Guest Lectures at Long Beach State

This week, I had the honor of speaking with multiple marketing classes at CSULB.  Taking over the week for Professor Tomlin, I set about to engage the students with real-life case studies and examples of successful marketing activations.  Deploying the same philosophy I utilize in other speaking engagements and in the The Surfer's Guide To Marketing book, I strongly believe that my objective should be to educate, motivate, and entertain the next generation of marketing minds.

Lecturing to the class with video and even some POP show-and-tell

Focusing on some of my favorite cases throughout my career and discussing award-winning marketing efforts with brands like FX, NFL, ESPN, ABC and others, I showcased the promotional spots, POP, and collateral materials to allow the students to better comprehend the strategy, activation, and ROI each of these campaign bring.

The last element of the class was to have the students break into smaller groups and create a strategy for ESPN's Monday Night Football campaign and follow it up with brief presentations of their concepts.  Following their presentations, we showed our version of the Legends of Monday sweepstakes with four Hall of Famers including Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen, Lawrence Taylor and Tony Dorsett, and the fully engaged class was more than enthused to see our version of their assignment come to fruition.

Working with breakout groups on their ESPN case assignment

In all, the students of CSULB were engaging, eager, and more than up for the challenge of becoming the next wave of marketing greats.  And it was my privilege to hopefully enlighten the classes and motivate them to pursue the world of sports and entertainment marketing as a career opportunity.

MORE RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

I am always excited to speak with various groups about my marketing experience and creative approach.  I demonstrate real-world successes versus theories and I've had the great fortune of addressing everyone from industry executives to colleges to high schools.

Speaking at the recent CTAM Think event for television marketing and millennials at FOX.

I find it works well to bring a combination of expertise as well as levity to group settings to be able to entertain while informing the audience.  If you've read The Surfer's Guide To Marketing you know by now that humor is a great vehicle to communicate the principles and strategies of dynamic marketing efforts.  And it makes for a fun afternoon!

In Miami on a panel hosted by on-air personality Dave Holmes

If you haven't had the amazing pleasure of hearing me speak (and who WOULDN'T want to experience that?!) then please follow me on social media and lets connect.  Who knows, perhaps I can bring some of my great strategies and (not so great) jokes to your group!

ESPN's 30 For 30 - Eddie Aikau

Tonight, ESPN's award-winning 30 For 30 documentary series is featuring surf legend Eddie Aikau.  In "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing," we discuss the legendary life and legend of the Hawaiian surf icon.

In the Chapter on Puffer Fish, or becoming a strong, powerful brand when you don't have the resources to actually get there, we talk about attitude and fear.  Utilizing Eddie's legendary courage and willingness to put it all on the line is the ultimate example of how marketers and surfers must summon courage to be daring.  Please enjoy the excerpt from the book in honor of tonight's documentary on the legend that is Eddie Aikau...

"Eddie Aikau was a legendary surfer from Hawaii.  In 1978, Aikau was a member of the crew that ran into trouble in the Pacific when their boat began to sink.  In need of help, Eddie took his surfboard and set off in an attempt to paddle to Lanai to get help.  Unfortunately, he was never seen again.  But his attitude, confidence, and flat out heroism spawned the mantra “Eddie Would Go”.  I’m not saying that marketers should risk life and limb but you must also have the wholehearted belief that you can and will succeed based on your abilities.

One of the biggest flaws in business is self-doubt.  Not providing the support, resources, or fortitude necessary to truly support a campaign, initiative, or new idea.  While some people like your boss or CEO may sign off on the budget or give the green light, are they truly putting their wholehearted confidence behind the effort?  Show me a surfer who drops in at Pipeline with 50% effort on a big day and I will show you a surfer who is going to wipe out 100% of the time.

The attitude of the Puffer Fish is exactly that; if you think you are big, you can be big.  If you think you have the strategy, creativity, hustle, common sense, or just better offerings than the next guy, you need to exude confidence in that belief.  While the saying “fake it ‘till you make it” comes to mind, I would suggest that we refer to being a smaller fish as our ability to hunt like a great white while trapped in the body of a minnow.  (And hope we never get trapped inside the body of great white!)  It’s not the size of the fish in the fight, but the size of the fight in the fish.  I’d put those mean little Bettas that live in Dixie cup-sized containers at the pet store up against fish ten times their size.  If you believe you are big, and have the ability to perform well beyond your current capabilities, then you are indeed a prime candidate to act like a Puffer Fish."

Eddie Would Go.  Would you?