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.)
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
Exactly, Garry. You. Me. Same page.
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.
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.
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.
Katybeth! I love it when you stop in. Thank you, too!!
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
Now I want one. And a knock off for each of my friends.
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”
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.
Hey there, I thin your blog might be having browser
compatibility issues. When I look at your blog inn Ie, it looks
fine but when opening in Internet Explorer,
it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Other then that, great blog!
Have a look at my web-site – treat baldness
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this website needs a lot more attention.
I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the info!