West, Worst or Waste?

The gods of rap have descended to earth. Jay-Z released his 12th solo album, Magna Carta Holy Grail on July 4, while Kanye West released his sixth solo album Yeezus on June 18. Now, these two self-proclaimed rulers of rap music are longtime friends who collaborated on a 2011 album watch the throne, which had singles like power, no church in the wild and niggas in Paris. Mr west, fondly called ‘ye’ by his fans, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons while his buddy Jay-Z has made headlines regarding how much effort he has put in to try and market his album.

Kanye West has reignited controversy and ridicule towards himself after being labeled blasphemous. His blasphemy of Jesus Christ stems from the release of his new album entitled ‘Yeezus.’ The name, a play on the rapper’s nickname ‘Yeezy’ and the name of The Lord Jesus Christ, is widely seen as the latest indirect affront Kanye has made to the Christian faith.

I must hasten to point out that since the rigors of adulthood descended upon me; I have not been the biggest follower of music and more so any rap music. For this reason I wasn’t even aware these two have done an album together. But how did I get wind of the release of the new albums? Well, social media has been awash with disturbing pictures of Kanye West’s alleged cover for his album Yeezus. Yes the album title is Yeezus. I may not be the most fluent Spanish speaker, but I know the name Jesus in Spanish is pronounced as Yeezus. Is this what he meant? Is this his response to the American black society’s centuries old search for a black Jesus?

Black Jesus

Some verses of the song Black Jesus done by late rapper 2Pac go like; “(Black Jesus; you can be Christian Baptist, Jehovah Witness); Straight tatted up, no doubt, no doubt; (Islamic, won't matter to me; I'm a thug; thugs, we praise Black Jesus, all day),” “Who's got the heart to stand beside me?
I feel my enemies creepin up in silence; Dark prayer, scream violence - demons all around me; Can't even bend my knees just a lost cloud; Black Jesus; give me a reason to survive, in this earthly hell; Cause I swear, they tryin to break my well; I'm on the edge lookin down at this volatile pit; Will it matter if I cease to exist? Black Jesus”

 “Searchin for Black Jesus; It's hard, it's hard; We need help out here; So we searchins for Black Jesus; It's like a Saint, that we pray to in the ghetto, to get us through; Somebody that understand our pain; You know maybe not too perfect, you know; Somebody that hurt like we hurt; Somebody that smoke like we smoke; Drink like we drink; That understand where we coming from; That's who we pray too; We need help y'all”, 

In this song, the late 2Pac was talking of a black figure that understands the life of the black American youth. This is a life of crime, alcohol, drugs, poverty and many other ills. It is a cry for a ‘saviour’ from all this anguish. I am not a student of history but I know a few figures that have come up in history to represent the voice of hope against black oppression. Malcolm X, Martin Luther king Jr and W.E.B. Du Bois are some of the figures to have been involved in black civil rights movements. In more recent times, black American population has been obsessed with black economic empowerment. There have been a few individuals among the black population who have amassed a lot of wealth and they are respected across racial boundaries. Most of these have either been athletes or entertainers and examples include Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan.

However, with rap music and hip-hop gaining a wide audience worldwide, rappers have been able to amass for themselves fortunes of billions of dollars. Hip-hop Moguls Sean Combs (Diddy) and Shaun Carter (JayZ) are valued by Forbes at $580 million and $475 million respectively. These two commercially successful rappers and others are viewed in the American black community with a very high level of respect. Are they the messiahs of the American black community? Does the commercial success attained by these rappers give them a sense of ‘godship’ or ‘messiahship’? Why have they all of a sudden gone the way of trying to seek comparisons to Jesus and God? First it was JayZ referring to himself as JayHova now Kanye is Yeezus!    

Yeezus album cover

In May 2013 the internet was chock-a-block with images of an album cover with a red "Yeezus" label and a melted gold blob in the center as a supposed cover artwork for Kanye West unreleased album. Then in the month of June a new alternate cover image featured a cartooned West nailed onto a Y-shaped cross, an illustration referencing Christ's crucifixion.

Inevitably, the cover art sparked outrage from the members of the Christian faith, with many religious groups hastening to brand the image "blasphemous" and a "disgrace." Even Kanye's own fans expressed distaste over the controversial artwork, despite the possibility that it might all be a hoax. There has been many more faux album covers for the album Yeezus that have gone viral on the internet including a pre-order page that went up online on iTunes and on the artist's own website KanyeWest.com which was taken down soon after. The official album cover that was released is an image of a clear case with red tape. Was the cover changed after criticism? Were those fake album covers coming from Kanye’s camp as a marketing scheme to create a buzz or just from the uncontrollable cyber world?

Album cover for Kanye West's Yeezus album

Marketing

If the distasteful pictures alleged to be Yeezus album cover did emanate from Kanye’s camp, then they failed at marketing on this one. This may go without saying, that consumers are not big fans of being insulted. You should build a reputation for quality products and services, not the most offensive advertising. Yes controversy equals publicity, but any campaign that aims to boost sales must not have any religious nuances that offend others.  Aside from the lack of simple respect for people’s beliefs, surely this shows an enormous lack of creativity? I know the world can be a messed up place, but surely the human race isn’t that jaded that these ‘marketing types’ can find something else to offend us with? I know that religion has become a thing that is in some cases seen as being socially acceptable to parody, but that’s an issue for another blog.

If on the other hand this ploy was some sort of experiential marketing in letting fans tests their own creativity by making and posting all sorts of cover designs on the internet, then it also came short. “Experiential marketing programs allow consumers to become active participants in a marketing effort. Well planned and executed experiential marketing programs can be very memorable and relevant and can result in a positive change in consumer behavior (such as making a purchase) and attitudes (such as changing brand preference).

Experiential marketing programs most often are associated with consumer events. Some examples include sampling and live hands-on product demos allowing consumers to touch and use a product rather than just hear or read about it. Taking experiences further, experiential marketing programs may include interesting, fun and relevant activities - both offline and online - to create positive impact.”

On the other hand, Kanyes’s Yeezus album cover designs that flooded the internet were mostly from anonymous sources and went viral. ‘Anonymous’ sources cannot pass for consumer active participation. Moreover, beside the haux that was pulled out from his website, there was not a word said to deny or confirm the Kanye teams involvement.  

Kanye & JayZ

It came as a surprise to me that both Kanye West and Jay-Z released solo albums at the same time. Releasing albums at the same time meant competing for the same media hype, sales and a lot more. It has been said that Jay-Z is trying very hard to sell his album to the public, while Kanye is trying to express himself, without worrying about how the album will sell. Some circles say Kanye has clearly tried to create an anti-commercial album in Yeezus. Kanye loves attention more than most, and will engage in rants or other silly gimmicks to get just that.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z seems to be selling out at every turn promoting Magna Carta Holy Grail. This is all because he functions as a businessman first. While a lot of people still relate to and love his music, for most it's almost like he's too rich and he's done too well for them to relate. Pitchfork's review calls the album “weirdly distant”, showcasing a “celebration of unlimited financial privilege and power” that few “will relate to … in a meaningful way.”

Then, there have been rumours for a long time suggesting that Jay-Z, Rihana Kanye and others in their clique are members of some devil worshipping cult. Rihanna has recently been tweeting devotionals from one of Joyce Meyer’s books. You can almost immediately get the response from her fans with thousands of ‘retweets’ and comments like "See I knew you were a Christian!". The first thing that hits you is how much the devil is a liar. The ‘unsaved’ will look at Rihanna and her ‘fruit’ (her music, clothing, words) and think that as long as they are doing the things she's doing, they are good, saved Christians on their way to heaven. It's such a sad lie.

Jay-Z has been more candid about it and went on Hot 97′s Angie Martinez radio show to officially address rumors that he is a member of the super-secret Illuminati, and a “devil worshiper.” http://hellobeautiful.com/746072/jay-z-i-believe-in-god-but-not-christians-or-muslims/

“I don’t know where it started. I don’t know where it came from. I really think it’s really silly. For the record, I of course believe in God, but I believe in one God. If people must know my religious beliefs, I believe in one God. I don’t believe in religion. I don’t believe in Christians or Muslims. I think all that separates people. I think it’s one God. I think it’s all the same God, and I don’t believe in Hell. But as far as God, of course I believe in God. Am I a part of some sect or cult? That sounds stupid to me. It’s like ignorant to even say, and umm… I guess that’ll be the last time I address that. It’s ignorant to me”

I can’t even get in a golf club in Palm Springs. I’m from Marcy Projects. Just think about that? People that control the world?

Do you believe that those sort of organizations exist?

I think there are cliques of friends that control things. I don’t if there is a devil worshipping sect. That’s a little Tom hanks. I believe there are cliques of people that control the world…but that’s just natural process. I’m sure Obama has his people and everything is good but as far as how far people are taking it…

So you don’t intentionally do this to put people in a frenzy?

I’m an entertainer at the end of the day. Maybe I’ll push your buttons but you know…

 

A picture showing a young JayZ was released on social media by wife Beyonce,
to coincide with the release of the album Magna Carta Holy Grail

My thought… my views

Kanye West has never been one to shy away from making bold, often outrageous statements. In naming his album Yeezus, this time around he went a little too far. He has often been referred to as either ‘Ye’ or ‘Yeezy’ and understandably so, this is from the name Kanye. But why has he all of a sudden gone Yeezus? Then Jay Z mentions ‘holy grail’ in his album title! The same JayZ who infamously refereed to himself as Jay-HOVA? That was too close to JEHOVA I think. So these douchebags feel they are too rich they need to be worshipped, they need to get comparisons to the almighty God.

They are lucky I am not God or Jesus Christ. They are also lucky that God is graciously merciful and forgiving. It is not for me to judge anyone though. Not Kanye west, not Jay Z or anybody else for that matter. The only thing I will do is to stay away from this Magna Carta Holy Grail and Yeezus material. This in my own thinking is the worst form of ‘expression of art’. There is nothing artistic about it all.

One of the pictures that flooded the internet has an inverted cross, the mark of Cain on kanye’s right arm, women with the look of death on them and one with a serpents tongue, and then to top it off he is sitting next to the devil... This is the worst form of art which I can only define as waste. He seems to have insinuated in a recent New York Times interview that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album was to make up for the ‘stupid shit’ he'd done. And now, with this album, it's: "Now that you like me, I'm going to make you unlike me." It's a dare. It's braggadocio. I Am a God – I mean, with a song title like that, he's just begging people to attack him. The fact that he has not come out in the open to deny the source of the disturbing pictures that draw a comparison to Jesus Christ the Messiah is enough warning for me to stay away.

Yeezus album topics though take shots at institutional racism: the prison-industrial complex, which keeps young African American men locked up, and corporate America, which won’t welcome West to the table with the big boys, he says. But it muddles its message with egoistic and misogynist lyrics that brings out a sense that West’s politics are more about his freedom than anyone else’s.

Mr West is too daring for my liking and I consider this as the worst form of art, only fit to be called waste.

Where did this cover come from?

2nd artwork for Yeezus album cover

Initial artwork for Yeezus album cover

Disclaimer

The contents of this blog are the opinion of the writer only and are not endorsed by all Christians and/or music lovers. Under no circumstances will the writer of this blog be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, special or other consequential damages from any use of this blog.

The views expressed in this blog are my humble opinions based on my musical knowledge, Christian life experience, marketing expertise and just general logic.

Social Media and Marketing

It is show time again. It is that time when business houses and individuals gather at the show grounds to showcase their various products and services offering, at the Zambia Agriculture & Commercial Show (ZACS). I haven’t been to the show grounds for 11 years. What I remember the most are the announcements of lost children over the various public address systems. It is a great thing though to attend the show as you get to learn a lot of things. If I happen to attend the show this year, I want to visit the ministry of lands stand. I need to figure out all the processes that lead to land ownership. I would also like to see how the SME’s attending the show are packaging themselves in terms of marketing.  In my view they stand to benefit more from exhibiting than the big corporations. We all know where to find Stanbic offices but you need to ask me where to find Janet Fredman Jewelry. Over and above, I’d like to speak to and compare how the small businesses use web advertising and in particular social media marketing.

Marketing is a dynamic discipline, constantly having to innovate and adapt to changes at both global and local levels.

In the 21st century people are reinventing themselves every couple of years. It makes sense that a Company’s brand must be adjusted, or realigned with new trends accordingly, every couple of years. The objective is to build a niche for itself in the larger community. Brands can be reinvented with new marketing outlines to be both engaging and challenging the marketplace in a world that is changing in faster moving cycles.

Word-of-mouth (WOM) as a marketing technique has been around a long time but has increased in relevance with the growth of social media. Well-planned and researched WOM marketing management can help to influence consumer purchasing decisions. However social media also opens the way for negative word-of-mouth. It is important to adopt strategies for coping with this eventuality. Research shows that businesses with more experience of a social network react more positively when faced with negative WOM and that a higher level of loyalty towards a brand reduces the impact of WOM regardless of its nature.

Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself.

“Social media itself is a catch- or term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or “updates” with others. Facebook, in contrast is a full-blown social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining events and a variety of other activities.

Social media often feeds into the discovery of new content such as news stories. Social media can also help build links that in turn support into search engine optinisation (SEO) efforts. Many people also perform searches at social media sites to find social media content.” (http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-social-media-marketing)

Thumbs up to DSTV

The bulk of establishments of Zambian industry both private and public sector have not quite seized on the need for Social media marketing. However, I have to give the deserved kudos to a few companies in the borders of Zambia which have embraced social media marketing and used it to their advantage. Multichoice Zambia comes out top of a list I have included MTN, Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Airtel, Zamtel, and yes TEVETA.

When it comes to social media marketing, believe it or not, some people still need to be convinced it serves a purpose other than self-aggrandizement. Most people in Zambia would rather give you the down side to using social media marketing than looking at the many benefits it offers. Two main disadvantages always come to the fore;

1.       Threat of hackers. Organisations are skeptical of having social media accounts because of the fear of hackers signing into those accounts and posting messages that can cause extreme harm to their brands. Recently, following a false tweet from the Twitter account of the Associated Press, the Associated Press had to accept that their Twitter account had been hacked. The tweet that read “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured” sent shocks wave across the world.

2.      Business risk. When you use social media like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for your product promotion, people get direct access to post their views. There is equal probability of getting both positive and negative comments. Even your competitors can post a few highlighting the negatives. Though you can decrease the impact of negative comments through quick response, you cannot nullify it.

However, there are reams of empirical evidence that suggest social media marketing leads to increased sales, increased leads, increased brand awareness and improved communication with clients and customers. Improved communication with clients is precisely where I have ticked the box on Multichoice and their DSTV brand. Gone are the days when I rushed to Multichoice offices for any query as now I can get a response within 5minutes in the comfort of my home. Recently I had trouble accessing some of the channels and my initial reaction was to call a friend who confirmed he was watching without a problem. I had trouble the whole day and when the problem persisted the following day, I decided to put in a query, and within 5 minutes I was informed that my dish had moved and I was advised to get in touch with a Multichoice accredited installer. The rest is history. That was just my experience but I have seen a lot of issues being addressed by the DSTV team on social media and a lot of clients like me are kept happy and at the very first sighting of the subscription expiry message we will quickly make use of XAPIT payment modes or even drive to the nearest pay point.

Remarkably, while in Zambia we are still grappling with issues of web social, the rest of the world has even gone further to embrace mobile social. A Classic example where social media would have helped had it been used, is the Zambeef case (otherwise called the meatgate scandal in comparison to the infamous Watergate scandal). Barely few hours after headlines hit the papers with news of traces of formaldehyde organic compound found in some Zambeef meat products, social media was awash with condemnation of the company. Most of the comments were really actually from a point of ignorance on the effects of this chemical found in the meat. The only statement that came from the company was a press release which appeared in the papers and the company only exacerbated the situation by playing dangerous public relations games of first, 'cat and mouse' then later 'the blame game'. Initially, the statements given alleged that this was a campaign by a former employee who was denied benefits of some sought and was now bent on discrediting the organization. A host of other counter accusations without really tackling the issue were seen but after even independent laboratories from South-Africa confirmed the results of the initial test, the said meat products were burnt in Chisamba in the presence of ministry of health officials and the nation told it was the end of meat imports. Hmmm, How smart.

What happened to being factual and truthful to your clients? Even to date, there is no single statement on the Zambeef official website. How smart indeed. I don’t know if this was now a marketing problem or the guys in PR department messed this one up. Engage the people buddy, especially in times of a crisis and bad publicity.  It is time companies in this land realized the value of social media marketing. Social media would have been the best platform for handling the kind of bad publicity Zambeef got. It is a great PR and marketing platform.

If you belong to the camp that still thinks social media is not much more than a huge “time suck”, here are statistics from CompTIA’s Social Business: Trends and Opportunities study:

·         Better communication with customers, cited by 61 percent of responding companies

·         Cost savings (51 percent)

·         Brand positioning (49 percent)

·         Real-time customer satisfaction (48 percent)

·         Potential lead generation (43 percent)

Web social vs Mobile social

I intimated earlier that the rest of the world is going mobile social while as a nation we can’t even grapple with web social. Eventually, in order to remain competitive we need to move with the new trends. The penetration of mobile phone operators to all corners of Zambia has given birth an opportunity of a paradigm shift that is making internet usage extremely high. 

But before the shift to mobile social is achieved, we will need to develop a culture of web advertising and generally web social? How many organisations in Zambia have a LinkedIn account they update regularly, let alone just having one? How many companies have a Facebook account?  Statistics are there for all to access, the population distribution says 50.6% under 64years, the population is concentrated between 14-50 years. This is the age group that is very active on social media. It is also common knowledge that an advert on Facebook is far much cheaper than one on say Muvi TV yet the one on FB will be seen worldwide. In addition it doesn’t have to be a paid for advert. Companies can simply update status and will be able to inform millions of an impending new product launch. We are under utilising what would be a cheaper way of marketing communication or even PR channel.

Benefits of social media Marketing

Even though earlier on I gave only two disadvantages of social media marketing, the list can be more (especially if you are a pessimist). However, my view is that for every single disadvantage of social media marketing, there are three advantages. If organisations are skeptical because of the fear of negative feedback, they need to understand that negative information is still present through word of mouth. In any case, the best way to avoid negativity on a brand is to take it head on and address it. Even political dictators have learned this valuable lesson. It is better to let freedom of information so that you get feedback of what the masses are saying about you. If you only listen to the people in your inner circles, you can never win an election.

A great deal of research finds that word of mouth is more effective than other types of marketing. Whether compared to traditional advertising, media mentions, or promotional events, word of mouth is more useful in creating new users and customers. McKinsey suggests that “word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising in categories as diverse as skincare and mobile phones.” McKinsey has gone so far as to call word of mouth “the most disruptive force in marketing.”

CMO surveys by firms like IBM suggest that the overwhelming majority plan to increase their investment in social media, but ROI metrics have been hard to come by and CMOs say increasingly those will be the metrics by which they will measure success of their marketing efforts. According to IBM, “even among the most successful enterprises, half of all CMOs feel insufficiently prepared to provide hard numbers [for return on marketing investment].”

A new white paper by marketing analytics expert MarketShare and the Keller Fay Group, called "Quantifying the Role of Social Voice in Marketing Effectiveness", provides new and compelling evidence that word of mouth (offline and online) drives sales to a considerable degree – providing both a direct and an indirect impact on sales, amplifying the impact of marketing as people talk about the marketing or share it via social media.   And, it demonstrates that the impact can be measured. (Download a free copy of the executive summary here.)

http://marketshare.com/insights/blog/302-finally-proof-that-word-of-mouth-isn-t-just-nice-to-have-but-drives-measurable-roi

Social media provides a way for businesses to increase their "word of mouth" advertising. Word of mouth has always been a powerful method of promoting products and services. Think about it - when you need a new mechanic for your car, do you trust the advertisements in the newspaper or your friend who tells you how great their mechanic is?

Social networking makes it possible to establish relationships and build trust online, which allows businesses to indirectly market their products and services to people who are more receptive to the marketing messages you are sending out. Generally, people are more trusting of social media sites than they are of more traditional websites selling products or services directly, because the users of social media websites feel that there are fewer people who would have something to gain by reviewing and recommending another's product or service.

Social media marketing offers a number of benefits you would be hard pressed to find in other forms of marketing, including:

• Ability to create brand awareness. As more people see your business name and the link to your site, your logo, and other details found in social media profiles, you establish more brand awareness among your potential client base.
• Trust is established through natural connections and relationships that develop in online communities.
• Your main website will gain traffic from niche conversations had through social networking websites, discussions, groups, and through blog comments.
• Search engine optimization is increased through the increasing number of high quality links to your site and/or blog as other community members link to you and as you link to yourself from various social media sites.
• Increased visibility in search engines will boost the number of visitors who find your website when searching keywords related to your industry.
• Having a following on various social sites will decrease your dependence on search engines in general, since you'll have a number of other websites helping to drive traffic to your site or blog.
• Your participation in social media discussions and groups helps you see what is going on within your niche and find out what people want to see in the products and services you offer simply by listening to what people say to one another.
• When you are actively involved in social media, you have the opportunity to manage your reputation. You can respond to complaints in a timely manner, encourage people to talk about their good experiences with your company, and keep an eye on what is being said about you in general by your client base.
• You can discover more about the needs, desires and trends that encourage your market niche to spend money, and use that information to fuel your marketing efforts.

 

Embracing new marketing techniques puts you ahead of the pack as you become more effective & efficient

Advantages of Social Media Linking

It's possible to obtain links to your website from a few different sources online - including companies who sell links to your site. One of the primary advantages of using social media marketing is that you obtain numerous links to your website and blog from multiple sources. When you publish a new blog post or an article on your website, you can automatically update each of your social media profiles across multiple websites to reflect the new post - and include a link back to your site. I do this regularly on social media everytime i put up a blog on this site. As an organisation, your followers, fans, or connections appreciate the information in your blog posts or article, you'll see them announcing these to their followers, fans or connections, quickly growing the number of incoming links through social media. You end up with links to your site strategically placed everywhere your potential client base is already visiting online, which means the people who are clicking those links are already your targeted prospects, and have already established somewhat of a relationship with you through their connection on these social media sites.

http://www.focustsi.com/resources/article.aspx?id=benefits-of-social-media-marketing&category=social-media

I worked as a sales executive for a software company and I learned quite a lot about how generally Zambian companies and government institutions are not taking advantage of available technology. Most organisations give cost as a reason for not investing in technology hence they do not have the money to invest in IT solutions. In truth, the cost and maintenance of most IT solutions is less than the cost of 4x4’s that are purchased every year by most organisations.  The world business platforms have become very consumer driven, hence the need for organisations to react and respond in ways that consumers want all the time. The sheer volume of information available today has dramatically altered the balance of power between companies and consumers. As consumers have become overloaded, they have become increasingly skeptical about traditional company-driven advertising and marketing and increasingly prefer to make purchasing decisions largely independent of what companies tell them about products. Thus there is no better point to start from than using media which engages consumers in a social way but achieving great business results.

Highlights:

• More than half of marketers who have been using social media for more than 3 years say that it has helped them increase sales
• More than half of marketers with at least one year of social media experience were generating leads using these channels
• 62 percent of businesses with 10 or fewer employees agreed social media reduced marketing expenses
• 78 percent of participants found that website traffic increased with as little as 6 hours per week invested in social media marketing
• Overall, the percentage of marketers reporting improvements has increased in all categories since 2013