Bottom Up Branding

I just made up that phrase to attempt to describe a positive trend I see in youth marketing (and one that I strongly advocate). In many ways, I think Scion really trailblazed this effort when it began supporting underground hip hop artists and events. Other brands like Levis in Europe also embraced this philosophy with their Antidote campaign, which I wrote about awhile go. Jones Soda (one of the Mashup keynotes), embodies this philosophy in its support of independent music and bands. The idea is that you figure out what your core audience loves and then find a way to authentically support it. Help them publish their 'zines, fund their events, record their music, or get their artwork out there. And if you can integrate your brand seamlessly (without forcing it), all the better. For example, Jones uses its DIY labels as a way for indie bands to get on the bottle and promote themselves.

I'm writing about this again today because I spotted Boost Mobile's latest press release about BoostedMobile, its new site that supports and promotes a group of independent visual artists. From their press release:

"Boost Mobile collaborated with each artist to develop their dedicated webpage that displays original artwork in the form of mobile wallpapers that are available for purchase on the site or from a Boost Mobile phone, as well as providing an in-depth look into the artists’ daily lives, upcoming art shows, events and other news."

They have found a way to support artists to make something their subscribers want — cool wallpapers — as well as to help the artists promote themselves.

What this does for a brand is give you real credibility in the eyes of a generation that is inundated and oversaturated with marketing and skeptical of most marketers' intentions. It's not easy, and your efforts may be viewed with suspicion at first. But if you are transparent about your motivations, approach these projects and artists as true partners and are generous with your dollars and marketing support, you can forge alliances within youth subcultures that benefit both the artists and your brand's image.

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