Crisis for Cristal?
Jay-Z is not happy with Cristal, the beloved champagne he has been spitting rhymes about since 1996.
The story has the details, but a big cheese at the company that produces Cristal made some less than positive comments about the hip-hop clientelle the brand attracts. In response, Jay-Z has said he will boycott the bubbly and discontinue selling it at his 40/40 clubs.
Jay-Z is a style and trend influencer for a large segment of America’s youth, probably most affecting the echo boomers and some Gen-Xers. I’m a big fan myself. If Jay-Z strikes out on an anti-Cristal crusade, he can certainly help galvanize support from the hip-hop culture. The article mentions that Russel Simmons, former CEO of Def Jam Records, put enough pressure on Pepsi for yanking Ludacris as a spokeman, that Pepsi gave $3 million in charitable donations to the record company. Face it. Hip-hop is powerful stuff.
I doubt that the hip-hop culture impacts Cristal’s bottom line in any significant way, otherwise words might have been chosen more carefully. Apparently, Cristal isn’t marketing to that lifestyle.
But if a cultural icon like Jay-Z is upset, damage can be done. I’m curious. Is this a crisis for Cristal? Of course, there are some racial elements to this that will surface, as Jay-Z has already stated he construed the statements as racist.
What do you think? If you were Cristal, what would you do? Holla at me. As Brooklyn’s finest once said, “you can’t knock the hustle.”