Every time an interviewer makes me ask my boss, “Can we say that in a newsletter?” You know it’s going to be a good day.
Today we have spicy roofs and spicy language from a master of marketing that made his fortune sell spicy shorts.
Lesson 1: Don’t be connected to Performance Marketing Drug.
Preston Rutherford openly admits that he made every mistake in the book when he founded Shorts Company Chubbies.
So I start our chat by copping a line from Sheryl Crow: “What is your favorite error?”
“Favorite Mista-A-Ake.” He then sings and laughs. “Favorite. Obviously, a euphemism for intestinal burning and sleep-development failure. But just to honor Sheryl …”
He thinks for a moment: “To be connected to the drug that is short-term performance marketing and especially return on ad costs (or roas)How effectively all of our marketing investments were evaluated on this basis. “
My eyebrows are going up. Most marketing leaders want to see a measurable, proven return, right? How else do you know what works?
Rutherford says it accurate Sentiment is the reason why he (and so many marketers) is overpowered against performance marketing. This drive to make all your marketing efforts systematically, measurable and scalable.
“We are so used to a particular feedback loop on the data page, right? If I use dollars, I only measure the success of who clicked my ad and bought for a 24-hour period.“
But this feedback-loop incenters marketing efforts that give short-term results-at the expense of long-term fire building. Not to mention, it led him away from all the fun and unusual things that made Chubbie’s recognizable in the first place.
And what’s worse that hypertaretting of performance marketing means “you are using dollars to demand a purchase that would have already happened.”
But if you don’t focus on returning, what are you focusing on?
“Brand is the most important asset that any kind of business builds”He says. “And is ultimately the least measurable with current tools.”
Rutherford’s Hot Take? Only 40% of your marketing dollar should be spent on short -term ad costs where the rest goes to fire building.
“You would much rather have someone to come directly to you – not be asked by some kind of promotion or false speed – but rather,” this is just a company that I believe in. “
Lesson 2: If the content is king, the difference is Queen.
“Which marketing trend is going to die in a fire?” I ask him.
“Generative AI,” he blurs without a moment’s break.
I. I bark-lugged. (Then I wondered if someone in my reporting hierarchy reads the newsletter and nervously pulled my collar as Rodney Dangerfield.)
“Creativity is Queen. Things that are different are queen, ”he explains. “Generative AI is trained on models of what has already been done in the past and what has” worked. “
He puts the last word in air quotes. According to Rutherford, this creates two problems: “Looks only behind and in my opinion a wrong definition of what works. It is based on running short -term revenue. “
Rutherford is quick to qualify that it does not mean that there is no place for AI in marketing. But for many marketers, it will lead to wiping out what he calls “the sea of uniformity.”
Breaking from the “sea of uniformity” is how Chubbies were born in the first place. When Rutherford and his friends sported the handmade shorts on vacation, the unusual cuts and colors had complete strangers approaching them to comment. Not everyone loved them, but everyone noticed them.
This success would never have been realized if they had based their decisions on what was already working.
Lesson 3: Think of marketing like building friendships.
You are probably thinking that this lesson will be overly Touchy-Feely. No. This is a much more CUSS charged concept.
Rutherford says any idea, tactics, campaign or concept he has Absolutely shell Go through this filter:
“Would I send this e -mail to a friend or would they talk shit to me?“
For the third time in 15 minutes I have doubled in laughter, but Rutherford has an excellent point. Stop and think about your favorite brands. It is probably those who speak to you as a human being.
It does not necessarily mean that you have to be funny, irreverent or unusual. But I guarantee that you didn’t think of someone who is blowing up with business figures.
Because at the end of the day, Brand Building is actually relationship building. This relationship will look different if you sell hot sauce, tax software or maternity pads – but they all require authenticity … and respect.
“Do I treat the people who see my ads as if I’m a business marketing for faceless customers? Or do I market someone to other people?“
As evidence, he points out that this is precisely why influencer -marketing is so effective right now. It’s a real person who speaks to you as another real person. And our recent study data carries the same story as marketing leaders are pouring a large budget in creator content, fire building and development of authenticity.
Rutherford then drops a difficult little release: “People can see through our bullshit. People are not idiots. “
