DIGITAL BRAND STORYTELLINGADDING “THE BREAK” TO DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

ERICA REID | CONTENT PRODUCER AND DIGITAL STRATEGIST •B.A. in Communication Design from Texas State University •M.A. in Digital Media from New York University •Adjunct Professor at University of Houston !

@theblvdmag

@theblvdmag

Present Interpretation of Cool“A source of spontaneity, irony, intellectual insight and joy” -Black Cool, One Thousand Streams of Blackness: The Break by Valerie Thomas

“The Break”: That point where a song stops for a drum or other instrumental interlude or improve, is a trademark of African diaspora music. The break adds a new element that challenges the structure of a composition. This is where assumptions are overturned and narrative arcs change.

The Break: Challenge the status quo and create in mystic coolness.

AESTHETIC OF THE COOL

The Lexicon of CoolA basic reference to moderation in coldness extended metaphorically to include composure under fire.

Cool, composed, collected, unruffled, nonchalant, imperturbable, detached are adjective which apply to persons to indicate calmness, especially in time of stress.

In some West African languages, cool is the belief that the purer, the cooler a person becomes, the more ancestral he becomes. In other words mastery of self enables a person to transcend time and elude preoccupation.

The Antiquity of the CoolThe concept of cool seems to be originated in Nigeria.

During the first half of the 15th century the leader of Benin was crowned and to the title Ewuare, meaning literally “cool”.

The Philosophy of Cool Coolness brings order not through lavish clothes, but by means of moral responsibility. !“To act in foolish anger or petty selfishness is to depart form this original gift of interiorized nobility and conscience.”

Black stereotypes on the internet

Visual Storytelling

Before the advent of the television and the internet- minstrel shows were a popular form of entertainment in western culture.

The History

The Black Dandy Minstrel Shows

…and before that, there were carnivals.

The History

Sarah Baartman “Hottentot Venus”

Ota Benga the Congolese Pygmy posing at the Bronx

Zoo in 1906

Black Internet Culture: Memes

A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme - Wikipedia

Black Internet Culture:Youtube dubs

Black Internet Culture: Natural Chick Bloggers

Black Internet Culture: Dapper Dandies

Black Internet Culture: Crowd Funding

Dear White People: Indie GoGo raise $25,000

Da Blood of Black Jesus: Raised over 1million on Kickstarter

Raised over $40,000 on Kickstarter

What’s Next?

Branding

Cool brands stand for something and stand out from the crowd.

Know your audience

You need the experience of seeing and feeling what moves the people you’re talking to. !Michael Lang, co-founder of Woodstock, thinks of his experience overseeing the festival: “…that was how we learned what really inspired people–and what we needed to do in order to keep inspiring them.

Know your audience

Scott Bedbury, the former head of advertising at Nike and chief marketing officer at starbucks, said: “We wanted to be in the know…you better know what’s going on in the minds of young basketball players–the music the listen to, their vernacular, how they define success, what they fear, what they dream.

TRIBAL CULTUREWe need divisions. Divisions build tribes. They create intimate worlds they can understand, and where they can be somebody and feel as if they belong. (The Brand Gap)

Source: The Brand Gap

Company Culture: Look within

When looking for an edge, start from within the company. Research is always great and outsourcing works, but you have to start from a place of really knowing who you are and what you stand for.

Company Culture: Hire Cool Kids

Andy Warhol surrounded himself with young people like Jean-Michel Basquiat and he listened. He depended on young people’s ideas to keep him relevant.

Black Cool in Popular Culture

BohemiansAccess to the unknown

Naturalistas

5 Buckets

Nerds

Afro Punk

Black Cool in Popular Culture

5 Disciplines of Branding

1. DIFFERENTIATE>>Why do you matter 2. COLLABORATE>> Work with people smarter than you 3. INNOVATE>> The courage to be different 4. VALIDATE>> Start at the ground level and build a base 5. CULTIVATE>> Relentless innovation and access to capital

Source: The Brand Gap

DIFFERENTIATE

Source: The Brand Gap

WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO? WHY DOES IT MATTER? !

•Stand out from the herd •Preserve the core and stimulate progress

DIFFERENTIATE

Source: The Brand Gap

Collaborate

Source: The Brand Gap

IT TAKES A VILLAGE Work with those who are smarter and more talented than you.

Innovate

Source: The Brand Gap

CREATIVE THINKING

LOGICAL THINKING

AUDIENCES WANT MORE THAN LOGIC

Innovate

Source: The Brand Gap

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN AN IDEA IS INNOVATIVE?

WHEN IT SCARES THE HELL OUT OF EVERYBODYBE DISRUPTIVE!!

Innovate

Source: The Brand Gap

The Barney’s Philosophy: Less is More

Barney’s customers are voyeurs, the more they people watched, the more time they spent in the store.

VALIDATE

Source: The Brand Gap

CULTIVATE

MAKE YOUR POWER PITCH, GET MONEY, SPEND IT WISELY AND KEEP INNOVATING!

How can we get a seat at the table?

CREATE A BRAND

!WHAT’S THE POSITIONING:

WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO? WHY DOES IT MATTER? !

HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT (What’s The Break)? !

COLLABORATORS? !

DIGITAL BRAND STORYTELLING