Indie Marketer
Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

- Bruce Lee

Entries from May 25th, 2010

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Talent Is All Around You / Activate Your Passion

May 25th, 2010 · Uncategorized

Talent surrounds everybody all the time, it’s not that hard to spot. True friends encourage each other and support each other to achieve personal growth and happiness. I’m calling a few of mine out, I’m sure the rest of you know someone on the cusp of doing something they love but just need a good kick in the ass. Here’s a few examples:

I have friends all around me who are not only talented in particular trades, but some of them are multi-talented. One friend can raise money with a few phone calls and sell conceptual art shows with ease. Another is extremely versed with design but I can tell his real passion is a knack for fixing and building things, working with his hands. I have another who knows the finer points of roasting coffee, but is a great writer and photographer. Other friends are self-taught fashion designers and cycling lovers. They’re designing clothes and accessories specifically catering to bike messengers and hardcore cyclists.

If any of these aforementioned folks had blogs – I’d definitely subscribe to them. No niche is too small or complex to turn into a great lifestyle business.

- Why not a well written blog about DIY coffee roasting?
- Home beer brewing?
- Your own line of small-batch specialty roasted coffees available at only the most chic, independent coffee shops around town and online?
- Why not have a weekend & evenings bike shop in your apartment? Taking clients when you have time or the capacity to. Personal attention and the ability for a client to say “I got a guy who can fix that”.
- Or why not a pop-up bike repair & tune-up shop on weekends at the local farmer’s market? Hand them a soda while they shop the market.
- Why not write about the trials and tribulations of running a non-profit?
- Why not show people hints of whats to come from your next crazy art show? Get them excited and spreading the word from conception to completion.

People are quick to say “I don’t know anything about business stuff, I could never do that”. Do you know how to count? Do you know basic math? Can you keep a excel sheet of your overhead and revenue? I’m betting you can. So go and do it.

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The Story Is Essential For Success

May 19th, 2010 · Uncategorized

A friend and I recently got into a heated, deep discussion about an album. The album is Bon Iver’s 2008 release “For Emma, Forever Ago.” Arguably, one of the best and most important albums in the past 10 years. The disagreement in the discussion took place when we hypothesized about why Justin Vernon‘s album was such a success. My friend staunchly defended that the album’s artistic integrity and solace was enough to propel it into stardom. She feels that the album was ultimately destined to be a success solely based upon the music contained therein. While that’s a nice sentiment to ponder, I stressed that the album got it’s legs through the story attached to it. A downtrodden, heartbroken, musician retreats to his dad’s remote log cabin in northern Wisconsin to write and hash out such a genuinely original album. When Jools Holland introduced him it’s no coincidence he casually mentions “the young man who wrote and recorded the album in such a location.” The imagery of the songs, the lyrical content and just the warm feel of the album all helps to conjure up the cabin story. The first time I heard a couple of songs from it, I knew I had to not only have it, but I needed it on vinyl. I don’t know that there’s an album more suited for the warm vinyl format. You can send someone a Bon Iver mp3 and they’ll more than likely dig the music. But send someone an mp3 and attach the story of Justin Vernon and the remote log cabin – and there’s another convert, another person who’ll google him, buy the album and likely tell someone else about it.

Smart brands can and do utilize this approach. It doesn’t have to be quite as captivating or “rags to riches” as you’d think, but it does help give the customer a vehicle in which to spread your product or service. Whether it’s Seth Goldman mixing up his earliest batches of Honest Tea in his kitchen with a thermos or Stonyfield Farms‘ Gary Hirschberg staunchly making and adhering to organic dairy products 20 years before the organic food revolution. So what’s your brand story? Are you a feelgood non-profit on a mission?  Are you a scrappy microbrew on the rise? How did you arrive to where you are now? Do your employees even know the story? Perhaps start there, because they should know too. After all, they’re your loudest bullhorns for spreading the word about your brand. You’d be surprised at what a simple, repeatable story can do. Just ask Justin Vernon.

You can buy the Bon Iver album here, or head down to your local independent record shop and pick it up on vinyl.

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THAT guy.

May 11th, 2010 · Uncategorized

Ahh summer time. Great weather, good eats, and shortened hours at the office…or not. This month marks the time hundreds thousands of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed design students clutch their gold-leafed diplomas and crawl out into the real world in search of their first jobs. Most of you (who find jobs) will find them within all different size ranges of companies. Without fail, working at each of those companies there will be THAT guy or girl. (I’ll use the male context for the rest of the article’s sake). He’s the type of guy any boss would love to hire, he’s talented, smart, hard working and willing to roll up his sleeves. He sets a great example to all the other “lazy” employees who clock out at 5 pm. THAT guy has something to prove and dag nabbit he’s going to prove it! THAT guy has been there for 2 years and somehow has seniority over everyone. That should set off a red flag, folks. THAT guy inadvertantly keeps everyone at the office later than they need to be. The other employees who wanted to leave at a decent time aren’t leaving, they’re not wanting to seem like they’re not team players. Because who needs dinner or friends or relationships, right?

Free Advice: Don’t be THAT guy. No one actually likes that guy.

Unless the deadline or project calls for it that is. If you work somewhere that is constantly having to meet trumped up deadlines and impossible feats weekly – I suggest you look for a new job. It doesn’t have to be that way. However, if you enjoy that type of lifestyle, if it makes you feel important and “busy”, then go for it. I’ll send you flowers in the hospital after your stroke or quadruple-bypass operation. On the card I’ll write a sweet little note stressing how important getting those 25 web banners done for boner pills was back in 2010. Aren’t you glad you stayed up until 4 am and finished those?

THAT guy is secretly loathed by 99% of the other designers who work with him. Some of you will disagree with me on this. I’m not condoning always leaving at the stroke (pun intended) of 5 pm. I’m completely guilty of this in my early years as a designer. Most of us are salaried employees, and this means occasionally having roll up the sleeves and put in some late hours or giving up a weekend day to get the project back on track. Deal with it. Just realize that life is short, friends are important and in Minnesota, we only get 3 months of lovely weather. So utilize them! You’ll thank me when you’re 40.

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I’ll Beat the Shit Out Of You, Or Buy You A Soda.

May 5th, 2010 · Uncategorized

In high school a kid named Jesse wanted to fight me. He was a grade younger, a foot shorter, but a real Scut Farkus type of kid. I knew who Jesse was but had never really interacted with him before. All I knew was that his parents were divorced, he walked to school, had a rumored 97 brothers & sisters and that he was “looking for me” after school. Baffled as to why he wanted to fight me or what I could have done to make him this way. I asked around and no one could really give me a solid answer. I didn’t even know the kid!

What did I do about it? Absolutely nothing. I took it as total hot air. The school bell rang at the end of the day and I got on my bus and went home. The next day was completely normal. No talk of anyone wanting to beat me up, no smirky foreboding looks from Jesse’s cronies, nothing.

A few months went by and I attended a ski club trip to the local slopes. Turns out Jesse was also attending. He had recently become good friends with my best friend Adam. Adam and I eventually ran into him outside the chalet and we all rode up on the same lift chair together. I was a little nervous but started to make casual conversation with Jesse and we hit it off. I didn’t dare ask why he had wanted to fight me (to this day I still have no clue). My guess is that Jesse was just jealous of Adam and I’s close relationship from growing up together. We had a great day on the slopes and Jesse even happily insisted on bumming me a a buck for a bottle of soda for the bus ride home.

My point to all of this, is that sometimes a brand will fearmonger another brand and try to intimidate a close competitor just because they’re supposed to. They get pressured into it by the media, the web and fearful top brass.

If you’re a brand and you’ve had the same competitors in your targets for years. Maybe it’s time to reassess why you’re targeting them and if it’s worth the unfocused effort and anxiety.

If you’re a brand being bullied by competitor, try reaching out to them. Sometimes simple acknowledgement can be the most powerful form of neutralization. Perhaps both companies could collaborate on a joint product launch, a charity’s goal, or a promotion to squeeze out other pesky competitors. This thinking could help not only your brand’s public perception, but also, your profits.

In closing, Jesse and I continued to pal around throughout high school and I even ran into him when I was back home visiting a couple of years ago. We talked for an hour over some beers. It was great to catch up. If Jesse ever needs anything, I’d have his back, and I’m sure he’d now have mine, though I do still owe him that dollar for soda.

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Teachin’ me that yesterday was something that I never thought of trying.

May 4th, 2010 · Uncategorized

This past Monday morning. How was your demeanor when you arrived at the office? How did you arrive home and greet your family or even your pets?  Did you say hello to your co-workers and mean it? Remember the last family funeral you attended? Lots of hugging, crying and acclamations of “life is so short” or “this is so stupid let’s never bicker again”.

What if you could continue that into your daily life or just try to? What if you this upcoming Monday or every day from now on you continued that same feeling of love, respect and personal connection to everyone in your life? I’m not asking for you to go around hugging everybody, but what if you kept that humbling “funeral feeling” of knowing that all of your material possessions truly do not matter. That our time here is such an eye blink in the big scheme of things.

Strengthen the connections in your personal life and professional life and watch the results. My guess is that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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A Sense of Familiarity, 1,700 Miles From Home.

May 1st, 2010 · Uncategorized

I’m moving across the country at the end of August. As you could imagine there’s a ton of mixed emotions involved. As I slowly align my life’s initiatives and meticulously plot out my departure, I find myself making a mental “Things To Do or Buy – Before I Leave” list. On this list are some understandable things like “Eat a Matt’s Juicy Lucy” one more time. “Buy a t-shirt from the Electric Fetus. Renew my MPR membership and most importantly – buy 2 new Minnesota Twins baseball hats.

On a road trip out to San Francisco in 2008 we met up with a few friends (all from Minneapolis) and set out into the city record shopping and hanging out for the day. One of my friends had brought along his San Francisco native girlfriend when she noticed that all 4 of us were wearing different variations of a Minnesota Twins baseball hat. Upon realizing this we all collectively chuckled and shrugged it off, she gave us a look as though we were all nutty. What causes this team/brand/state/loyalty? Where does it come from? Is it a learned action from our parents or peers?

Marketers can spend their entire lives trying to garner such fierce consumer loyalty. My best guess is that it comes from a few main factors:

- Either it’s bestowed upon us by our parents or elders (If I ever purchase a truck you can bet your bank it’s going to be a Ford). All thanks to my family tradition, we’re a Ford truck family. It’s as simple as that.

- The brand or item is tied to positive emotions such as spending time with your grandparents at a ball game or eating that particular brand or item during the holidays. (read: Lutefisk)

-  Sporting a particular team or city sends a signal out to others in a crowd “Is there anyone else here from this locale? Do you relate to where I hail from?” If someone does recognize your team logo or something from where you’re from, you know that you’d have an immediate commonality in which to converse with – if not only slightly larger than if they were a complete stranger from another state.

This sense of place, and unspoken provincialism can be a very powerful tool when marketing anything. After all, deep down, you can’t really ever change where you came from. Oh and by the way, Go Twins!

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