It's never been a more exciting time to be in the world of entertainment marketing. Along with the creative forces that develop desirable content, the world of technology has landed front and center in the platforms with which consumers get their content.
I preach about passion brands. Those brands like Apple, NFL, ESPN, and others that evoke instant response. They drive enthusiasm for their users and elevate their status over their competition. And with the advances with technology, the debate about providing those hungry viewers with the best vehicle to consume the content they crave has become significant in the industry. Terms like TVE, OTT, VOD, and other acronyms that describe how you will "watch TV" in the future make for an exciting time.
I am proud to be discussing the marketing approach for the next wave of technology and how, in particular, millennials will consume content in the future. The CTAM Think panel held at the FOX studios lot this week will be a great dialog for the future. Both content providers and operators (the cable and telco folks who currently supply you with your networks) will discuss how we, as marketers, communicate the future of how consumers view their favorite show.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Friday, May 30, 2014
Father's Day
Looking for a fun Father's Day Gift? Want to show your dad a way to learn and apply marketing principles to everyday life? And most importantly, want to get him an entertaining read that we know he'll enjoy?
Pick up The Surfer's Guide To Marketing and save $3 when you enter discount code: PT8RF4Y7
Click here to get your discount today!
https://www.createspace.com/4197986
Pick up The Surfer's Guide To Marketing and save $3 when you enter discount code: PT8RF4Y7
Click here to get your discount today!
https://www.createspace.com/4197986
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Speaking Engagements
Today, for example, I am honored to speak to a sold-out group of successful businessmen at an Orange County luncheon. I try to tailor my message ranging from specific marketing tactics when speaking to a university, to a more general Sports and Entertainment approach for a group like today. From social media to traditional marketing to some of the best examples I've been lucky enough to pull off, I am always willing to share my experience and "work the room".
As a former stand-up comic, cartoonist, in-game announcer, online celebrity interviewer, and current marketing leader, I am confident that I can bring a fun, educational approach to your team, office, or school. I am well versed in all levels including high school students that I've worked with through my non-profit T.E.A.M., to college students at ASU, USC, UCLA, LMU, Chico State, and San Jose State, to professional levels including Pepperdine's MBA courses and professional networking groups.
So if you would like to get this "Yeti From The Jetty" in person… give me a shout!
Monday, January 27, 2014
THE SUPER (COLD) BOWL
With the big game coming up, its time to discuss how to create a successful marketing effort during the most cluttered event in America. In The Surfer's Guide To Marketing, we devote an entire chapter called Big Waves to marketing efforts that are developed and activated around the most competitive environment. Retail during the holidays, travel during the summer, and of course trying to promote your product or brand during the Super Bowl.
Just like last week's contest at Mavericks that featured a record swell, the bar is raised when the world is watching. With 40-foot faces crushing surfers, it is not for the weak or those who are fearful. The big stage is only for those with the skills (and guts) to drop in on a wall of water four stories tall.
This year, with the game in New York, it's shaping up to be an interesting experiment. The biggest stage in the biggest city in the world. And with bad weather looming, there is a significant chance that the elements might make for a marketing disaster! And it wouldn't be the first time.
Several years ago, when the Super Bowl was in Dallas, we were challenged with creating an interactive consumer experience for AT&T and ESPN. We accounted for huge amounts of traffic, excited fans wanting to participate, star-power with celebrities, and we ensured we had everything we needed to make our clients happy. But as I say in the book, sometimes it isn't IF something goes wrong, but WHEN! And the Case Study below is taken from the book and just goes to show that even on days with Big Waves, where the stakes are high, the competition fierce, and Mother Nature is ready to throw you a curve, you can utilize the proven marketing tactics in the book to avoid a wipeout.
Just like last week's contest at Mavericks that featured a record swell, the bar is raised when the world is watching. With 40-foot faces crushing surfers, it is not for the weak or those who are fearful. The big stage is only for those with the skills (and guts) to drop in on a wall of water four stories tall.
Even Laird Hamilton doesn't
always win on Big Waves
This year, with the game in New York, it's shaping up to be an interesting experiment. The biggest stage in the biggest city in the world. And with bad weather looming, there is a significant chance that the elements might make for a marketing disaster! And it wouldn't be the first time.
Several years ago, when the Super Bowl was in Dallas, we were challenged with creating an interactive consumer experience for AT&T and ESPN. We accounted for huge amounts of traffic, excited fans wanting to participate, star-power with celebrities, and we ensured we had everything we needed to make our clients happy. But as I say in the book, sometimes it isn't IF something goes wrong, but WHEN! And the Case Study below is taken from the book and just goes to show that even on days with Big Waves, where the stakes are high, the competition fierce, and Mother Nature is ready to throw you a curve, you can utilize the proven marketing tactics in the book to avoid a wipeout.
CASE STUDY
The Big Game
The biggest event in the United States every year is the Super Bowl. As a marketer, it’s the big leagues in terms of scale, cost, and exposure (see the chapter on Big Waves). Ad time in the game costs seven-figures for a thirty-second spot and sponsorship of various official Super Bowl elements are a huge investment. So creating your own Super Bowl event that cuts through the clutter and stands out among literally hundreds of events is a costly and extensive undertaking.
So when our client wanted to be part of the action of the Super Bowl, they approached us with the ultimate opportunity to demonstrate our Barnacle philosophy and latch on to someone else’s huge efforts. For Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, our mission was to create a presence for our client at the big game in Big D…. but without the hefty price tag or reasonable lead time. After all, creating an engaging experience that competes with the biggest spectacle in sports without all of the pesky budget or months of preparation is what every marketing veteran lives for, right? But as the saying goes, “Go big or go home.”
When our client’s major sports partner announced that they were going to be broadcasting all of their television and radio shows from a local mall in nearby Fort Worth, including all of their talent-filled programs, we took this as an opportunity to drive awareness and branding without having to reinvent the wheel and create the event itself. This weeklong festival would attract hundreds of thousands of passionate fans and it was simply our job to carve out a place on the reef to get our share of plankton.
So in an expedited manor, we secured space and created the Digital Living Room activation that accented the various broadcasts and events throughout the week. Our interactive booth would allow fans to experience our outdoor living room complete with sofas, tables, chairs, rugs, multiple flat screens showing the network’s programming in HD and 3D, broadband displays, and tons of branded premiums all promoting how our client and its partnerships were the only option for sports fans. Add to that our beautiful Brand Ambassadors and Starfish appearances from Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson, former All Pro RB Christian “The Nigerian Nightmare” Okoye, and three-time Super Bowl Champion Roger Craig and we had an attractive booth that held it’s own with the existing large-scale production.
While some brands spend millions creating their own Super Bowl event including the Bud Light Hotel, DIRECTV’s Beach Bash, and more, we were able to reach thousands of passionate Super Bowl fans attending the shopping center’s events as a complement to the host network. While our Digital Living Room was a component of the bigger picture, we served as a supporting actor to the main event and even provided value-add to their experience. And in so doing, saved our client significant dollars playing the role of the Barnacle attaching to the existing event and the crowds they generated.
Editors Note: As mentioned previously, surfers are the ultimate optimists and make lemonade whenever presented with lemons. So when the 2011 Dallas/Ft. Worth Super Bowl week was hit with “the storm of the century” including wind, snow, and -5 degree temperatures, our outdoor living room seemed like a disaster in the making. But, a few quick adjustments (and several large space heaters later) our virtual living room became a shelter from the elements for the crazy fans that still braved the cold. While we had to endure some good natured ribbing for the unfortunate circumstances (including comments that our living room was “just like the fan’s own homes…only with five inches of snow inside”, or people wanting to tell Christian Okoye to change his nickname to “The Siberian Nightmare”, we still exhausted our inventory of client literature and branded premiums representing the maximum quantity of impressions we were targeting!
Friday, December 20, 2013
An AMAZING 2013!
Hello All. I wanted to thank everyone for your amazing support this year with the release of "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing." Its incredible to think that an idea in my head could come to fruition and be as successful as it is.
When I came up with the concept and wrote "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" I thought it would be a great tool to help students and young marketing minds to see the amazing opportunities that live within my industry. I had no idea that I would get such a great response from a diverse audience, support from friends, family, and interested consumers alike.
Having created T.E.A.M. to help motivate underprivileged students and showcase how they could excel in the world of sports and entertainment, I knew that showcasing my experience with brands like ESPN, NFL, ABC, etc. would resonate. It was a formula I utilize in speaking engagements and when I meet with aspiring and talented individuals. But until you put your heart and soul into a project, spend significant hours and energy creating it, and ultimately put it out for the world to enjoy, you don't know if you have a success. It's something that I mention in the book as part of the marketing process but ironically I've realized it was also the feelings surround the creation of the book itself!
So as we end 2013, I wanted to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am. All of the clients who had confidence in me and my team to develop campaigns that exceeded their expectations. All of the creative and strategic minds that allowed me to join them to develop innovative efforts. The amazing roster of celebrities, athletes, and business executives that I have been fortunate enough to engage and collaborate with. And my family who go beyond this little "bucket list" project and stand by me regardless.
And most importantly, anyone who reads this and supports what I do.
"The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" was founded on the promise of providing an educational, motivational, and entertaining experience and I encourage you to read the book regardless of your career field. Because had I not taken my own advice, I would have never taken a chance and written the book. You can succeed in any field or activity you choose and if I can go from a packaged goods marketer to developing Super Bowl events, anyone can do it! And as I always say, if a large uncoordinated man like myself can balance on a small board on large waves, then you can do anything!
Here's to a great 2014 and I hope "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" provides an idea, an urge, or a spark to make your next year as great as mine was this year!
When I came up with the concept and wrote "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" I thought it would be a great tool to help students and young marketing minds to see the amazing opportunities that live within my industry. I had no idea that I would get such a great response from a diverse audience, support from friends, family, and interested consumers alike.
"The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" is on the shelf!
Having created T.E.A.M. to help motivate underprivileged students and showcase how they could excel in the world of sports and entertainment, I knew that showcasing my experience with brands like ESPN, NFL, ABC, etc. would resonate. It was a formula I utilize in speaking engagements and when I meet with aspiring and talented individuals. But until you put your heart and soul into a project, spend significant hours and energy creating it, and ultimately put it out for the world to enjoy, you don't know if you have a success. It's something that I mention in the book as part of the marketing process but ironically I've realized it was also the feelings surround the creation of the book itself!
So as we end 2013, I wanted to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am. All of the clients who had confidence in me and my team to develop campaigns that exceeded their expectations. All of the creative and strategic minds that allowed me to join them to develop innovative efforts. The amazing roster of celebrities, athletes, and business executives that I have been fortunate enough to engage and collaborate with. And my family who go beyond this little "bucket list" project and stand by me regardless.
And most importantly, anyone who reads this and supports what I do.
"The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" was founded on the promise of providing an educational, motivational, and entertaining experience and I encourage you to read the book regardless of your career field. Because had I not taken my own advice, I would have never taken a chance and written the book. You can succeed in any field or activity you choose and if I can go from a packaged goods marketer to developing Super Bowl events, anyone can do it! And as I always say, if a large uncoordinated man like myself can balance on a small board on large waves, then you can do anything!
Here's to a great 2014 and I hope "The Surfer's Guide To Marketing" provides an idea, an urge, or a spark to make your next year as great as mine was this year!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
I Am Not One Of Jerry's Kids
In The Surfer's Guide To Marketing, I try to keep it entertaining and light by telling several humorous stories that have happened throughout my career. While I end up as the punch line in most of them, the readers love to hear the crazy tales and humorous anecdotes that have occurred across the last few decades of my work.
And one of my favorite tales involves the legendary radio personality and Top 40 icon, Casey Kasem. We all grew up on his countdown and he has been a legend in the industry across TV (as the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo) and radio since well before I was born. While I've had the pleasure of working with literally hundreds of celebrities, athletes, etc. and devote an entire chapter in the book to utilizing STARFISH (celebs) to drive your messaging, my all-time greatest celebrity encounter story with Casey is without a doubt "Number 1 on the List".
In the chapter on ENVIRONMENTALISTS, we discuss how cause marketing and philanthropy is the duty and responsibility of any forward-thinking brand. I am a huge believer in charity and doing goodwill (if nothing else to offset the karma of a lifelong smart-alec). There are so many good things a brand can gain while providing resources, awareness, and support to numerous philanthropic interests. And having grown up with my mother serving in leadership roles with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it was a natural fit for me to see charity as a tool to accomplish positive results in both the business world and the humanitarian world.
About a decade ago, after helping to organize a charity dinner for MDA featuring star athletes who made up the MDA "Muscle Team," I was asked to present the large novelty check of the proceeds during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Along with my proud mom, I made my way to the local Los Angeles television studio (KCAL 9) to present the check live on-air. That's when I met the legendary DJ and host of the local telethon, Mr. Kasem. And while I had visions of grandeur on my mind as I made my way on stage (ok, I was hoping to just remember my line and not fall down), it was a nervous moment being on-air. Remember, as a 6'5" gorilla in a china shop, I was always just a slight trip or bad turn away from knocking over the set, tote board, and Jackie Johnson!
Fortunately, with just mere seconds to go before we went live on the air, Casey was able to distract me and make me forget that I was about to go on in front of millions of viewers... BY CONFUSING ME WITH ONE OF JERRY'S KIDS!!! For the complete hilarious tale and more like it, you know what to do...
Pick up a copy of The Surfer's Guide To Marketing. Good luck Casey and know that you will always have a special place at the top of my embarrassing countdown.
And one of my favorite tales involves the legendary radio personality and Top 40 icon, Casey Kasem. We all grew up on his countdown and he has been a legend in the industry across TV (as the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo) and radio since well before I was born. While I've had the pleasure of working with literally hundreds of celebrities, athletes, etc. and devote an entire chapter in the book to utilizing STARFISH (celebs) to drive your messaging, my all-time greatest celebrity encounter story with Casey is without a doubt "Number 1 on the List".
In the chapter on ENVIRONMENTALISTS, we discuss how cause marketing and philanthropy is the duty and responsibility of any forward-thinking brand. I am a huge believer in charity and doing goodwill (if nothing else to offset the karma of a lifelong smart-alec). There are so many good things a brand can gain while providing resources, awareness, and support to numerous philanthropic interests. And having grown up with my mother serving in leadership roles with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, it was a natural fit for me to see charity as a tool to accomplish positive results in both the business world and the humanitarian world.
About a decade ago, after helping to organize a charity dinner for MDA featuring star athletes who made up the MDA "Muscle Team," I was asked to present the large novelty check of the proceeds during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Along with my proud mom, I made my way to the local Los Angeles television studio (KCAL 9) to present the check live on-air. That's when I met the legendary DJ and host of the local telethon, Mr. Kasem. And while I had visions of grandeur on my mind as I made my way on stage (ok, I was hoping to just remember my line and not fall down), it was a nervous moment being on-air. Remember, as a 6'5" gorilla in a china shop, I was always just a slight trip or bad turn away from knocking over the set, tote board, and Jackie Johnson!
Fortunately, with just mere seconds to go before we went live on the air, Casey was able to distract me and make me forget that I was about to go on in front of millions of viewers... BY CONFUSING ME WITH ONE OF JERRY'S KIDS!!! For the complete hilarious tale and more like it, you know what to do...
Pick up a copy of The Surfer's Guide To Marketing. Good luck Casey and know that you will always have a special place at the top of my embarrassing countdown.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
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...
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?
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