Collin Smith (@Collin Smith) is a marketing leader at a multi-billion dollar, global wealth management firm, with an emphasis on employer branding and culture.

Prior to working in the financial services industry, Collin worked at Cinder Block, a major merchandise and marketing agency with clients like Green Day, Radiohead, the Killers, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Here he implemented creative integrated marketing campaigns before the major adoption of the internet, driving repeated merch and album sales while developing diehard fan bases in the process.

Collin holds a Bachelor of Corporate Communications degree from the University of Maryland.

Collin really is a master of human psychology and influence, something that has lead him to craft his professional path. Together during this episode we answered the million dollar question: how do you cultivate a fanatic fan? Whether that’s a concert attendee, customer, or monthly active user, I don’t doubt you’ll find this applicable and worthwhile.

This episode is particularly valuable for anyone who wants to build a world-class brand but doesn’t know where to start. Through this episode, Collin provides you the right angle to approach this from and 3 different, key tactics immediately at your finger tips.

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Show Notes

• What influence did music have on your career and who you are today? [4:02]
• How did you start working in music when you were 14? [5:24]
• Can you describe what the hardcore scene was? Examples of bands? [6:59]
• Sounds like music pulled you in, as a career. What made you gravitate towards the music scene? [9:25]
• What was your role, when you were with that band? [11:09]
• Did you start to see there was a science to cultivate a fanatic? [13:56]
• And (with exclusivity), you were part of it together with them. [15:17]
• How developing music fanatics has lead to marketing and culture work. [19:09]
• Relatable. Exclusive access. Participation. Let’s break each down. How do you make a brand relatable? [20:14]
• Amazon Cultural values. Is this something that is “relatable”, or “exclusive access”? [22:15]
• Seems like you have to drive pretty deep to make your brand relatable? [25:00]
• 3 ways brands build themselves: Belief Based, Feature Advantage Benefit, Emotional [32:40]
• How does a brand take advantage of exclusivity (and scarcity)? [33:46]
• How a blog can act as an element of exclusivity [36:30]
• The importance of going niche 1st with your marketing and what audience you target [40:02]
• The difference between design and art [40:46]
• How control is critical in marketing to a world-class level [44:45]
• What happens if a company neglects their marketing or customer service [46:19]

Links from Episode

• Connect with Collin: LinkedIn | Email
• Bridge and Tunnel
• Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
• Blondie
• Ramones
• Gorilla Biscuits
• Give it all (band)
• Beastie Boys
• Cro-Mags
• Agnostic Front
• The Do-It-Yourself Ethic
• Serial Killer Inc
• Hot Topic
• Zumiez
• The Killers
• Jay-Z
• Radiohead
• Us Weekly
• People Magazine
• Portugal. The Man
• Webster’s Definition of Culture
• Simon Sinek’s Start With Why
• Belief’s Based Branding
• Feature-Advantage-Benefit Selling
• Emotional Marketing
• Sarah McLachlan SPCA Commercial
• GEICO marketing
• Top 5 GEICO commercials of all time
• 13 Most Influential Nike Ads
• Apple “1984” Commercial
• Apple “Think Different” Campaign
• Nike’s Mission Statement
• Disney’s Mission Statement
• Frank Turner Quote (Everybody wants to be the man…”)
• Goldenvoice
• Scarcity Marketing
• Green Day
• Blink-182
• Green Day’s American Idiot

What was your favorite lesson from the episode? Comment below!