The ad world better recognize. VaynerMedia is on the job. If you think I’m joking, consider that Gary Vaynerchuk has rocked the wine industry to its snooty core in the bat of an eye.
According to The New York Times, VaynerMedia is a marketing agency with a small list of high-profile clients like the New York Jets (Vaynerchuk is a huge fan).
With his new company, Vaynermedia, he wants to market commercial products, people, teams and even sports like boxing.
“It’s about stories,” he said. “If I can tell the story to America, whether it’s riesling or a boxer from Harlem, it will sell.”
I’m with Gary V. on that. Marketing is all about stories. Stories that capture the imagination and hold one’s attention. There’s no persuasion possible without these critical elements, just like there’s no house without a solid foundation.
As for Gary V.’s chances beyond Wine Library and the social media franchise he’s built there, my friend, Tom Asacker, has an interesting perspective on disruption. He says it’s important to “choose the correct paradigm to shift.”
Market leaders have an existing paradigm that says business is about competition. And so, they focus on incremental changes in their served markets to stay a step ahead of the competition. They don’t innovate for customers. They tweak their offering to beat the other guy.
Do you consider yourself an expert? Or are you an antagonist for the benefit of your audience?
Gary V. is clearly an antagonist and a storyteller. I’m looking forward to what he does next. Hit or miss, it won’t be boring.
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I am very flattered! Thank you for those kind words and look forward to crossing paths 🙂
Thanks David. Passion is evidently lacking in today’s marketplace, and Gary exudes it (thus his distinction and popularity).
But it will take a lot more than storytelling to build great brands in today’s saturated marketplace (unless we’re talking about “personal brands.”) And even then, to take the example of branding a boxer, the brand has to be both passionate AND know how to give and take a series of punches.
Having grown up in Brockton, MA, gone more than a few rounds, and been exposed to the Petronelli brothers, Marvelous Marvin, and the family and legacy of the original Rocky, I can tell you that it’s a lot harder than it appears. And for that matter, so is all success, including success in today’s marketplace. 🙂
Hi Tom,
More than storytelling?
Okay, you mean there’s an atom (the story) and then there’s the organism in total (the brand)?
Because it starts and ends with story, in my book.
Right David. There’s the real deal – the idea, passion, product, aesthetics, people, solution, etc. – and THEN the story, which helps bring it to life for its audience and potential beneficiaries.