Eventhough young rapper Cory Gunz is the son of New York City rap legend, Peter Gunz and the god-son of NBA legend, Shaq, one still might not know who he is. Through Facebook, Twitter and even Blogger, Cory Gunz has emerged as an up and coming rap artist. His fan base has grown incredibly since using these networking sites. He has been rapping since he was 8 and at the age of 22 he is finally somehwat on the map. Gunz is now set to start a reality show on MTV called "Son of A Gun." He has teamed up with entertainment mogul, Nick Cannon, to help get not only this show but his career on the road.
Through networking sites, he was able to post new songs for potential fans to download. He has made plenty of mixtapes and his popularity has grown out of New York to the south and even the west coast. He has been givrn the chance to use cheap media to boost hype and have music executives want to sign him. He couldn't rely on his family, though they do play a part. By using social media, people got to see who Cory Gunz really was. They got a chance to see and hear what he was about. These internet tools has also taken him out of both his father and god-father's shadows. It is a beautiful thing.
Social Media can take nobodies and turn them into somebodies. People can become famous just off of how many times someone watch their video on YouTube or what new exciting thing they blogged about. Attention brings in dollars. Everyone is speaking money because it isn't that much going around. People are hungry for the green and they are trying new things just to get a buck. For many it is working and for some, it is a complete failure. For Cory Gunz, it is working great.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Why Doesn't Nike Just Do It?
Nike is the top athletic shoe in the world. I have too many pairs of Nike sneakers and so does many other people. For years Nike has been the center of attention because of the athletes they sign and the sneakers that come out. How is it possible to stay on top when there is no social media usage? I was able to get in touch with Howard White. He is the Vice President of Marketing for the Jordan Brand under Nike.
Because of the attention thhat Nike gets, it is important to stay as private as possible. We do not need to reach out to people because they reach out to us. There are plenty of Nike discussion boards and clubs on Facebook. None of them are official but none of them are negative either. With the rise of sneaker heads, Nike has been able to become even more popular just by word of mouth and also how customers embrace the brand with fashion. Because of bootlegging, we must keep our customers anxious. Nike only releases dates of sneakers and most of the time they are the wrong dates. Nike does this purposely. Only the dedicated Nike customer goes through all lengths to get information.
There is no need to spend money on such media sites when you are the top brand of that particular market. Nike owns most of the market share and I don't think a change is gonna happen anywhere in the far future. What sense does it make. Nike is the best of the best for athletic wear. It's not that Nike won't just do it, it's just that Nike doesn't need to do it.
Because of the attention thhat Nike gets, it is important to stay as private as possible. We do not need to reach out to people because they reach out to us. There are plenty of Nike discussion boards and clubs on Facebook. None of them are official but none of them are negative either. With the rise of sneaker heads, Nike has been able to become even more popular just by word of mouth and also how customers embrace the brand with fashion. Because of bootlegging, we must keep our customers anxious. Nike only releases dates of sneakers and most of the time they are the wrong dates. Nike does this purposely. Only the dedicated Nike customer goes through all lengths to get information.
There is no need to spend money on such media sites when you are the top brand of that particular market. Nike owns most of the market share and I don't think a change is gonna happen anywhere in the far future. What sense does it make. Nike is the best of the best for athletic wear. It's not that Nike won't just do it, it's just that Nike doesn't need to do it.
The Fight to Stay on Top
ESPN has been the world wide leader in sports for many years. It might be safe to say that ESPN would not be ESPN if not for another giant, Disney. Through Disney buying the company, ESPN got the tools needed to reach for the stars. It's channels are a part of almost every male's morning, evening and nighttime before bed news. But, how are they able to continue to be on top? I asked 1050 ESPN New York Radio Marketing man, Greg Brodsky for some answers.
With Disney having such a gentle image because it is really a children-based company, how is it that ESPN can be allowed to use social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace and even Twitter? The answer is that Disney is not stupid. The same way ESPN has adult viewers, it also has teen viewers. The teens are on all of these social networks and adults are now just moving into it. ESPN controls what content can be posted. New York has some of the most passionate fans that sometimes discussions can get out of hand. Because of ESPN being in the social networking realm now, people do not need to open new windows to go to its website. If a person is on facebook, he/she can go to ESPN's page and find out everything there. People want to know what going on in the sportsworld 24/7/365.. that means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all 365 days of the year. Facebook and Twitter helps ESPN do that. These sites make it possible to update things within a minutes time. There is no need for anchors to be scripted or anything of that nature. It just takes signing in and typing away.
ESPN has not only reached the homes of many but now it has reached the people who live in those homes at the job and at school. People can now check ESPN while at weddings just like in the commercial, at church practically anywhere. Sports are like another religion for some people and ESPN is their holy book of reference. It is the Buble, Qur'an and Torah all in one.
With Disney having such a gentle image because it is really a children-based company, how is it that ESPN can be allowed to use social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace and even Twitter? The answer is that Disney is not stupid. The same way ESPN has adult viewers, it also has teen viewers. The teens are on all of these social networks and adults are now just moving into it. ESPN controls what content can be posted. New York has some of the most passionate fans that sometimes discussions can get out of hand. Because of ESPN being in the social networking realm now, people do not need to open new windows to go to its website. If a person is on facebook, he/she can go to ESPN's page and find out everything there. People want to know what going on in the sportsworld 24/7/365.. that means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all 365 days of the year. Facebook and Twitter helps ESPN do that. These sites make it possible to update things within a minutes time. There is no need for anchors to be scripted or anything of that nature. It just takes signing in and typing away.
ESPN has not only reached the homes of many but now it has reached the people who live in those homes at the job and at school. People can now check ESPN while at weddings just like in the commercial, at church practically anywhere. Sports are like another religion for some people and ESPN is their holy book of reference. It is the Buble, Qur'an and Torah all in one.
The Club
The Madison Square Boys & Girls Club of New York City has been the second home to so many young people throughout the years. It is helped kids stay off the street and do something recreational. Many staff members have been like parents to the young members. I remember having many people I looked up to while I was a member. The Madison Square Boys & Girls Club has seven local branches throughout the 5 boroughs. They serve as a refuge for kids living in unsafe neighborhoods. They get to participate in sports, arts and crafts, drug prevention programs and computer programs just to name a few. It helps kids ages between the ages of 7-18.
I was able to get in contact with a good friend of my family, Wyndy Sloan, who is the Director of Marketing and Communication for the "club." She says that in previous years, she was never able to convince clubhouse executives that using new ways of communication was a good thing. With almost all of the board members being over the age of 50, one knows how difficult that could be. She says that it wasn't until some board members began to watch television commercials talking about these tools such as facebook and myspace that they began to spread the word to other members pushing them to do it in hopes of increasing membership and reaching out to club alums. With Sloan's help, the club has been able to reach over 2500 alums and membership has increased throughout its 7 city branches. It is an amazing thing.
She says in this age you have to be able to reach kids by what they are doing. So many of our members are on social networks. "It has become their new escape because they put everything up there. By becoming a part of it, we remind them about us and make sure that they never forget about us. They will always be able to comeback," Sloan Continued. This is a good thing because New York City has plenty of troubled teens who need something to help them maintain. For some, it has been the club. For others, it has been school or somethng else positive. But for more of the majority it has been nothing. These are the people that go to selling drugs, getting killed or ending up in jail. The club must not only reach out to them but to everyone. We can't lose the club.
I was able to get in contact with a good friend of my family, Wyndy Sloan, who is the Director of Marketing and Communication for the "club." She says that in previous years, she was never able to convince clubhouse executives that using new ways of communication was a good thing. With almost all of the board members being over the age of 50, one knows how difficult that could be. She says that it wasn't until some board members began to watch television commercials talking about these tools such as facebook and myspace that they began to spread the word to other members pushing them to do it in hopes of increasing membership and reaching out to club alums. With Sloan's help, the club has been able to reach over 2500 alums and membership has increased throughout its 7 city branches. It is an amazing thing.
She says in this age you have to be able to reach kids by what they are doing. So many of our members are on social networks. "It has become their new escape because they put everything up there. By becoming a part of it, we remind them about us and make sure that they never forget about us. They will always be able to comeback," Sloan Continued. This is a good thing because New York City has plenty of troubled teens who need something to help them maintain. For some, it has been the club. For others, it has been school or somethng else positive. But for more of the majority it has been nothing. These are the people that go to selling drugs, getting killed or ending up in jail. The club must not only reach out to them but to everyone. We can't lose the club.
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