Today I'm bringing you a guest from outside the industry. Because just as sometimes a great new category can be created by combining two product categories, sometimes great ideas from one industry can work well in another. In this interview, we're talking with Brian Kurtz, leader of one of the most successful information publishers in recent years. What I really like about Brian is that, while he managed publishing company Boardroom Inc., he and his partner Marty did exceptionally well at selling "air." Specifically, information where the value is derived not by the product itself, but what the product can do. Information is not the easiest sale to make. And although fashion is entirely a physical business, in a world of commoditization, the lessons learned from selling something that you can't physically touch or feel offers something to all of us in the fashion business.
We're going to discuss:
- How results-based marketing can help fashion brands win at the cash flow game
- The single most important asset a brand can have (no, not influencers)
- The huge advantage of a compelling story…and one brand that has mastered it
- A quirky shoe brand that totally gets how to properly communicate with their audience
About Our Guest:
Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for over 35 years and never met a medium he didn't like. And while he's had much success, he also must admit that trying to sell subscriptions and books on the back of ATM receipts and under yogurt lids was only "a good idea at the time..." Brian spent 34 years helping build Boardroom Inc. into one of the most successful and respected direct marketers ever.
During his tenure at Boardroom, Brian was responsible for the mailing of close to 2 billion pieces of direct mail (and he did NOT lick every stamp!); he was also responsible for the distribution of millions of other impressions and promotions in a wide variety of alternate media, both offline and online. He was committed to working with the most innovative direct marketing techniques, is known for working with some of the greatest direct marketing consultants and copywriters who have ever lived and considers himself a lifelong student. Under Brian's marketing leadership, Boardroom sold millions of subscriptions and tens of millions of consumer, health and business-related books; during his career at Boardroom, revenues went from approximately $5 million (in 1981) to a high of over $150 million (in 2006).
His mission for the next 35 years (as the founder of Titans Marketing LLC) is to be the bridge between the eternal truths of direct response marketing and all that is considered state-of-the-art direct response marketing today.
And he will do that as both a student and teacher. In September of 2014, to kick off that mission, Brian hosted what has been called the event of the decade, the "Titans of Direct Response."
"Titans" brought together the greatest minds in direct response marketing from the last 50 years as both speakers and participants.
Information on the epic conference is available at www.TitansOfDirectResponse.com.
Brian continues this mission today as "the bridge" by co-authoring The Advertising Solution, creating mastermind groups consisting of the world's leading direct response companies committed to multi-channel marketing and consulting closely with (and advising) bleeding edge companies to create best-in-class marketing programs and messaging. He also writes and speaks regularly. Recent content can be found at www.briankurtz.me. But truth be told, Brian is really just a Little League Baseball Umpire and does this direct marketing stuff on the side...his ultimate goal is to umpire in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA while he is still upright. He hopes it happens soon...
Resources:
- The Fashion Consumer: thefashionconsumer.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/thefashionconsumer
