Marc Ecko on Branding

From an article from the AP via Canadian Press:

AP: When you're developing products, whether clothing or a magazine or a video game, how do you know something is going to be a hit nationwide? If something is hot in New York City, does it make it an instant hit across the country (America)?
Ecko: Absolutely not. There is no more midwest, there are no more coasts. It doesn't exist anymore. The business of culture is regional. Look at the music business, artists like T.I. in Atlanta, selling a million units virtually just in that area alone. Artists like Bump Johnson signed to Atlantic, who has the capacity to sell 1.5 million in the Chicago area. The country has culture and personality all over the place. Minneapolis, they have one of the most burgeoning music scenes in the whole country. You say Minneapolis, Minnesota to a hipster in downtown NYC and they laugh. But the cats in Minneapolis are every bit as cool.

AP: Where is this most prevalent in the music industry?
Ecko: Crunk music. You go to Atlanta and crunk means something completely different than what it means in New York. Music has a different meaning depending on location. You go to a real hip-hop club in Atlanta and crunk music is CRUNK! You go to a club on Sunset Boulevard and crunk is pop music.

AP: What's the next big thing?
Ecko: Convergence. Blurring lines. Brands existing dynamically in real time in multiple places. And being more purposeful and meaningful than just being a commodity. You don't really see companies who make one product and that's it. That's the old-fashioned, dinosaur way of thinking. In order for a brand to exist and survive and be relevant you must exist in multiple space. It doesn't mean that you still don't have to have a core competency. You have to really truly be a lifestyle brand. You have to exist in our culture on all levels. Music, movies, video games, cellphones, clothing.