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The Rise Of The Creative Middle Class

Jean Dujardin: A virtual unknown who beat both George Clooney and Brad Pitt for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Jennifer Hudson: A girl from Chicago who started out singing in her church choir and went on to win a Grammy, an Oscar and a Golden Globe—and was chosen out of hundreds of other potential performers to honor Whitney Houston during the Grammy Awards.  Without "American Idol," the world may never have known her.

Jonathan Friedman: the unknown director of one of the top ads of the Super Bowl (according to both Ace Metrix and USA Today), starring a homicidal dog with a penchant for bribery. Without the Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl” online contest, this ad (and the talent of Jonathan Friedman) may never have seen the light of day, much less aired during the world’s biggest advertising event.

These are three very different examples of creative excellence that have more in common than the beginning letters of their first names. They are all great examples of a growing trend: the Rise of the Creative Middle Class, a trend that will indelibly change the cultural forces that influence the entertainment, advertising and media industries.

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What is the creative middle class?  It's the creative group that is unattached to the “establishment” of creative businesses -- that, without today's democratized means of finding talent, would be unable to make a living doing the things they love. While the principle of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” will always exist, the Rise of the Creative Middle Class is changing the creative quality of what entertains, educates and persuades us. And this is important as marketers look for new ways to surprise and delight consumers.

Popular funding platforms like Kickstarter have opened doors to creative thinkers and doers from all walks of life to explore their passion and enter the creative ranks. The program’s immense success represents a fundamental shift in the ways our culture looks for ideas and inspiration. We’re no longer being handed our tastes by an elite creative few, but instead are encouraged to discover what moves us through the many discovery channels at our disposal.

While consumers will no doubt continue to buy tickets to see movies starring George and Brad, the Jean Dujardins of the world are only going to multiply. Alluring covers and headlines on the newsstand will always attract impulse buys -- but the rich, social content on the Web, created by real people with a real point of view, will continue to capture mindshare and influence culture.

As the meritocracy of the Creative Middle Class continues to prevail in the coming years, traditional media, publishing and entertainment companies will be forced to contend with the influx of independent creators who are shaping viewpoints and inspiring the masses. Those who wish to survive -- and attract the attention and dollars of premium brand advertisers -- will have to adopt a keen eye for talent, a unique point of view, or an interesting voice and provide them with the platform, distribution network and monetization tools to help them build audience and earn a living.

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