YouTube Italy Hip-Hop Content Opportunity Analysis™ 2019-2022

Content Opportunity Methodology

1. Measure & Categorize. Sample a large number of social posts to find ones that are significantly outperforming the average.
2. Identify Top Themes. Identify the themes that are resonating most with the audience by sorting the themes by their aggregated performance metrics.
3. Identify a Benchmark. Identify content themes that are performing above and under an average benchmark for the industry based on views & engagements.
4. Identify Opportunities. Look at the data and find the content themes that are resonating with the audience based on a set of top creators.
5. Repeat For Each Platform. Repeat the analysis for every platform that matters to your brand and audience to find platform-specific opportunities.

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YouTube Content Bucket Definitions

• Freestyling On...: Focuses on rappers putting their own spins on classic beats the world has grown to love from Dr. Dre to The Notorious B.I.G. 
• With or Without Autotune: Content that gives the audience insight into what their favourite (or least favourite) artists sound like without autotune.
• Live Solo Performance: Italian rappers stepping up to the mic in a controlled setting to perform a song or series of songs for a video.
• Responding to Hate: Rappers are invited on to read negative & funny comments on the internet about themselves and respond.
• Newcomer Cypher: One take cyphers where the next generation of Italian rappers are invited to perform amongst each other.
• Intervista: A range of interviews from the Italian rap media that feature different prompts that dig deeper into asking who these artists are.
• Generational Quiz: A segment on a radio show where talent is invited with a parent to answer five questions that identify who is more adventurous and exciting. At the end of the challenge, the loser has to make a confession to the winner.
• Hip-Hop History: Video content made to address the history in the hip-hop world that had led to or influenced the Italian rap we know today.
• Freestyle Battle: Parties of two or more people getting together to take turns showing their talent in a face off.
• Who is the Better Rapper?: Videos comparing two rappers to give viewers the choice of who is the better rapper.
• How It Was Made: A series exploring the production and conception of the biggest songs in Italian rap.
• Rap Translation: Creators translating Italian rappers’ works in other languages back into Italian to break down the lyrical meaning.

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Content buckets that had the highest average views & engagement in the Italian hip-hop space include:

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Good performing content opportunities for the Italian hip-hop audience on YouTube include:

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Substandard performing content opportunities for the Italian hip-hop audience on YouTube include:

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Low performing content opportunities for the Italian hip-hop audience on YouTube include:

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Content Opportunities:

1. Freestyling On…

“Freestyling On…” focuses on rappers putting their own spins on classic beats the world has grown to love from Dr. Dre to The Notorious B.I.G.

Tactics to Implement:

• Intro: Most videos in this category start with a short introduction segment using either text on screen or a radio host inviting the artist to perform.
• Repurposing: Some artists will take their freestyle audio and edit it over a series of clips from their recent performance content or event appearances to extend their content creative options.

Content Opportunities:

• ESSE started a short series called RMX where artists do one shot performances with their freestyles over existing beats.
• There is an opportunity to integrate more recent beats into the game as a chance to tap into the international hip-hop community for Italian rappers & beyond.

10.9M Views

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4.4M Views

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2. With or Without Autotune

Fans are showing interest in content that gives them insight into what their favourite (or least favourite) artists sound like without autotune.

Tactics to Implement:

• Compilation: Videos in this category tend to be about ten minutes long and compile a series of videos from different artists comparing their talent with and without autotune one after the other.
• Graphics: These videos use a graphic on screen to highlight when the artist is performing with or without autotune.

Content Opportunities: There is a clear interest by the Italian rap community in exploring what artists sound like without autotune. All of the formats currently follow a comparison format whereas a series focusing only on no autotune performances is lacking.

1.3M Views

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1.1M Views

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3. Live Solo Performance

Live Solo Performances focus on Italian rappers stepping up to the mic in a controlled setting to perform a song or series of songs for a video.

Tactics to Implement:

• Intro: These videos usually feature an introduction from the hosts of about 90 seconds with a beat playing in the background to hype up the introduction of the artist to the camera.
• Effects & Angles: As the artist is performing, the camera will switch from unedited effects to black and white and back and forth across two different angles throughout the video to keep viewers stimulated.

Content Opportunities: While interest is high in this segment there seems to be a gap in the live performance sector with acoustic or live production accompaniment to the rappers.

5.8M Views

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2.9M Views

4. Responding to Hate

Noisey Italia created a segment called “The People Versus” where rappers are invited on to read negative & funny comments on the internet about them and respond.

Tactics to Implement:

• Editing: Videos cut between a screenshot of the negative comment over top the artist’s music video and back to the artist when they are responding to the comment.
• Setting: “The People Versus” is set in a consistent environment so that viewers can easily identify the content and know what to expect upon watching.

Content Opportunities: Instead of addressing the negative comments on the internet, see if there is a way to tap into artist-fan relationships in a way that can evoke personality from the artist either through fan prompts for a rap series or live fan questions.

2.3M Views

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1.9M Views