The Drum 1/31 - Under The Influence with Erin O Patton

This week we will chat with Erin O. Patton, marketer and author of the book Under The Influence: Tracing the Hip-Hop Generation’s Impact on Brands, Sports & Pop Culture. Description: From the tricked-out cars they drive, technology they adopt, and brands they wear to the beverages they drink, music they listen to, and language they speak, the Hip-Hop generation has had a profound impact on brands, sports, and popular culture. Out of pure necessity, these innovators applied creativity and ingenuity against the backdrop of the urban experience and used their influence to transform their music and culture into a lifestyle, attitude, and distinct set of brand preferences that would soon be emulated, adopted and packaged for mainstream consumption. Erin Patton begins with his own journey as a product of Hip-Hop's Generation X from Pittsburgh's steel-tough inner city to navigating corporate America's advertising and marketing worlds. Using case studies and proprietary insights from his breakthrough 7 Ciphers™ segmentation framework, Patton gives readers a front-row perspective as the early architect of Nike's Jordan Brand and consultant to both Fortune 500 brands and celebrity icons to chronicle how Hip-Hop became a dominant social and economic force, building brands and influencing the behavior of consumers of all ages and races throughout the world.