Hip Hop is at the Moscato stop

We are all aware of the power celebrity has on branding and product sales, but here is a dime a dozen example. Moscato, the sweet dessert wine that is enjoyed by many all over the world for a looong time. But lone behold the Hip Hip world has caught onto the rest of the world and decided: I am going to rap about it, drink ridiculous amounts of it and flash the bottles all over my music videos, at my birthday, in the club, oh hell I'll just get my entourage to carry a cooler full of it.

Hip Hop has become huge with more artist touring Australia and our very own hip hop festival, but the question remains: Do they have any influence on our purchasing habits? Yessir! It appears that we will drink what they drink, when they drink it, because they inadvertently or not so inadvertently tell us to.

This is no new finding, no no, we having been listening to them since the days when Jay Z had 99 problems and bitch ain't one, Tupac was all about a gangsta party with Snoop on the West Coast and Biggie was hypnotising girls with his flashy ways on the East Coast, we have been following their drinking habits with a funnel and a pimp cup.

It appears that not only do we dress like them, talk like them, walk like them and attempt to imitate their "swag" without fulling understanding what in gods name it means, we are also drinking like them. Moscato has seen a massive boost in sales from 2009 to 2011 of approx $300 million, that's sweeter than a chocolate coin covered in gold. And that is just in America, who until recently were not big wine drinkers. However, it is well known that Australians love drinking wine and that a tough day at work is enough to require a bottle of wine to be opened, given their short shelf life, wholly consumed. What impact did this sudden liking from hip hop artists have on the Australian wine industry, lets see...

• Yellow Tail Moscato is predicted to sell over 0.5 million cases this year, that is just one brand
• Moscato sales jumped 87% from 2009-2011
• Moscato bottles under $7 had 800% growth.

Now I imagine that the rich and famous wouldn't drink the $7 bottles, but the lover of hip-hop, Drake and Kanye will easily purchase multiple $7 bottles on top of the already well established Moscato drinkers. Making for a sweet penny in the pockets of wine makers.

Now I'm not saying that every body that listens to Hip Hop is drinking Moscato, but you have to admit we sure are an impressionable bunch.

In the wise words of Drake: 

"It's a celebration, clap clap bravo / lobster and shrimp and a glass of Moscato"