I recently had a group member ask me a question about how we as strategist make connections with people. His question was quite simple, what do you think of when you think about something being raw? What immediately pops into your head? What does that look like? What does it feel like? How do you uncover it and use it to connect with people?

At first glance I didn’t think much about the concept. I mean, raw is essentially that which you deem to be authentic, right. Simply the absolute basic, stripped down, purely organic content that makes up something. Not really much to it! But as I began to contemplate on this idea of understanding the nature of raw, I wonder if something intrinsically powerful resides behind the simple concept.

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to witness N.E.R.D. perform live here in Richmond for the first time. The show was simply incredible. The energy, the love, the anticipation, and the camaraderie among avid fans was breathtaking. The whole experience had the making of an urban myth centered around the best hip hop concert of our time. Like it had somehow been pulled directly from a Spike Lee Joint or something. Without a doubt, the strongest aspect of the show was Pharrell’s energy, his sincerity when spiting his lyrics, and his natural ability to intimately engage the audience. I walked away that night knowing that somewhere in the venue, there were some young cats who would remember this show for the rest of their lives. That it would somehow shape the way they looked at life and how they viewed their futures.

And so it’s this phenomenon that I found so intriguing. I’m not even really a fan of Pharrell or N.E.R.D. I had followed some of their earlier music from like four years back, and had appreciated the fact that they were creating a new style and sound within the game. But truth be told, I never really rocked with them beyond what little songs they managed to get on the radio. But for those three hours while I was in the thick of the concert you would think I had been apart of the camp from day one. Like I had been somehow involved with the creation of the group and now I was just there number one fan. So…Why is that? How is that even possible?

I didn’t realize it at the time but now as I reflect on it, it becomes quite obvious. They did a phenomenal job with telling the story of the N.E.R.D brand and engaged the audience the whole way through. They embodied the very characteristics of this absolute raw concept. There wasn’t any tracks being played over the speakers or any studio produces sound effects. Just simply a blend of the band, their lyrics and the raw passion they brought to the stage. It was this encounter with the absolute rawness of what N.E.R.D. was and what they stood for that was so powerful not the notoriety of the group. And this is the god honest truth, if they would have been selling any of the bands merchandise at the end of the show, I very well might of, bought every Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream t-shirt they had available. The connection was that strong!

So I wonder what might happen if strategist could reproduce that same kind of encounter with consumers and other brands? What if we could harness those fillings people get when they encounter the raw nature of a brand and use it to help grow a company? Is it even possible? I wonder is there even any substance to this idea of encountering the raw nature of a product, or was I just overtaken by a sense of heightened emotions stimulated by rhythmic beat?