It’s About Creating An Experience, Not Just Marketing
When was the last time you actually said to yourself “man, I should buy XYZ brand a.s.a.p. cause that lady with the puppies in the ad sure thinks it is the greatest”? Be honest, these days it has become increasingly hard to actually reach consumers the old fashioned way, but what Out Cold Marketing does, is actually an older practice than billboards or ad placements.
What Is Out Cold Marketing Again?
We take the brand and bring it to the consumer live. It might be on the road, or in cities of all sizes. Our grassroots apporach geared toward consumers creates an everlasting bond for the brands we represent. We create amazing branded experiences.
In The Beginning, Thou Shall Meet At Tavern
I started Out Cold Marketing with literally nothing, well not nothing. My wife and I joke that it was started with one of those Acer mini computers, the ones with the 8in screen.
“That was my Macbook something different.”
Having a few drinks with my lawyer (my cousin Chris who would never put me in the wrong spot) and my wife (Holly) at our favorite water hole the Green Door Tavern,we were talking about how Holly and I have so many ideas, and so much drive to want to do them. So I really started asking myself what to do, since I was currently about to be in between jobs, and interviewing for more.
While all 3 of us were at the Green Door Tavern having a great time, Chris asks me, “why don’t you just start your own thing?” We all laughed and 3-5 hours later we had decided. Thanks to Godaddy, we found out that www.outcoldmarketing.com was open, and ready to be a website.
Out Cold The Movie Inspired Us
Well if you are asking, we have many different tastes in movies. Out Cold is the early 2000’s film with Jason London and Zach Galifinakis. It was great they were living my dream of living and working in the mountains each day on their snowboard. The movie is full of great one-liners. It also talks about not going corporate, and doing what you love. So Out Cold Marketing was born, and the next day my cousin filed the paper work. Yes, we are named after what some would say “stupid humor” movie with no clients.
But Wait, We Have to Make Some Money
My first client/s were not only my first, but some of my favorite today. Within one week of the announcement I got two calls, and I really don’t remember who was first, but I remember them both. Liquid Force wakeboards called.Neither of us really knew how we would work together, but their marketing director told me they would. I helped with a few events and within a year, I got to be a part of running their largest event Brostock!
The other client may or may not surprise some people, but he was the owner of my favorite bar in Kansas City, where I lived for almost 5 years after college. Lew’s is a local neighborhood bar with owners that have a deep history in the neighborhood I lived in. I was helping them on the side with their events, sponsorships and a little bit of everything else. News spread in Kansas City and I got a call from the owner, and their logo still remains on our website today under the client tab and will forever. He wanted to find a way to hire me to do more of what we had been doing, but officially. He always said,
“I know your agency will be huge someday and I am getting in now while I can have your attention.”
The Struggle Starts With Me Not The Business
From the outside, Out Cold Marketing is all fun and it is a lot of fun, but with every business, there are struggles. Out Cold Marketing, as a whole does not struggle, it is I… the “fearless” leader that struggles with things sometimes. The biggest one for me is my employees, which are my also my family.We are a family.Here is a tounge twister for those who don’t know us well. Out Cold Marketing consists of my wife, my sister, one of my best friends from college, one of my best friends from college’s family friend, and my sister’s employee’s brother.I know this family like my own at home. They are counting on someone to lead them the right way, to help make things ok when shit really hits the fan, and to make sure their families outside of work are taken care of.
I must say, finding a way for people not to look weird at a business owner in shorts and sandals at client meetings in the office is just as crazy!
Owning a business is awesome, you get to make your own hours, have a skateboard half-pipe in your office (come see it anytime), but as the business owner you end up caring about so much more. The struggle is the owner sucking it up, putting on the happy face and letting everyone know all is good even after the worst news. When bad news comes I freak out and get stressed, but when the dust clears people are counting on me to make this business and everyone’s lives better.
Everything Is Always New, and That Keeps Me Going
The daily grind isn’t, but the stuff that happens from the daily grind is. I am so lucky to own a business I actually enjoy and believe in. Where else can you wear what you want, try new things, get great people under you to help? I feel like I owe it to someone to help them get the push they need to do this, not marketing, but business ownership.
Here Are Some Great Tips For Creating Awesome Brand Experiences
- Now everyone has his or her own opinion on everything, but these will be a great place to get started. The experience has to be authentic to really work. The consumer has to feel comfortable, comfortable enough to have an experience they may have not planned to when they woke up. Don’t push something, you know your brand, you know your customer, don’t try and be someone your not. Remember less is not always more, and more is not always better.
- Don’t be afraid to fail. When you create an experience for your consumer go nuts, try something fun and different, something you like and can really get behind. Don’t freak out when it fails. Figured out why it didn’t work and then you know what you need to do to fix it.
- LISTEN! Actually listen to your employees, and your consumers. They are the best brand advocate you have. Create something they themselves would want to go to or even propel what they’ve created. Sometimes being in charge you loose out on what’s really going on and you focus only on what has worked. This sometimes eliminates listening to new ideas.
- Be prepared. Think of the last thing that could happen, and prepare for it. Experiential Marketing, or as well call it Action Marketing, is risky and everything and anything can go wrong. From power failures, to shipping delays, to car breakdowns, you are going to be the one creating this experience and if one piece of it is off or missing it doesn’t work. You need to have backups for your backups and have great people under you to execute it.
- Ditch the tie and have fun (I know some of us still have to wear suits everyday, but you get the metaphor). You have to be relaxed, laid back, approachable, and enjoying what you are doing to get consumer’s attention. Just because everyone else in your field is doing X, X is boring and has been done a million different ways. Find a way to blend X and your Y idea and enjoy what you are doing.
BIO
When someone asks how do I get my brand in consumer’s hands, Out Cold Marketing actually makes that happen. We take the age-old question of getting a brand into the hands of the consumer and actually create that experience between brand and consumer. Not on billboards, not in tv ads, not even in print, but create experiences that allow brands to interact with consumers in a non threating, consumer generated authentic way.
What’s Is Glappitnova?
Glappitnova is a series of events uniting young influencers from every industry through storytelling, performances, and teaching sessions for one week in Chicago. The dates for Glappitnova are July 14th – July 17th. Purchase tickets here for a night of networking, learning, and entertainment. We also feature people like you on our website sharing tips, and tricks that appeals to our audience.
Thanks to our Universal Sponsors, Crain’s Chicago Business, RedEye Chicago, and Miller Coors for making this event possible.
