Advertisers love to use hip-hop to target the attention of young audiences. Of the four elements of hip-hop–graffiti, rap, DJing, breakdance–none has been more showcased by advertisers than breaking. And no other dance form has seen the highs and lows in popularity that breaking (or b-boying) has over the past three decades. It is the heart of this art, improvisation, that has helped b-boying adapt to variable popularity and evolve into the attention-grabbing beast that it is today. So why haven’t marketers used this more to their advantage?
History
With the boredom of disco setting in, the media and advertisers were quick to pounce on a new style of music coming out of NYC in the early 80s. The newly discovered dance that put the exclamation point on this music was built on gravity defying power moves designed to humiliate and defeat an opposing crew. Closely related to martial arts, b-boying was misunderstood by the media from the start and often lumped into an amalgam of hip-hop dance styles like popping, locking and uprocking.
In the hands of MTV and advertisers, b-boying became a frankenstein mash-up that the general public could imitate. The result lacked the amazing power moves that contributed to true entertainment value and led to the death of b-boying in the US.
Although breaking (along with another extreme sport, skateboarding) faded from the attention of the American mainstream by the early 90’s, the dance was exploding overseas. Throughout the 90’s b-boying took off in Europe and Asia, benefiting from increased organization and originality. As Y2K crept in and gangster rap died down, the b-boy returned to Madison Ave. Today, breakdance is treated as both a sport and an art form, with growing international competitions and respect from classically trained dancers on shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Got Talent.”
The B-Boy Market
Earlier I made a parallel to skateboarding which suffered a similar rise and fall in popularity. However, today skateboarding is a $4.8 billion market and bboying is…nothing close. Currently, Red Bull is the most identifiable sponsor of b-boying with its major international competition, the Red Bull BC One. For performers, the goal is to win a major tournament like the BC One or Battle of the Year (BOTY) and use the recognition to book corporate performances or advertisements. Those crews unable to reach the top must rely on street performances and smaller competitions to support their passion.
Let’s Make a Deal
So if b-boys command attention with their magical moves, why haven’t sports marketers slapped their brand on the fronts, backs, and skull caps of any crews? Have I missed it in all the street performances and videos that I’ve watched over the years, or has the conversation never taken place? As the founder of my college’s breaking crew, I would have welcomed sponsored clothing and a little pocket change in exchange for exhibiting my moves on campus, but I never thought to ask.
From a sponsor’s perspective there is a risk that a crew might not attract enough eyes, but the eyes b-boys are performing for fit neatly into a target market similar to skateboarding. My first thought is for Adidas, Puma or UnderArmour to strike an exclusive clothing deal with the top crews. However, instead of using breakers solely for clothing commercials, for a relatively small investment fast food and electronics companies could put their logos all over b-boys as they have for cycling and soccer.
The top crews would probably need to break ground in sponsorship deals to make the concept popular, but lesser known crews that frequently perform on the street and battle in local competitions also have the eyes of many potential customers. Watching a b-boy crew the other weekend on Fisherman’s Wharf in SF with 40 other people, the idea of a sponsorship deal with a local sporting goods store or a trendy restaurant catering to youth seemed perfectly logical.
All b-bboys and b-girls consider their dance to be performance art so they might perceive that slapping on a brand discounts their style and creativity, making them puppets of a corporation. But in the real world, having a sponsor increases your visibility, credibility and travel money. As someone who rides for an amateur cycling team with ten sponsors on the kit, I feel in no sense that my skills are owned by faceless companies; on the contrary, I feel connected to something bigger than just the team of racers.
The B-Boy is Dead, Long Live the B-Boy
B-boying has been declared dead for the last time and will only gain popularity going forward. Just like business, it is extremely competitive and the crews who make their mark will do so with creativity and innovation, as well as hard work.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and if any company or crew would like me to broker a sponsorship deal, holla!
(Photo by Craig Kolesky of B-boys Cico and Roxrite @ BC One w/logos imposed)
