How Marketing Wins: 01 - Cat & Cloud

Product: Cat & Cloud Coffee Mug

Premise: Marketing research done on myself to explain how 'marketing' caused me to buy. 

(Side-note:) It pains me to call what Cat & Cloud does marketing. I hate the word 'marketing'; what they do is so much more important than any marketing campaign nonsense. 

Background: Cat & Cloud is a value-based coffee company in Santa Cruz, CA, founded by three friends. I have never been to their cafes or know any of the founders personally. 

I first discovered Cat & Cloud after moving away from San Francisco. I was deep in an existential crisis after leaving my dream job in the skateboard industry. Coffee was the only possible direction I could see for myself, and I was set on trying to learn and figure it out. 

Timeline: 

Podcast University - July '17: Podcasts were the first place I looked to learn. Cat & Cloud's was entertaining and educational. It sounded like two friends hanging out, mixed with a ton of coffee experience, knowledge, and a clear vision of what their company stood for. I was hooked after only a few episodes.

Skater's bias - July '17: I am way more likely to support something if a skater is behind it. Through their podcast, I learned one of the founders is a skater and isn't afraid of talking shit about what could be improved in the coffee world. As the memes say, "98% of skateboarding is talking shit." I felt right at home. 

Youtube.edu - Aug. '17: From the podcast, I went down the youtube rat hole. One of the founders Chris Baca also has a personal youtube channel with everything you could ever want to know about coffee, business, and life. I was now subscribing to two of the companies media platforms. 

Emotionally available - 2015 - Current :  On the podcast and youtube channel, the founders talked honestly about the ups and downs of running a business. Often including some of the more emotional aspects, being socially awkward and how to continually grow and improve. As a fellow awkward, emotional human, I could relate. 

Applied skills - June '18: When I finally got a job in coffee at the premiere local cafe, everything Cat & Cloud talked about was spot on in the real world. They win again. 

Check out my mug - May '19: I bought a mug. Not because I needed one, but because I wanted to keep supporting them through buying bags of coffee online and in any other small ways I could. 

Takeaways: 

This mug is a megaphone: I bought a $10 mug, big deal. True, this mug isn't going to make or break their business, but word of mouth will. I talk about their company more than any other company I support, and I've seen first hand that a lot of their followers do the same. 

Sell your dreams and your supporters will buy-in because it's their dream too.

The Power of Education: No one wants to feel stupid. If you can teach something and save someone from public shaming, they'll keep coming back and love you for it.

If Cat & Cloud didn't teach me right away, there is a good chance I would have looked elsewhere. Their content was so informative and useful, I kept coming back and developed an emotional connection with the brand. 

Know your story - Tell it often: I started listening to Cat & Cloud's podcast at random somewhere in the middle of their large library of episodes, but was able to learn about their mission, vision and values very quickly without going back to their first episode. Their story and values being easily accessible is what hooked me. 

Whether your company is ten years old or ten days old, everyone needs to know your story. Treat your content as if someone new is discovering it for the very first time, they should be able to figure out what you're about without much work or research. 

Long play: Yes, that's right. It took me two years to buy a mug. I'm cheap and overthink things, but I'll be their customer for life. Their marketing never focuses on selling specific products, or the hottest new releases. It tells a story, and then another, and another, building something you want to be a part of.

The best brands are like a good book you can't put down. You selfishly keep buying because you know with support from the community their stories will never end.