Category: startups

The best brand you can own

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

The best brand you can own is ‘you’.

You can’t be cloned, can’t be counterfeit, can’t be me too-ed.Other people can do what you do, copy your methodology, but they never can be you.

This was never clearer to me than when Zach de la Rocha left the band Rage Against the Machine. (RATM)

Some of the remaining members then formed another band called Audioslave. Sure it was a different band, but in real terms the guitar riffs and music style was exactly the same. Just a different singer with different lyrics. In my view the magic was lost. It just didn’t have the same sound, feel and energy. As a massive fan of RATM who owns all of their music, I could never get into Audioslave. With only one ingredient changed, it didn’t work for me.That ingredient was one person (Zach) with a massive personal brand. A brand that doesn’t just stand for something, but delivers everything he does with a certain edge.

Have no doubt that successful entrepreneurs also develop a personal brand. A brand which will represent their persona, style and techniques. Those who do it well develop something which is transferable wherever they go. It is often of incredible value, a value which will live on, even after they sell their killer startup.

What about your people?

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

All our startups, businesses and brands have their people. It’s members, it’s customers. The humans that matter in whatever we do. So how do we connect with them? Not talk to them or worse, at them, but how do we really connect with them?

Here’s what we are doing at rentoid. We are having an coffee session in the CBD of melbourne (our home city) where members can come and grab an espresso and simply chat. If only 1 person turns up, that’s fine by us. Because that one person matters as much as the 250,000 others. In fact to them, they are the only person that matters.

The discussion will be whatever the people want it to be about. Not a contrived focus group. What matters is making a connection with them, being a group of people trying to help each other, breaking down the traditional corporate facade. Not having any gatekeepers.  And quite frankly we can’t wait.

If you’re in Melbourne came and meet the rentoid team for a chat and an espresso on us before work. We can chat about startups, marketing, life and maybe even rentoid. We’ll be at Journal in Flinders lane. All the details are here.

When’s the last time you took time out to hang with your people?

Best Pitch Ever

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

London Advertising Agency Prima, were pitching for the Ford Motor Co advertising account. This was in the halcyon days of advertising circa 1969.

They decided to do the following:

They dismantled a Ford Escort car. Took it up the stairs piece by piece, part by part and then put it back together in the board room. This was where the pitch was to take place. The people who did this were not mechanics. It was the people who would be working on the Ford account. The creatives and the account managers. The idea was entirely conceived and executed by the people who would be working with Ford on their advertising.

When the Ford people arrived for the pitch. They were flummoxed to say the least. And immediately asked how they got the car in the building?  Given there was no obvious way for the actual car to get in the building, let alone up the stairs!

The pitch then commenced with the Prima advertising team telling the story. Which no doubt included some of the trials and tribulations of dismantling & building a car piece by piece. But more so, showed all the intangibles which ultimately won them the account:

Passion, Ideas, Creativity, work ethic…

And a willingness to stretch themselves as a partner and an understanding of what Ford do, beyond that which any other advertising agency could have.

This is the benchmark. What will your next business pitch look like?

Picasso – 10 minutes & 40 years

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

A customer came to Pablo Picasso and asked for him to paint her a portrait.

He did so in 10 minutes. And then asked for $20,000 dollars.

The customer was perplexed and said – “But it only took you 10 minutes?”

His response: “It took me 40 years to be able to do that!”

Startups: The price needs to be a function of value created, not the time taken.

The Front Page

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

While talking with Chris Mander last night, he gave me a great quote:

“A wesbite is not about the front page”

It’s about every page. This is because “search” changed everything. People simply don’t go through the front door anymore. We get sent to the exact room, which solves our exact need. We can go through back doors, or any door for that matter.

So then why are we constantly devoting 90% of our resources designing and cleanest, coolest, front page that only 10% of people will enter through?

Startup blog says – All web pages ought be created equal.

Why authenticity works

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Any disciple of the new marketing world order will tell you ‘be authentic’. And startup blog couldn’t agree more.

Here’s why: It’s refreshing.

It is so refreshing to hear a person, group of people or a small company tell the truth for once without a hidden agenda. It’s the opposite of what we’ve had for most of the past 50 years. It’s the opposite of what we expect, and usually get.

Net result is a relationship of trust is built. When this new paradigm arrives all sort of cool things can happen.

Like removing the need to advertise.

Like a loyal consumer base.

Like brand evangelists.

Like all the good stuff most large companies dream of having.