Fountain of Yus - #008
Authenticity always wins. This issue should show you what it looks like when brands get partnerships, programs and publicity right. Enjoy.
Our Homecoming goes Global
Our Homecoming, a major fixture in the African cultural calendar, is a festival that serves as a platform for not only cultural exchange but sharing African creativity with the world. Traditionally held over the Easter weekend in Nigeria, they’ve now embarked on a journey to bring homecoming to the world with a spin-off tour ‘#AllConnect’ that kicked off last month.
Launched in partnership with Jameson’s and streetwear brand Patta, the tour kicked off in London over carnival weekend, featuring Julie Adenuga, NSG and Vigro Deep to mention a few. Next up was Atlanta, with Spinall and Kelechi as some of the performers, with the tour coming to a close in Lagos, with artists like Pa Salieu, Teezee, Santi and Boj performing. On top of these performances, the Patta Soundsystem dished bangers across all stops of the tour.
Looking at the turnout of all 3 events, it’s safe to say it was a great success. Our Homecoming’s tour served as a testament to the global community the platform has built over the years and reflects the platform’s value in connecting Africa to the diaspora and the diaspora to Africa.
As the diaspora continue to become more and more globalized, such platforms become increasingly important as a space for communities to connect, engage, discover and simply celebrate.
Watch the recap here
Nike x Patta tap into Jozi’s Next Wave
As part of their ongoing Air Max sneaker collaboration titled ‘Next Wave’, Nike x Patta took to Johannesburg, South Africa to launch its first ‘New Wave Exchange’, a program dedicated to “empowering the collective and creative community”.
The program was hosted in partnership with Mamakashaka at the Nike SHAPA Soweto centre in Johannesburg, a space for township residents to access a range of sports, free of charge.
The 2-day programme brought together 30 young creatives from Joburg, aged 18-25. Inviting them to take part in a series of impactful workshops, each workshop centred on a different form of creativity including learning ‘How to cut, measure and trim’ with UNKWN PRJCTS, ‘How to stay on beat’ with Ganja beats and ‘In the frame’ with Shaniqwa Jarvis. Each workshop ensured the program was inclusive of all the young creatives present.
On top of the workshops were a series of talks, panel discussions and mentorship from highly talented individuals including Caster Semenya, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Jomi Bello and Clint to name a few.
We often see brands partner up for such uplifting initiatives but rarely in spaces where they’re needed the most. Going to a country blessed with creative talent, Nike x Patta are doing their part to close the gap between creative ambition and reality, providing resources to enable young South Africans to fulfil their dreams.
The collaboration was a genuine one too, with Nike SHAPA Soweto Centre functioning as a permanent space for township residents to play a range of sports for free. While for Patta, uplifting community is central to the brand’s mission, living by the notion of ‘Each one, Teach One’.
Music Liberates Music
Bacardi have partnered with Rolling Stone to bring you ‘Music Liberates Music’, an initiative focused on amplifying the voices of rising stars across the world. The idea was born out of the insight that though sharing music has become more democratized, it has made it harder for aspiring artists to “cut through the noise and reach the right ears”.
The initiative spotlighted 3 rising artists, London’s very own BenjiFlow, Berlin-based K-Zia and Chicago-native, Ric Wilson. The trio worked hand-in-hand with Grammy-winning producer Boi-1da to release a wearable album in collaboration with NAHMIAS, a streetwear brand that’s also on the rise. Each piece of the collection is weaved with a barcode that directs to a Spotify playlist featuring songs from the aforementioned trio when scanned.
Fans will also earn live music rewards for every new QR scan and song play they generate, making the fan a promoter by doing so, at their benefit too.
This is an amazing initiative as not only does it amplify the voices of emerging talents but does it in a unique and creative way too, while staying true to the profiles of the trio, who are all extremely stylish. Also, Bacardi could’ve easily partnered with a well-known brand to increase the likelihood of mass reach but instead chose to stay true to the ethos of the initiative by collaborating with an emerging streetwear brand. The ‘Music Liberates Music’ campaign combines music and tech to create fashion pieces in a way that adds to all three cultures positively.
Mr.Beast is lovin’ it
Mr. Beast, arguably the most famous content creator in the world, has shown that content creators have no limitations by taking the food industry by storm. In December 2020, Mr.Beast launched Mr.Beast Burger, a franchise restaurant with 300 locations, but none physical, making use of virtual kitchens. Part of the initial rollout was paying customers to eat the food, which he documented in this video.
Considering the creator at hand and the marketing tactic to match, it was a recipe for success, expanding to 1700 locations as a result. It was therefore almost inevitable that he would open a physical store but no one could’ve predicted what ensued when he finally did.
Mr.Beast took to his platform to announce that he will be opening the first physical MrBeast Burger joint at the America Dream Mall in New Jersey on September 4th. The result? a mall packed with over 10000 fans, probably the most packed the mall has ever been if not in a while, over 5500 burgers sold, breaking the record for most burgers sold in a day.
Take that in for a sec, a content creator outsold McDonald’s and Burger King.
These are the types of moves that force us to take note of where the creator economy is heading and act accordingly. Content creators like Mr.Beast come from a class of creators who are able to successfully disrupt any industry they throw themselves into, showing the power of content to commerce. Not only this, creators like Mr.Beast present a new paradigm in marketing, one where companies cut costs on marketing spend by opting for creators to introduce their new products for them.
Dr. Martens celebrates its subcultures
Dr Marten’s recently partnered with OG Internet radio station, NTS, to take over the Brick Lane Market for its ‘Boot Fair’.
The space was filled with activity. The outside area consisted of performances from UK talents including Sainté, Anu, & English Teacher, as well as food and drinks from popular spots: Dom’s Subs and Dark Arts Coffee to name a few.
The inside area lived up to the traditional market space. Filled with stalls, attendees could cop upcycled docs via the ‘DMs Resouled x Depop’ stall, jewellery from the famous ‘The Great Frog’ store, vintage docs from the ‘DM’s archive’ stall and Brain Dead collab pieces from the ‘NTS merch’ stall.
In addition to this was a photo booth for attendees to take selfies with their mates, a raffle where people could stand a chance to win a pair of docs — though most ended up with a keychain, including myself (smh) — and a car boot full of shoes, with attendees digging deep in hopes of finding a matching pair of boots.
When it comes to representing the subcultures your brand embodies, this event was executed successfully and this was visible in the unique styles attendees rocked up in. Looking around you, it felt like there was a doc for everyone, whether you were a punkhead, an artsy kid or a streetwear connoisseur, a sight I’m sure organisers were happy to see.
See what went down here
Yuseful Notes
Gauchoworld, dubbed “One of the most on-the-pulse publications in the game,” have just announced their release of Issue 3, pre-order now.
Rising artist Peaky Saku is throwing a creative wellness festival in partnership with Babes in Development this Sunday, link to tickets here.
Skepta switches Nike in exchange for creative control at Puma.
Cadbury promotes inclusivity awareness in a brilliant campaign with Ex-Love Island star, Tash Ghouri.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia shows true brand purpose, giving away the company’s profits to fight climate change.
Major League DJz achieve record-breaking history with their 75-hour long live mix.
French Football club Stade Rennais FC have partnered with Balenciaga to dress their first team players.
Nike partner with Ambush in a global party series, titled ‘Nite Sport’
That’s all for now
Until next time,
Yus