Thursday, January 23, 2014
Waka Flocka for PETA
As some of you may know, Waka Flocka Flame is no joke when it comes to business. He is tall, tattooed head to toe and he has an intimidating presence. (Waka Flocka Music Example). So what sort of soft spot would this man have? Turns out Waka Flocka teamed up with PETA in an attempt to launch two campaigns. His first campaign, Ink Not Mink, displays his strong feelings against real fur clothing. In his first PETA video, Waka Flocka touches on the fact that in the neighborhood he is from in Atlanta, Georgia, has a strong animal cruelty presence and people have a strong desire to own fur clothing as a sign of wealth and power. On the other hand, Waka Flocka's second campaign is against animal cruelty in general. Waka flocka speaks about his love for animals and pets and how he can't begin to understand why people use animals, primarily dogs, to fight. So in the end, what sort of positive and negative influence does Waka Flocka have on this sort of topic?
These campaigns could have two serious influences that oppose each other. One being that fact that Waka Flocka has a large influence amongst rough neighborhoods where his music thrives, especially his hometown. His image is a hard, successful, and wealthy, so if people want to be like him why not mimic him? Waka Flocka manages to throw out the image that one has to wear fur coats and be dominant amongst anything lesser than a human to display power and wealth. With a large fan base that ranges from a horizon of economic backgrounds Waka Flocka has the power to express his feelings about cruelty to animals easily. On the contrary, these campaigns could upset people coming from his background by grouping and possibly stereotyping them. Ultimately, how would/have people been reacting?
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Very nice work! I have not seen this Ad campaign yet, but it is very intriguing. Like you said Waka Flocka is a wildly popular rapper with a strong influence on many rough neighborhoods, like his own. He could presumably have a massive influence in decreasing animal abuse in similar areas. This Ad also extends beyond that, Waka has the image of a rough, tough rapper, but once he is paired with a cute puppy he can appeal to the masses as well by showing that anyone can love a dog and end animal abuse.
ReplyDeleteI think that this ad is extremely effective, specifically because Waka Flocka uses personal experience to touch the audience. I think that PETA was very purposeful in asking Waka Flocka to do a commercial because they knew where he had come from. Because I am also from Atlanta, I am very aware of the neighborhood that Waka Flocka is from and the fact that areas like this in Atlanta are primarily black. It is interesting to see how race can affect how someone grows up, and even how this past can be used for an ad campaign to create a better future for animals.
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