in the day, or was I somehow disillusioned that there was a formula for advertising?

So anyway, back to DECA (funny – in high school, everyone not in DECA in high school always refered to it as being part of “the cult”. Anyone notice how this is the same exact opinion of us in the ad. program at UO?!)

Ok for real – back to the story: based on this very generic target market information…we wrote a marketing plan and strategy. And actual won a number of categories we/I had entered. Granted, this was a high school competition and we were just beginning our journey into the marketing world; however, point being…when we were first learning about marketing, we certainly did not have the types of resources we have now for market research. I remember I could not get on Facebook as I did not yet attend a college (how it still SHOULD be, p.s.) and social media had not yet exploded…

But I digress. Again. Oops.

Anyway, the point is, I was looking up Soulja By’s ‘Crank That’ on YouTube the other way (as to why I was searching this – well, don’t worry about it (; ) ANYWAY, it is quite amazing,actually, the wide variety of users who have posted content that I could not pigeon hole into a categorized target market (unless the target was: those who love Soulja Boy). I won’t lie – if I was shown the Crank That video in high school and was asked which target market I thought the song was catering to, I would probably say 16-22 year old African American males. Sounds horrible that I would stereotype this, but hey, I’m just being honest and I think a lot of people would have been right there with me.

Ok…so here’s the point. I complain a lot about how social media is ruining the world (and in a way it is), but at the same time, the power of social media is actually is pretty darn amazing. Social media and digital means have provided opportunities to gain an incredible insight and to open the transparency doors to connect dots and form communities that might have never been connected.

Very cool. Check it out:

book festivals, white people and Clinton tapes

So I initially was very excited to attend the Texas Book Festival, as Christian Lander would be there speaking – Lander being the author of one of the most snarky yet telling books about…well…white people. Stuff White People Like. Brilliant.

So I saw a handful of other authors while at the festival – amazing how large of a production this was. I love it. Anyway, I was really intrigued by Taylor Branch, author of The Clinton Tapes. The more I read, attend lectures, observe, think…the more I realize that is so much out there I don’t know. Mind blowing really.

Anyway, I won’t make this a novel like many other entries are (my b!) but rather I’ll post a scan of the notes I took during this lecture/symposium with my two main takeaways:

Thoughts?