You Should Read "Knock The Hustle"
I first read Hadji Williams’ Knock The Hustle about three years ago, and enjoyed it. But after re-reading it recently, it's clear to me that Hadji was really ahead of the curve on some important concepts and trends when he wrote it. The following may not sound like a traditional book review. I’m just reacting to the themes in the book that really jumped out at me.
First, a little background. According to his book, Hadji grew up in a hardworking blue-collar family in some of Chicago's tougher neighborhoods. He ended up becoming a copywriter, and working at well known agencies in Chicago and elsewhere. Through his career, he eventually learned that the business world and the world he grew up in had something in common. They were all about the Hustle.
In the first part of the book, Hadji tells stories from his career that illustrates the hustle in the corporate world. If you've worked in advertising, you have worked with people exactly like he describes, and experienced the agency culture (or lack thereof.)
What I got out of this was that agencies, especially the bigger and badder ones, are set up to extract the most amount of money they can out of your brain, while compensating you as little as possible. And this hustle takes many forms. Sometimes they scare you and make you feel small. Other times they promote an indulgent and ego-driven culture. But in the end, they're trying to hustle you, both by limiting your opportunities for growth and by making you grateful for being treated as less than you're worth. This resonates with thoughts about Corporate America from Seth Godin’s recent masterwork Linchpin.
Personal comment: The advertising industry is peculiar in that the biggest and fastest-growing agencies are almost never the ones that consistently pump out the best ideas or get the best results. Often the most effective growth is focusing on being a creative wrist and a vendor for your clients most of the time, with thought leadership only happening in the upper end of projects. The second thing that jumped out to me about Hadji's book is his convincing argument that Corporate America has managed to milk black and urban culture for all it's worth, without actually listening to black and urban persons. There is no doubt that Black culture has had the most impact on American culture in the last century, more than any other culture. It would seem to be a given that the advertising industry would be eagerly looking to immerse themselves in authentic Black culture, and recruit African American talent. Well clearly, this isn't happening. Not only are ad agencies and corporate marketing departments very homogenized, the authenticity of black culture is constantly overlooked in favor of the stuff that sells in suburbia and in corporate boardrooms.
Personal note: Despite that I've only worked in very small agencies, I've had the blessing of working with many talented folks from Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Diverse cultural perspectives = inspiring work environments and unique ideas. Give your agency this blessing. Now for the happy stuff. The second part of the book is where Hadji really stands out, because he was way ahead of the crowd on some of his concepts. The first is the idea of Tribes. Tribes, as a way to understand disparate subcultures, are somewhat well-known now. But when Hadji first published Knock The Hustle, it was a pretty new idea.
So, Hadji breaks down his thoughts on Tribes. As people get more ability to avoid mainstream trends and culture, and tune into their own thing, they will happily do so. And tribes, as we all know, are going to listen to their most influential members when they want to get informed and inspired. Therefore, the new way to market brands is going to be a lot less about blasting the lowest common denominator to millions and more about really trying to step in the shoes of a Tribe's perspective. Be humble, be open-minded, and above all respect the Tribe. If you can engage with the warlords or shamans of a particular tribe, all the better.
Lastly, Hadji gives advice to those of us who'd like to market more respectfully, build creative businesses, and prosper, all while being able to look ourselves in the mirror.
I read a lot of advertising and marketing books, and this is one of the best ones for sure. It’s available in print or in E-Book versions. In fact, the Kindle edition is only $1.99. That’s an easy decision.
