When brands and rappers get together, strange things can happen.
A wrong pairing potentially tarnishes both parties, while the right partnership can prove not only mutually lucrative but downright iconic. One need not look very far back in our history to see examples of both, with cringeworthy moments like Snoop Dogg's Hot Pockets song parodies and culture game changers like Sean Combs' Ciroc Vodka stewardship. Admittedly, even the worst partnerships can at the very least improve awareness within a target market or demographic, and most artists emerge unscathed.
The latest marriage of hip-hop and corporate America manifests in the form of "Start The Par-dee," a music video with clear viral intentions. The clip puts together 20-year-old rapper Lil Yachty with baby boomer paragon Donny Osmond for an improbable ode to Chef Boyardee, the canned pasta OG. Commissioned by Conagra Brands through advertising agency Havas Creative's socially savvy Annex, "Start The Par-dee" is an original song that nostalgically samples an old jingle for a modern trap-pop cut over which the intergenerational pair sing and rap their auto-tuned hearts out. Not merely a video clip, it also appears in audio format on major streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
For those scratching their heads over this one, Havas' Chief Creative Officer Jason Peterson has a good explanation. "You couldn't name a Chef Boyardee ad in the last 10 to 15 years if you tried," he says. "It came from the desire to make this relevant to a younger audience."
Peterson bluntly admits that brand recognition for the 90-year-old product with teens and college-aged young adults is essentially zero while conversely pointing out its hardwired familiarity to a considerably older generation of consumer. In his view, simply targeting the former audience with Yachty's help wasn't enough given the latter one's ignorance of the rapper. "The idea of Donny Osmond is to literally help bridge that gap," he says.
With its colorful flashes, fourth wall winks, and general oddness, "Start The Par-dee" seems like something straight out of Adult Swim, the Turner-owned Cartoon Network's after-dark programming powerhouse that airs unorthodox original programming as well as hip anime imports. The nighttime block's Senior Vice President and Creative Director Jason DeMarco recognizes its impact on how companies now seek to reach their coveted youthful demographic.
"I think Adult Swim has had a pretty clear influence on ad agencies, partially because many of the creatives currently working at agencies grew up watching our shows," DeMarco says. "[Our] shows find humor in odd juxtapositions, they’re usually short, and they often refract or comment on typical TV tropes and aesthetics."
He specifically cites longtime comedic partners Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, best known for their Awesome Show, Great Job sketch series, for paving the way for the sort of aesthetic on display with "Start The Par-dee." In addition to the fake gonzo commercials interwoven into that particular show, the duo has done their share of real if absurd ads as well for brands like Old Spice. Yet where sometimes those shows can appear to be punching downward with their aging celebrity cameos, 60-year-old Osmond seems not just in on the joke but, notably, not the butt of it either.
"When you look at his videos from the 1960s or record covers, so much of that stuff now looks super contemporary," Peterson says. "Conceptually, it's why the whole thing makes sense."
The "Start The Par-dee" campaign comes as part of a broad branding initiative between Universal Music's Capitol Music Group and the Annex, which recently expanded its operations with offices located within the record company's namesake tower in Los Angeles. No stranger to the music space, the Annex has had its hand in a range of public-facing projects catering to a hip-hop fanbase. Among these were Vince Staples' recent "GTFOMD" GoFundMe stunt, as well as concert events featuring the likes of Desiigner and Vic Mensa.
It's no coincidence that many of these efforts showcase UMG-signed talent. "We're embedded inside them," boasts Peterson of their unique physical proximity to their client. "Any agency could work with UMG artists, but we're on the inside."
Watching the "Start The Par-dee" clip, it's hard not to think of Nelly's old Honey Nut Cheerios spots. Directed by no less than rap video auteur Hype Williams, that long retired campaign connected the multi-platinum "Ride Wit Me" rapper with not only a longstanding consumer brand but also its earnest mascot, the latter given an urban makeover that made the apparent cash grab all the more awkward. While certainly not as a two-dimensional as the affable cartoon bumblebee, Osmond's image remains a pure and wholesome as one. And though Chef Boyardee has existed in some capacity now for more than twice as long as Honey Nut Cheerios' roughly four-decade run, both are enduring supermarket staples.
The variable here, then, is Lil Yachty. With a handful of gold and platinum plaques to his name and ten Billboard Hot 100 charting singles to date as either a lead or featured artist, his place in hip-hop is fairly established for someone so young. Released Capitol, Motown, and Quality Control, his latest full-length project Lil Boat 2 debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart back in March, and additional new material is expected as soon as this week.
Yachty's attractiveness to brands has been evident as well, having worked previously with Nautica, Reebok, Sprite, and Target, among others. His outwardly positive image makes him more viable for these types of partnerships than many of his peers. "There's something Chef Boyardee about him," Peterson says. "He's cool but he's weird and he's funny. It's a unique personality."
"He's just a young kid that's super talented, a rising star, and excited to be there."
Last September during the 2017 Advertising Week conference in New York City, Motown President Ethiopia Habtemariam spoke on an industry panel about the label's aims for Yachty and other artists when partnering with these companies. "Our job is to help an artist grow in their musical career but also to grow their brand overall," she said. "As we're launching a new album or project, we want to work with that brand to lay out the marketing plan and figure out how to integrate [it] with what they're doing to make each activation feel like we're targeting their fanbase."
In the age of the 360 deal, practically every hip-hop artist worth mentioning nowadays has some sort of brand connection, ranging from commercial appearances and product placements to endorsement deals and more integrated marketing relationships. Memphis hitmaker Yo Gotti serves as an ambassador for German sportswear company Puma, while rival Adidas gains serious clout by working with Kanye West. On the wine and spirits front, Luc Belaire maintains a global network of connected hip-hop artists including DJ Khaled and Rick Ross, while Latin music stars Bad Bunny and J Balvin are tied in with Buchanan's Whisky.
With countless companies constantly vying for the attention of young consumers online, even something as creative and well executed as "Start The Par-dee" could be old news fast amid the rumble and roar of the always updating social media sphere.
"It’s very rare that an ad can transcend that noise, and become an actual piece of entertainment," DeMarco says. "When that happens, people take notice."
