Back in the early 90s when I used to market John Starks I walked into his house and immediately saw some workout clothes and a pair of sneakers. I realized he wore the same size I did, give or take a bit, so he gave them to me (he saw me eying them).
I would shoot hoops a lot (and still do) and what I realized when I started wearing his stuff was that when I market companies and players the best thing you can do is to wear their gear and use their products. The goal should always be to get as close to the player or brand as possible.
Ever since Starks I have gone about marketing my clients in the same way. It helps me get fully engrained into who they are and what they are about.
I don’t want to walk into a grocery store holding anything but a Mastercard if that's the card I'm going to market.
If I want to pick up the latest gear then I "Gotta Go Mo's." I want to know what it’s like to be a customer there. It's the same reason why I drink green tea from Bigelow. And I always wore Mariano’s jacket or sweatshirt to the ballpark when I would go to Yankees games.
I think its important that if there are products and companies you want to work with start off by wearing, using and eating their products. Live the brand from all angles. Engage with that company as a customer would and you will gain a greater understanding of all advantages and any challenges.
I guess that’s why I have over 250 pairs of shorts and 500 t-shirts in my closet- maybe a whole different issue in itself I have to deal with outside of this blog.
