Perfectly said by Ricky Simandjuntak!! "There's a tendency for us to silo ourselves. I see the opportunity right now for [the advertising and music industries] to be working really closely together: The best cities are the one where you see cross-pollination. You go to New York or London and see the fashion kids with the music kids with the design kids with the sports kids. Look at the NBA: that's an amazing intersection of so many different things beyond just selling basketball. There's a massive opportunity to cross between product and lifestyle by asking ourselves: how are we telling the story?"
Sparking smarter conversations | Co-Founder of SKMG | Cannes Lions Brand Marketer Academy 30 Under 30 graduate 2024 | B&T 30 Under 30 winner 2021
🐝 Want to lead culture rather than ride the coattails? 🌸 Cross-pollination might be your secret weapon. Last Thursday, at an event held by ARIA - Australian Recording Industry Association and Sony Music Entertainment for #OurSoundtrackOurAds, Ricky Simandjuntak made a great observation: "There's a tendency for us to silo ourselves. I see the opportunity right now for [the advertising and music industries] to be working really closely together: The best cities are the one where you see cross-pollination. You go to New York or London and see the fashion kids with the music kids with the design kids with the sports kids. Look at the NBA: that's an amazing intersection of so many different things beyond just selling basketball. There's a massive opportunity to cross between product and lifestyle by asking ourselves: how are we telling the story?" Spot on. Cross-pollination is sadly uncommon in our market. But Australian brands have an opportunity change the narrative by leaning into local music, film, fashion, art and sport to tell our stories. Why bother? Because when it comes to changing behaviour, cross-pollination works. Want some theory to back it up? Start with Dr. Robert Cialdini's principle of social proof, highlighting how we look to others to determine our behaviour, with creators of culture serving as powerful social proof of a shared belief. Why do shared beliefs matter? Ask Dr. Marcus Collins, he calls what we're talking about cultural intersectionality: the blending of different cultural domains to create richer narratives by uniting various tribes under shared beliefs. Tribes are groups that share common interests, values and cultural characteristics; bonded through shared experiences and consumption. They determine far more behaviour than any demographic or persona a marketer can invent. Using cross-pollination and social proof to tell a more authentic story and unite more tribes means more people willing to act for your brand. Kimberlé Crenshaw originally coined intersectionality in 1989 by showing how overlapping social identities drive unique experiences and opportunities. In today's hyper-connected world, we’re only overlapping more. This is what you've probably heard called the "flattening of the curve". Simply: people are less concentrated in the mainstream middle. That's more unique tribes and more opportunity for you. It’s no wonder music is such a powerful driver of intersectionality, just look at the origin of hip hop, described by Dr Murray Forman as driven by connective marginalities: the vibrant spaces created by marginalised communities that allow for the blending of diverse influences – like spoken word, sampling and dance – to foster expressive, innovative subcultures that give a voice to underrepresented groups. Sound familiar? It’s cross-pollination, starting at the fringe and snowballing through shared beliefs to create a global movement 🌏 🚀 #Culture #BrandStrategy #Sociology #AusMusic