What do Rappers & Women Have in Common? Part 1

This topic was actually the subject of a conversation between myself and my significant other. We were chatting this morning about the Coach brand and how its image has been bifurcated. I'm going to attempt to address this tastefully and say, both the "haves" and "have nots" carry Coach bags and wallets as somewhat of a status symbol. This is not a unique instance. Being African-American, I can't help but notice the unusual correlation between Rappers (and hip-hop artists) and women--hence the interesting title. 

So what do Rappers and women have in common? They both invest in lifestyle brands and buy lifestyle products.

Lifestyle brands can be defined as any company that associates its tangible offerings with intangible benefits. For example, Jeep sells a freewheeling, rugged outdoors adventure that can only be obtained by purchasing one of their vehicles.

Lifestyle Products are the actual tangible item that makes the owner prettier, classier, stronger, or any other superlative you might think of. A good example is Costa Del Mar sunglasses, the sunglasses for real fishermen. I don't personally own a pair but it could be reasoned that if you're willing to spend so much on sunglasses for fishing, then you must take your fishing seriously. The casual fisherman would never spend $200 on glasses that annihilate glare, so one who would spend the money must think of it as either a status symbol, an investment or both.

So what do lifestyle brands and products have to do with women and rappers? Both women and rappers are more likely to buy products and be loyal to brands that offer added value by "meaning something"  either to themselves or in the eyes of others.
Some quick examples:

• Oil of Olay offers a chance at the fountain of youth, not just face cream
• Grey Goose is a premium Vodka from France but it is also a "guide to the extraordinary"
• Shoe designer Jimmy Choo doesn't sell women stilettos he's peddling the voracious confidence of a woman in charge of her sexuality
• An ultimate marriage of style and executive perks, the Maybach isn't just a car with a Trump-sized price tag
• With their tagline "Simply Perfect" Patron attempts to be more than tequila; it wants to be the halmark of impeccable taste.

Lets dwell on Patron for a moment and its competitor 1800 tequila. 1800 is currently running a series of ads that blatantly attack Patron for being all "lifestyle" and no substance. It the recent "kickback" commercial, the spokesman says that when he drinks 1800, he likes to "kick back and be himself"--meaning he wants to leave behind all the pretentious trappings of Patron's tequila and focus only on his personal preferences, rappers and popular culture be damned.

What should you take away from this? Positioning your product as a lifestyle can backfire. Your product could be labeled as a product socialite--fancy, attractive, well-known, expensive but hardly necessary.

While were on the case study bandwagon, lets look at lifestyle brand with an opposite connotation of Patron-- Budweiser.  As the Great American Lager, Budweiser sells a lifestyle too. One of good old American roots, mom, apple pie, and hard workin' salt of the earth people. Its uncomplicated. Its everywhere. Its America in a glass. What should you take away from this? Not to be afraid of going for the lifestyle sell. If you find your market and position your product correctly, you'll foster a real loyalty among customers that will lead to success. (it also shouldn't be over looked that price also plays into it. Bud is an inexpensive beer and there by a lifestyle brand people can afford to stick by)

I'm going to cut it short here and continue the rest of my notes in a subsequent post, aptly labeled "What do Rappers & Women Have in Common? Part 2." In that post I'll be detailing the intricacies of the types of people who buy lifestyle products and pointers on how to each them. Until then, Same Bat Time; Same Bat Channel!