When considering the demographic and psychographic profile of the NRL supporter base, I wonder how many would have even heard of rapper Macklemore. This raises the question(s) as to why he was seen as a fit for half time entertainment at the Grand Final.
Was it his fit with the day to day ordinary aspirations, tastes and expectations of the average NRL supporter? I very much doubt it. Or maybe it was his profile with the NRL supporter base? I very much doubt that as well.
In fact I doubt if one in ten would have ever heard of him.
So it must be something as basic as the political message in his rap repertoire from five years ago. Again something that most people over the age of thirty would probably have never heard of.
Interesting that he referred during an interview on American radio yesterday to the emails he’s been getting from Australians against his performance on Sunday, as “angry old white dudes”
All of this makes you wonder just what the NRL was thinking (or smoking.) Who is the NRL targeting and what is their understanding of their supporter base? The old marketing adage is to know your market.
It’s quite apparent that the NRL has no idea.
Further, it raises the question at to whose dumb idea it was to use the Grand Final as a conduit for a contentious and divisive political message and subject their captive audience of 84,000 people plus home viewers to a political message that will effectively alienate 50% +/- of them.
After that put down of at least half the Grand Final audience it’ll be a brave (and foolish) Macklemore who takes the stage at half time on Sunday.