In 1992, a company began selling athletic gear.
A few years later, Walmart bought a majority stake in it… for $51 million dollars. Cough, cough. Uh, hello!
How did a little startup command that much money? Yes, they operate with fantastic products, great customer support, and top-notch leadership.
But there’s also an X-factor. It’s something most of their competitors aren’t doing.
What is it?
They’re… FUNNY. 🤣
Their marketing uses both humor and a dash of irreverence. And it’s working like gangbusters for them. Over time, they’ve grown a huge fanbase around their brand.
Moosejaw Madness
The name of this hip and quirky company is Moosejaw.
Their mission is to be the “most fun outdoor retailer.” Judging from their marketing, they’re doing just that.
From their hilarious product descriptions, to an award-winning website, to an innovative virtual reality app, “Moosejaw Madness” turns selling clothes and gear into a rollicking adventure.
But their goal is bigger than making people laugh. They’re all about loyalty-based branding over the long haul. They know when customers enjoy the purchasing experience, they'll come back again and again.
Moosejaw produces their content with an “entertainment” mindset. They don’t merely give information to a consumer, but they present their goods with pizazz and unexpected twists.
Kinda like adding glitter to your favorite pair of underwear. Why not? Life’s short.
Your marketing must be educational AND entertaining
In 2020, Netflix released The Queen’s Gambit, a series following the fictional story of a chess prodigy.
Wait. Chess? How do you make an exciting story about a board game? Many people probably yawn just thinking about it.
But the scriptwriters took the dry subject, introduced captivating characters, and ratcheted up non-stop drama. In October 2020, it was Netflix’s most watched show in the U.S. and became the company’s biggest scripted limited series.
The Queen’s Gambit educated viewers on the complex strategies of chess but added in enough entertainment value to keep eyeballs tuned in.
Netflix. Checkmate.
Think of yourself as a Hollywood scriptwriter
Most companies use a variety of platforms to get in front of customers: Blogs, Social Media, Website, Email Campaigns, Ads, and Videos.
But here’s the problem: most businesses think like old-school marketers. “Sale!” “Discount!” “Offer!” It’s all educational and promotional. And while sometimes that’s important, no one wants to be constantly harassed with sales pitches.
A shift is needed. Instead of thinking of yourself as a sales copywriter, imagine yourself as a Hollywood scriptwriter. Scriptwriters have to engage people, and if they don’t, they have no job. And no job means eating ramen noodles and sleeping on a friend’s couch.
In the marketing world, Hollywood scriptwriters are called content marketers. And just like with films, the best stories win.
To do this, you’ve got to break through the clutter, grab attention, and stoke curiosity.
Content marketing is the entertainment business
Think about your marketing collateral. Does it have an entertainment factor?
Don’t let the “entertainment” word scare you. It simply means keeping someone’s attention.
Entertainment = keeping someone’s attention.
Getting attention is the pinnacle. When you grab attention, you win. But here’s the big problem… most advertising is BORING. Like watching someone pour cement. And that's no way to build an engaged audience (unless you pour cement on top of you while wearing your glitter underwear — now that would be fun to watch).
Most marketing isn’t very palatable. It’s forgettable, cliché, and lazy. It’s cake without the icing; hot dogs without the chili; spaghetti without the sauce.
Sure, I can hear the objections. “But I’m a lawyer... dentist… HVAC operator… I’m not Hollywood!” True, you don’t need a perfect smile, pronounced cheekbones, or Botox to do this.
But if you want sold-out fans, you gotta stop doing the same ol’ check-the-box, unoriginal, I’m-just-like-everyone-else kind of things.
Your marketing must be different than your competitors
It starts by recognizing the curse of being too professional. This is when you lose all personality.
The moment your brand grows stodgy and predictable, you drown in the sea of sameness. Your message becomes white noise. You’re vanilla in a world that only sells vanilla ice cream.
You’ve gotta be bold and declare, “Forget vanilla! I’m Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough!”
Break the rules, upend expectations, and start a food fight. There are times to step across the boundaries of conformity and climb over your industry's hallowed fences. What’s the fun in playing by the rules?
So reject one-dimensional marketing. Bust out of the saloon doors with both guns blazing. That’s right, you’re gonna be educational AND entertaining. Great marketing embraces both, mediocre marketing focuses only on one, but poor marketing focuses on neither.
You should be both educational AND entertaining. Great marketing embraces both, mediocre marketing focuses only on one, but poor marketing focuses on neither.
Are you ready to go Hollywood? Then create buzz, tell stories, add shock and awe, and make people exclaim, “What in the **** are you thinking?”
Own your stage.
That’s how you create fans.
And a fan is the highest form of a customer, especially in Tinsel Town.
Need help adding Hollywood ‘razzle dazzle’ to your content?
Creating great content takes time and skill. If you need help, that’s where we come in.
What “Squirrel!” is to a dog, “Stories!” are to us.
Let’s dress your brand with some new fancy clothes. Drip check!
To get started, email us about your project. We’ll constantly refresh our inbox until we hear from you.
About Me
Hey, I’m Brian, co-founder of Genie Jar Digital. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a mean moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor.
