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That Funny Saddleback Bag Video: Two Big Things to Love About It and One Thing That Would’ve Made It Even Better

Saddleback Leather Company a few days ago released a snarky “how to” video to reveal shortcuts and tricks to help knock-off manufacturers bypass quality, skimp on materials, and produce a richly inferior product — specifically, the Saddleback briefcase, which starts at $568.

There’s so much to love about this funny 12-minute video featuring CEO and founder Dave Munson. But it could use an improvement that would help both this effort and any company looking to create memorable content.

The video is a little long, but it’s worth watching:

First, let’s talk about what’s excellent: It’s useful, inspired by real data, and it’s hilarious. It’s a brilliant concept: “targeting” counterfeiters while telling a bigger story of what your brand stands for.

“If you want to make money knocking off my bag, you’re going to want to know about these materials here.” —Dave Munson

First Thing to Love: Flipping “How-To” On Its Head

I love how Dave and filmmaker Joe Callander turned the notion of a useful “how-to” video on its head, creating a satiric short film that instructs those “ethically challenged and creatively bankrupt people” how to replicate quality without actually producing… well, quality.

The video nails both Saddleback’s voice and Dave’s outraged tone: It tells a true story well, in other words. As a marketing effort, it’s great content to create awareness and generate demand for a product that some might not have been previously considering. It also tells a bigger story related to counterfeiting’s underbelly. (Or possibly, just… uh… belly.)

“Today is your lucky day,” the YouTube copy reads. “[Y]ou too can make loads of money knocking off our Saddleback Leather Briefcases. Riches untold!!! … Think of all the drugs and women and alcohol you’ll be able to buy before they start complaining!!!”

So as Dave walks you through the steps of sourcing inferior materials and manufacturing methods, what he really does, of course, is educate you on what sets a well-built leather product like a Saddleback Bag apart.

“Some of these processes… are going to take some really strong adult hands. But as you know, you don’t need to have adults for everything.” —Dave Munson

Fake fashion is a big problem for luxury brands – as in a $600 billion problem and growing, according to the World Customs Organization. (Other organizations have put the global trade number on knock-offs higher.)

It isn’t illegal to buy counterfeit merchandise in many countries (other than France and Italy). But it is illegal to manufacture them, because they breech intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks and other copyright laws globally.

Losses to legitimate businesses are one thing: Counterfeiting is also associated with a slew of other criminal activities (gangs, drug cartels, organized crime) and with violating human rights and child-labor laws, according to the International Chamber of Commerce.

“Stainless steel… is sooo expensive,” So what you’re going to want to do is get some nickel-plated stuff. You can nickel-plate like plastic… junk hot metal… you could even nickel plate your crack pipe.” — Dave Munson

This Saddleback effort brings some of those facts to life, making it hard for buyers to overlook the implications of buying fake goods like counterfeit Saddleback bags (and Nike shoes, and Prada bags, and Tory Burch boots, and so on). With less preach, and more snark, Dave’s outrage at the thieves seethes just under the surface.

“You will end up saving more money than you will ever make with those gold fillings and jewelry that you get when you dig up those graves,” — Dave Munson

Second Thing to Love: Having a Freakin’ Point of View (and Focus!)

This video has one, thank God, which is consistent with Saddleback’s point of view generally. This is a company that links to its competitors on its website and invites a side-by-side comparison.

I get this question a lot from smaller companies: How can we create all the content? Like video and ebooks and a blog and infographics and cartoons and puppet shows and yadda yadda yadda?

The answer: Don’t. Just breathe. And focus.

Video is increasingly how Saddleback is choosing to voice its point of view — hiring Joe to create video full-time, and apparently planning a full-length feature film.

“What better way to share how we value people and quality and innovation and excellence than through film?” Dave writes on his blog. “As I often tell parents, ‘Your kids are watching your video way more than they’re listening to your audio. Tell them anything, show them everything.’”

Brands: Quit playing it safe. Have a point of view, and find your best way to express it.

One Improvement: What Am I Looking At?

So what would have made this short film better? Given my gushing, I might sound like I’m nit-picking here. And maybe I am. But there is one thing that could’ve made this effort spectacular. (Or maybe more spectacular? Is that a thing?)

My one quibble, from the point of view of a viewer unfamiliar with the briefcase manufacturing process: I wasn’t always sure what I was looking at. Dave is describing how to shave costs off of sourcing and manufacturing. But at some point in the film I got a little lost: Am I watching what Saddleback does, or am I seeing a staged reenactment of cheap manufacturing? It’s a small thing, but I found it distracting.

Brands: In video and in all content: Make your message crystal-clear. Don’t make your audience work to unravel what they’re watching.

Nit-picking? Maybe. But I pick the nits because I care.

What about you? What’s your take on Saddleback’s latest?

(Hat tip to Scott Stratten and Erika Napoletano for sharing this video.)

Filed Under: Annarchy, Annecdote, Business, Content, Media, Social Media, Technology, Video

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Garry Polmateer says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Ann – agree with the “nitpick” and found myself doing the same thing. In the beginning he showed all the different types of leather which was helpful, but throughout the rest of the video, they just show their version, not the “cheap version” from what I could tell anyway. Which did lead me to keep asking myself what was going on.

    Overall though, a great effort, and honestly, I’ve never heard of Saddleback bags until seeing this video. I don’t know if I’d buy one since my briefcase tends to be modeled over the technology I’m carrying at a particular time, but still, a great way to be exposed to the brand.

    Garry

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 13, 2014 at 3:14 pm

      Exactly, Garry. You. Me. Same page.

      Reply
  2. Maricela Fernandez says

    January 13, 2014 at 9:12 am

    It was very good video, I am a person who worked with leather material and this is the best explanation given about differences on leather besides the saddleback bag, I’m a person who likes bags a lot and even if a purchase a saddleback bag with extra more seams I will not mind because if you save on material you replace it by labor, I look a lot for quality when I purchase a saddleback and I was very impress on the heavy duty machines used to make the saddleback bags, this was a very good learning video and most of designers, quality control and learning aspects. Thank you! Ann Handley for bringing it in.

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 13, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      Thanks for commenting, Maricela! I found the explanation on quality vs. inexpensive/knock-off very instructional, too: I actually learned what “Made with Genuine Leather” REALLY means.

      Reply
  3. Katybeth says

    January 13, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    I grew up around horses (saddles, bridles, leads, boots,) and I’m very partial to genuine leather products. Who buys a 17 year old a leather wallet wallet this well made, when there are far cheaper models…. I did because he found this company, showed me the quality and within moments I was sold. The wallet arrived and was beautiful and of-course useful. It goes great with those Ray Ban sunglasses he sold his grandparents on :-D. Thanks for sharing the video and sharing your thoughts—the part I always like best. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 13, 2014 at 3:19 pm

      Katybeth! I love it when you stop in. Thank you, too!!

      Reply
  4. Samuel says

    January 14, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    Ann,

    I was highly interested in how easy it is to replace certain elements of the process with poorer choices.

    This is a perfect example of how content can be created in today’s Internet.

    From now, all content must have actionable text that I need to include in my posts.

    Thanks for sharing.

    – Sam

    Reply
  5. Doug Kessler says

    January 15, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    Now I want one. And a knock off for each of my friends.

    Reply
  6. Mick says

    February 14, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Wow I’ve always wanted one but price was a factor. Now that I know the quality details I can have my own bag made! I personally have no problem with knockoffs though. If that kills the economy or hinders creativity then “oh well”

    Reply
  7. Fabiola J says

    August 7, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    I loved the kicker at the end, which wraps the message of why going to extreme lengths to guarantee quality and why as consumers we should embrace it and prefer it… After all there wouldn’t be counterfeit market were there no demand.

    Reply
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  9. ask says

    April 10, 2015 at 2:24 am

    Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this website needs a lot more attention.
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Trackbacks

  1. That Funny Saddleback Bag Video | Social media ... says:
    January 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    […] Saddleback Leather Company a few days ago released a snarky “how to” video to reveal shortcuts and tricks to help knock-off manufacturers bypass quality, skimp on materials, and produce an inferior product.  […]

    Reply
  2. Interview with Ann Handley | SocialAppsHQ Blog says:
    January 15, 2014 at 12:51 am

    […] CEO or founder. A great example of that is Dave Munson at Saddleback Bags. (I wrote about it here: That Funny Saddleback Bag Video: Two Big Things to Love About It and One Thing That Would’ve Made …) Apoorva-  Also, how can they best exploit the power of various social media platforms to voice […]

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  3. BMTPPT 3: TED Goes Corporate, Best Buy Lost a Sale, a Spat about Saddleback [Video] says:
    January 15, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    […] ← That Funny Saddleback Bag Video: Two Big Things to Love About It and One Thing That Would’v… […]

    Reply
  4. That Funny Saddleback Bag Video: Two Big Things... says:
    January 20, 2014 at 8:42 pm

    […] Saddleback Leather Company a few days ago released a snarky “how to” video to reveal shortcuts and tricks to help knock-off manufacturers bypass quality, skimp on materials, and produce an inferior product.  […]

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  5. The Train Tracks Underneath the Visual Content Based Social Media Train: Part 8- Two Types of Humor Via #Snowmageddon 2014 | The NICE Reboot: A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur- How to Balance Your Craving for Humanity and Technology in Toda says:
    February 13, 2014 at 1:21 pm

    […] Bruce Kassanoff on Slideshare and Ann Handley’s blog, especially after her funny post on Saddleback Bags and Shelfies for […]

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  6. Talking Content Marketing - With Ann Handley says:
    April 21, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    […] love this question! So many companies do it right, but some of my favorites are Saddleback Bags (click here to read) for never wavering from its story; and Cisco (click here to read), for making a so-called boring […]

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