Belk's New Slogan and TV Commercial Are Good for Charlotte

You're probably aware that Belk unveiled its new logo earlier this month. The Charlotte-based department store chain decided to update its image with a new logo, colors, and tagline as it kicks off a new branding campaign. It's seeking to enhance its image as it embarks on a $500 million investment over the next three years, focusing on improving e-commerce, remodeling stores, expanding shoe departments, and refocusing marketing to customers.

Belk seems to have done a better job with its new brand identity than GAP, which coincidentally was unveiled the same day as Belk's (only to be scrapped a week later). And even though we consumers don't care a whole lot about corporate branding strategies, we know what we like. And I like Belk's new TV commercial that I've seen running the last couple of weeks.

The 30-second TV ad showcases Belk's new tagline: "Modern. Southern. Style." And not only could that slogan be a good fit for Charlotte, the city is the backdrop for the commercial. If I had to describe Charlotte in a few words, modern and Southern would be two of them.

In the two YouTube videos below, the first is the 30-second TV commercial and the second is a behind-the-scenes look at how it was created. The catchy tune you here is "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris, but performed here by Joe Firstman. Firstman is a Charlotte native who rose to prominence as musical director for the house band on Last Call with Carson Daly.

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Rudy Currence On BET's '106 & Park' Tuesday

R&B singer Rudy Currence, a native of Rock Hill who lives in Charlotte, will appear on BET's 106 & Park Tuesday, October 26. He's performing on the live, nationally televised show as part of the BET Music Matters series, which spotlights artists on the come up and those who are bringing a refreshing and much-needed dose of energy and creativity to hip-hop and R&B music. Rudy will be the second Carolinas artist to appear on Music Matters, following Fayetteville native/Roc Nation artist J. Cole. J. Cole is also a part of the first-ever Music Matters Tour, along with K. Michelle and CJ Hilton, which kicks off Wednesday in Norfolk, VA.

Rudy signed to Disturbing Tha Peace Records last year, the label ran by rapper/hip-hop mogul Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and he's currently working on his major label debut album, Black Keys and Blue Skies. He'll be in Los Angeles this weekend to shoot a video for "Soul Bossa Nostra," the new song from Quincy Jones that features Ludacris, Naturally 7, and Rudy Currence. For more on the artist, visit www.rudycurrenceonline.com or follow him on Twitter @Rudy_Currence.

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New York Times Article Puts Local Face on Obama's Tax Cut Crisis

There's a great article published in today's New York Times (posted online last night) that proves that many people aren't very knowledgeable of the issues they're concerned about during these tough economic times and especially during this heated political season. "From Obama, the Tax Cut Nobody Heard Of," by reporter Michael Cooper, chronicles a tax cut the Obama administration implemented several months ago that reduced taxes by a total of $116 billion for the majority of Americans. But when polled, people are more likely to either not know their taxes had been cut or think that their taxes had been raised. But the people weren't just polled by the large New York Times/CBS News poll, for this story the Times reporter also visited some good old town's people in Huntersville.

Scene from Huntersville gathering. Photo by Travis Dove for The New York Times.

The setting for the article takes place at Pig Pickin’ and Politickin’, a barbecue-fed rally held in Huntersville last week by a Republican women’s club. Despite the partisan nature of the group, they represent typical Americans. And I feel the article was balanced while also maintaining its purpose of informing readers of what's been happening with their taxes.

Because of so much clutter and nonsense that's being projected in campaign ads, bias media reports, and rallies from disingenuous "grass-roots organizations," an alarming number of people have become overly worked up over topics that they haven't taken the time to become fully educated on. Far too common these days, people are becoming anti-something or denouncing something that in actuality benefits them. Regardless of whether you're a Democrat or Republican (or Tea Partier), you should be aware of the fact that the Obama administration cut your taxes or that about one-third of the much-hated and debated $787 billion stimulus bill was in the form of tax cuts. I learned this months ago and, lately, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart, among others, have been shouting it from the rooftops (sometimes it takes a little humor to get to the truth).

As I've done the past two years, for the 2008 and 2009 elections, I'll soon be posting links to a few local resources that aim to inform the public on policies and candidates they'll be voting on this November. I think it's a responsibility for those of us who disseminate information regularly into the blogosphere. Too many people go into the ballot boxes blindly, or support or oppose something they don't know much about. That's really inexcusable in this Internet age we live in. Some of you spend more time researching players for your fantasy football teams than you do the candidates whose policies can greatly affect you and your family's lives.

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Mark Martin Is a Hip-Hop Head

I just saw the coolest thing a few minutes ago. I was watching Jim Rome Is Burning on ESPN, and Carl Edwards was serving as the correspondent at the end of the show. Edwards was walking around interviewing other NASCAR drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway, getting ready for this weekend's Bank of America 500. When he's talking to Mark Martin he says, "Mark has a diverse taste in music. What are you listening to right now?" Mark replies, "Gucci Mane's got a new album out, so I'm listening to that."

Yes, the 51-year-old, who's currently the oldest driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is a hip-hop head. Can you imagine him speeding down the racetrack with "Gucci Time" blaring out the windows? Martin said he's also playing Eminem's latest album.

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Read About It: K-Ci and JoJo Come Clean with Reality Show

You've probably been wondering what's been going on with K-Ci and JoJo--and even more importantly, what's up with Jodeci? I tried to get some answers for you when I interviewed the Hailey brothers for their new reality show, K-Ci & JoJo ... Come Clean, which premieres Tuesday, October 19 at 9 p.m. on TV One. You can read about it in my article for Creative Loafing: "Singers K-Ci and JoJo Come Clean with new reality show."

One particular question I asked them, that I hope we see some traction on, is what will it take for all of Charlotte's R&B stars to do a concert together. Imagine if K-Ci and JoJo, Anthony Hamilton, Fantasia, Calvin Richardson, Sunshine Anderson, and Horace Brown all put on a show in Charlotte. It would be hours of great soul music from artists who got their starts right here in North Carolina, who are either from Charlotte or currently call it home. I think fans would come out to support this momentous occasion.

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