Ripndip Instagram

 

Why are 1.4 Million people following a clothing brand? And what's the controversy behind Ripndip?  

First lets read the comments on there last three posts.

So overall positive comments right? 

A lot of people are saying they bought something, "Copped one." One person says, "What a drop (with a fire emoji)" another person says, "YASSSSS," and another person says they like potatoes.

The reason why I'm writing about Ripndip is because while I was searching for brands that I wanted to write about, I asked my fifteen-year-old brother for ideas. He told me about how Ripndip was becoming increasingly popular at his school, and "Everyone posts it on their stories." Meaning, everyone shares what Ripndip posts on their Instagram, on their own Instagram. 

Personally I do not wear any Ripndip clothes, but I did a little research to see why everyone would be sharing what they post.

As we learned from Seth Godin, being risky is a good thing. Ripndip is in fact so risky that the majority of their posts are rather... explicit. I would be nervous to show them to my grandma. Ripndip being a skater brand, Risky is the type of "branding" they want if they are selling to teenagers. 

Here's an example of Ripndips "Risky" advertising:

As found on there Instagram: A cat getting high off mushrooms, and the same cat going to heaven with his middle fingers up.

Going back to my original question, What's so special about a Clothing Brand? What is Ripndip innovating that makes a cat so attractive to customers? In other words: What is Ripndips Value Proposition? I believe that what they are selling here is a taboo, this brand is edgier than other clothing brands, lets say for example, Nike, or Colombia.

What's the marketing challenge facing the brand?

With very little research it turns out that Ryan O' Connor (One of the founders of Ripndip) was found guilty of beating his wife. This is something very difficult to "Overcome with Marketing" because many people now hate Ryan O'  Connor and think of his actions as unforgivable.

Here are some comments from Reddit:

"Its easy, if you buy rip n dip, you're financial supporting a women beater."

"Him and his buddies started a brand and eventually he just took the entire brand and claimed it as his, pretty scummy stuff."

How did Ripndip get around this? Hush! Hush! Don't talk about it!

Its hard to find any information about this other than on Reddit, In my own research I was not able to find any news articles about Ryan O' Connor. Ripndip fans on Instagram might not know this ever happened. I certainly didn't until I googled, "Ripndip Controversy."

It's a hard question to be asked what I would do in this situation if I was marketing manager. I would probably tell Ryan O' Connor to eat dirt and I would go work for another company. 

What did I learn from this assignment? 

I learned that Ripndip is just like any other clothing brand, they found what makes them unique, they have a defined target market, and everything they do caters towards that target market. They are also very good at using social media. Although they face controversy, if they are getting fifteen-year-old kids to share their posts; that's free advertising, and that - is good marketing.

Marketing in the News - Presidential Campaign Ad

10 Second Biden Campaign Ad

First of All - Let’s not get too political. I respect all the views of my classmates. 

The reason why I chose this ad was because a lot of the things I see in the news... I honestly don't care about. That being said, I'm a clickbait sucker for anything presidential. Therefore, I found this campaign advertisement extremely amusing.

The Presidential Race is absolutely a “Current Issue,” and it is important to watch how Biden and Trump promote themselves through a Marketing perspective. A presidential candidate definitely falls under the category of, "Promoting Their Brand" Their brand being themselves.

This ad created by Joe Biden's campaign team was released on September 19^th on Biden's twitter. It went viral. As of today (10/10/20) the video has 18.2 million views and 867.5 thousand likes.

Here are several different links to watch the video:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5N7dKgIqzo

Adage.com: https://adage.com/article/campaign-trail/watch-viral-10-second-biden-campaign-ad-trump-graciously-made-him/2282766

Fastcompany.com: https://www.fastcompany.com/90553007/this-10-second-trump-clip-best-biden-ad-2020-presidential-campaign?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss?cid=search

Why has this campaign ad been so successful?

Here was my three takeaways: This ad was short & to the point, clever, and funny. I'd like to analyze it even further; let’s start with how short it was. Ten seconds is perfect length for keeping your attention, and sharing on social media. When you are scrolling through your phone and you come across an advertisement your most likely not going to give more than ten seconds of your attention. Especially if you are from a younger generation, and are used to filtering through your social media.

Secondly, what is the Value Proposition of this Ad? What is the Biden campaign selling you and what are they promising? The answer is simple, it’s what trump is saying in the video. If Biden wins (According to the ad) Trump will never speak again. That is a funny idea a lot of Biden voters can support; Although, unrealistic. It is certainly not a traditional presidential ad. It’s clever, they took a statement made by trump and so perfectly flipped it and used it against him. Then finishing it with a picture of Biden smiling, this ad is funny! It might make you laugh, more importantly it sticks in your memory.

What would I change in the Ad? – I wouldn’t change the ten second thing, but I would release a full ad where after the 10 second ad is just the intro to the full-length ad where Biden talks about his plans. This would keep the ten second attention getter, and at the same time evolve to become something more mature.

My First Marketing Post - 2020... Oh what a year it has been

Introduction: A little bit about me

Hello Everyone! My name is Jacob Perkins  

Here's a tough question I do not like answering: “Tell me about yourself.”  

There's a million things that come to mind when I am asked this, but the only words I can ever spit out are, "Eh, I'm just a normal dude. I do my own thing."

THE FACT IS: I'm 22. Every morning I drink two cups of black coffee. I like rock, blues, soul. I wake up early, and I go to bed late.

I ended up back in school when I was twenty. One day I hope to be entirely self-employed, that is why I’m studying business; for that same reason is why I am in this class.

2020... Oh what a year it has been

I'm sure many of you had an interesting ride on this roller coaster we call 2020, I know I have...

Here's my 2020:

In March I became a first-time homeowner, two weeks later the Corona Virus hit Oregon and I got laid off from my job. Filing for unemployment a week before your first mortgage payment is not how you imagine things will go. I cannot describe how stressed out/sick I was. 

Since the restaurant I was laid off from was not an essential business, I did not want to go back, I need job security. I currently work full time at Safeway, and I am very much enjoying it.

In August, A friend of mine (Old in age) who owned an Art Gallery In downtown Albany called, "The Eclectic Zebra" told me he was ready to close his doors and retire. He wanted to sell me his shop. I wrote a business plan that did not involve an, "In-person store." This is how I collected all 10,000 pieces of art work that I am storing in my garage/attic/bedroom/shed/every closet in the house. 

In conclusion: This is where my passion lies. I’m currently in the very rough beginning stages of creating this Online Art Gallery, “Oregon Art Discovery.” I should have the website up by November 1st.

Here are the pictures of The Eclectic Zebra before it was moved: