Today I rekindle my love affair with Levi’s, examining their marketing along the way.
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Hey everybody. I have a fun idea for the show this week… I get a little personal, I tell a few stories, I get a little into fashion trends, but as usual tie it all into some marketing. The topic is Levi’s Jeans. Let’s break it down into four acts.
Act 1 – The Corduroy Years (1980s)
Let me set the scene. Picture a young Jim Hopkinson in 1980, just 11 years old, in the middle-class suburbs 15 miles south of Boston. Probably in sixth grade, through junior high and then into high school. This is a very impressionable time as a young adult, when peer pressure is at its highest and every piece of clothing, haircut, and friendship is scrutinized.
Let me be clear. There was one – and only one – pair of acceptable pants to be worn. Levi’s cords. There really was no other option. Your dresser was filled with identical Levi’s cords… a black pair, a brown pair, a tan pair, a white pair, a navy pair, and a maroon pair.
The problem was, Levi’s were relatively expensive. I want to say they started around $14 and might have been as high as $22 in some stores. The problem is that parents knew they could buy a pair of Lee Jeans or – god forbid – Toughskins that were going for $9.99. Myself and a few other comedians have made the connection in adulthood, that looking back it cost our parents about $5 to make us go from the object of bully beatings for wearing Wranglers, to being completely accepted and wearing Levi’s.
Today I interview the amazing Rana Sobhany, and we talk about her new book and how to market iPhone and iPad apps.
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Trying to keep up with Rana Sobhany is sort of like trying to gather up a handful of ball bearings after you’ve dropped them down a steep hill. While wearing mittens. And rollerblades. We were introduced at the opening party of the 2007 Wired Store, and since then there are many words I’ve used to describe her:
- Friend
- Former podcast guest (Episode 38)
- Guest speaker in my NYU class
- Entrepreneur
- Former tennis star
- iPad DJ
- World Traveler
- Speaker
And now Author.
And in fact, fellow author. In the podcast I do a quick reveal that I have signed a book deal and will be developing my own iPad app. But more on that in a future episode.
In this super fun and energetic podcast, we focus the first part on how she got the book deal, and the rest answering specific answers to the question: How do I market my iPhone or iPad app?
This week I ask you to please answer 10 quick questions in my year-end reader survey, and I cover the top trends of 2010 as I go.
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What a year this has been in the digital marketing world. From the continued surge of Facebook and the movie surrounding it, to the launch of the fastest selling consumer electronics product of all time — the iPad — and the disruption surrounding that, it’s been a fascinating year for digital media.
I’m going to ask you a favor. Before you read the rest of this post, please answer 10 simple questions about the show and this blog. Whether you’re a longtime fan, or this is the very first episode to grace your eyes or ears, it’s invaluable for me to get feedback on the direction of the program.
Bonus! One reader will win a Hopkinson Report t-shirt!
I am to do two things with this show…
#1 is to entertain and #2 is to inform.
Those go hand-in-hand. If I keep your attention and make you laugh but you get no value, that doesn’t work.
If I give some helpful hints but bore you to death, you’re not going to stick around either.
Quick example: Q: Why should you do a survey, how do you create one, and how much does it cost?
A: You should put together a survey to make sure you’re continually serving the customer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a major retail business, a publisher, a podcaster, or even a small-time blogger. You want to make sure your customers and readers are happy, and the best way to know that is to ask them. Things change over time, trends evolve, and you want to make sure you’re still on track.
The ideal customer is not only one that keeps coming back, but that buys more expensive items over time.
Is Apple the best in history?
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We are winding down the end of the year, just a few podcasts left to go. As we hit the holidays,
I bet there are a lot of Apple products on people’s lists:
- I’ve been predicting all year that the iPad is going to be the #1 tech gift of the season (along with the Kindle)
- iPod music players are always in demand
- The laptop elite will be lusting for the Macbook Air
- Digital entertainment geeks might long for the $99 Apple TV
Today’s interview brings together so many things that I love about this podcast… meeting cool people, digging into the mix of marketing and technology that created a successful project, and hearing a great story of an entrepreneur that worked really hard, and with a little luck, some great decisions, and the help of social media, achieved his goal.
In this case, the story is about Matt Rix, a Canadian Flash developer working full-time, that learned how to program on the iPhone, sketched out a puzzle-style game called Trainyard, topped the popular game Angry Birds at one point in iTunes, and by next year, will leave his full time job in order to pursue his dream of developing games and other apps full time.
Along the way, he gives great insight on:
- The evolution of the game
- How he tapped the international market
- The importance of a tutorial in his game
- The best day to launch an app
- How to leverage social media to launch a successful app
- The key turning point for his success
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Below is a full transcript of our conversation:
Jim Hopkinson: Welcome everyone, this is Jim. Today on the phone I have Matt Rix who is a Canadian developer. And the reason he’s on the show is kind of a success story – bit developer, bit entrepreneur, and he’s used Social Media, and the App Store, to develop a game that ended up beating Angry Birds and making some money on the side and he’s going to tell us the story today. So welcome, Matt.
Matt Rix: Hey, how’s it going?
JH: Great, great. So what part of Canada are you dialing in from today?
JH: Excellent, and so, you work fulltime for a company called Indusblue, and there you do iPhone app development, as well?
MR: Yeah, I do iPhone and iPad app development; usually not directly for ourselves, but for big name clients, like TV channels and stuff like that.
JH: And so the main story, though, is you’ve had this kind of whirlwind tour of an app being successful and everyone likes to hear these success stories. Have you been interviewed by any other media outlets or any fame, or just nerdy podcasts like me?
MR: Yeah, just a couple things. There’s been a couple blogs and sites that have done written entries and stuff, but nothing too much yet.
JH: Well, give us little bit of your background, how did you get here, did you have a computer background coming into it, and any kind of entrepreneurial spirit; what led you to this point?
For many people, Halloween is the best holiday of the year. Here is what marketers can learn from it.
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Ah yes, Halloween. A time for kids to get cavities from lots of candy, homeowners to be blackmailed for treats, and an excuse for women to be dressed in as revealing outfits as possible. What’s not to love?
But in the real world, if you’re listening to this, you probably have a real job, possibly in digital marketing, and that can be scary!
But never fear, if you pay attention, I’ll give you:
6 marketing lessons you can learn from Halloween:
Lesson 1: Be current
If you’re dressing up as the cast from Madmen, an Avatar Warrior, Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga, you’re jumping on a pop culture phenom and you’ll be fine.
If you love the Jersey Shore, and identify with Snooki or have the abs to pull off The Situation, by all means this is the year to do it. This is reality TV people, they could be off the air next season or Pauly D could become mayor of Newark. You never know how it’s going to turn out, so jump on it now.
But if your idea of something cool is the cast from Lost, Joker from Batman, Sarah Palin, or a baby-wearing bearded guy from the Hangover, you’re about a year too late. Don’t be that guy.
Same goes for your marketing plan. Are you staying current, watching new trends, and staying ahead of the pack? Or just rehashing your ideas from 2007? Call a brainstorming meeting of your best and brightest, and update your creative.
While it’s not 100% official, both the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch are reporting that the long-rumored story that Apple will produce a CDMA version of the iPhone for Verizon, starting in Q1 2011, is true.
As an iPhone owner on AT&T, what will it take me to switch to Verizon? Let me write an open letter to their management and marketing team.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below for maximum ranting entertainment (recommended):
Dear Verizon
Congratulations! I hear that you’ve convinced Steve Jobs to build you your very own iPhone for your CDMA mobile network. You must be soooo excited. I read that an analyst said it could mean 10 million more customers for you.
I also saw that you have about 27% of the smartphone market, while AT&T has 38%. That’s a pretty decent lead to make up.
However, here’s the good news for you. Nearly 7 out of 10 of the smartphones that AT&T customers have are iPhones. So if you can get those people to switch, those numbers might change in a hurry.
I have a few suggestions for your marketing department. First, let me tell you a bit about myself.
- I’m 41, live in Manhattan, and have a Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems. I have been around technology all of my life.
- I work for a website called Wired.com, teach a social media class at NYU, and with the money I have left at the end of the month, I often buy gadgets like the iPad and high end digital cameras.
- I also have my own blog and podcast, and am very active on Facebook and Twitter. Not to brag, but I’m pretty connected and a lot of people come to me for tech advice.
In short, I am your dream customer.
Let me tell you what the mood is right now in case you missed it. For the most part, people HATE AT&T. The best way to describe it is we tolerate them, because we’re such fans of Apple and love the iPhone so much.
Stop trying to make the perfect viral video, just jump on someone else’s bandwagon
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‘We want this to go viral!’
It’s a sentence that anyone that has spent time in internet marketing has heard 1,000 times. Mostly, it’s from an advertiser that doesn’t realize the cold, hard truth. It’s damn near impossible to purposely create something and make it go viral.
Sure, you can add all the elements that the internet lusts for, such as:
- Cats
- Kids
- Boobs
- Celebrities
- Getting hit in the groin
You can ‘seed it on Twitter.’
You can ‘post it on Facebook.’
You can ‘distribute it on YouTube.’
You can ‘submit it to Digg and reddit.’
While I think that I bring lots of energy and passion to my podcast, and am usually pretty articulate, I’ve never pretended that I have a great “radio voice.” Well, that distinction is made even clearer when you listen to my guest Matt Walters, a professional voiceover actor.
This podcast is truly a “must listen.”
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Everyone likes to quote the opening movie line with the gravel-voiced actor belting out “In a world…” but in reality, the people behind the success of movie trailers, commercial reads, and cartoon voices don’t get the recognition that they deserve.
This week I speak with Matt Walters, and he gives some great tips for getting into the business, how he got his start, and some hysterical examples of how my tagline could be read.
Topics we discuss:
- The interesting (and somewhat deceptive) way Matt got his start by defying stereotypes and pulling a “Karate Kid” move
- The process of getting an agent and breaking into the business
- Techniques for getting ready and warming up
- What happens when you get a nasal cold
- The different way a voiceover actor watches TV
Check out Matt’s voiceover reel:
We then talk about the godfather of voiceover, Don LaFontaine. Reading his wikipedia page, and watching a video tribute to him, you realize how amazing this guy was. Can you believe he’s done more than 5,000 movie trailers and hundreds of thousands of TV ads and promotions?
We also talk about whether it’s better to have a big part in a small movie, or in his case, a small part in a big movie. Matt played Owen Wilson’s work friend in Marley and Me (also starring Jennifer Aniston).
This podcast was recorded on Tuesday July 6, 2010, and it was a historic day for Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Superstar LeBron James. No, it was not the day that he announced which team he was going to via free agency. It was the day that LeBron joined Twitter.
Let’s look at the lessons learned from LeBron James’ first day on Twitter.
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1) Major brands need to engage in social media
Let’s face it, LeBron James is a brand. He is worth millions, is recognized worldwide, and generates revenue and profits on everything from ticket sales to merchandise. Until now, he has poked fun at Twitter, but he has finally broken down and signed up. Any major brand looking to engage with fans that does not have a social media presence does so at their own peril.
2) Your social circle strongly influences your decisions
What is the goal of nearly every company’s marketing department? To build a product with strong word-of-mouth marketing. Did you start using Google or Facebook because you saw a TV commercial about them? No. You found out about them because someone you know said ‘Hey, you need to check this out.’
