Marketing As Theater: Meet Kevin Daum

So I’m in a marketing funk, and then I remember this guy from a panel at the American Society of Journalists and Authors Members Day, Kevin Daum, author of Roar! Get Heard in the Marketing and Sales Jungle. He radiated such energy and enthusiasm about marketing I felt if I could bottle a fraction of it, I’d be in great shape. Clearly this fellow was a marketing maniac—and of course I mean “maniac” in the very best sense. I caught up with Kevin while he was on the road (where else?) and tossed him a bunch of questions.

JDS: Your book, Roar!, an Amazon #1 best-seller several times over, is, improbably, a business parable based on the four sons we meet at the Passover Seder. I’ve always wondered what they were about. Who are they?

KD: The four buyers you as a marketer need to reach: the Wise Buyer, the Cynical Buyer, the Simple Buyer (who just knows what he wants) and the Buyer Who’s Unwilling to Ask Questions. Your job as marketer is to draw these buyers by offering them an Awesome Experience—which is the convergence of need, entertainment and the unexpected.

JDS: You have a degree in Theater Arts and have been involved in numerous theater productions. When I learned that you found a connection between theater and marketing, I assumed you were referring to marketing as a kind of acting or performing. But it seems that’s not it.

KD: No, for me it’s not about getting in front of an audience. I’m not interested in the validation of me. What matters is the validation of the book. If I have ten standing ovations, that would do nothing for me. If I die and have ten best sellers to my name, then my life would have been complete. My point was that what you learn in theater, compelling messaging, intentionality and delivery, are crucial to marketing. Everything you need to know about marketing is taught in every college in the country, but in the theater department, not the business school.

JDS: You seem incredibly driven. How do you keep yourself motivated?

KD: I love sharing my ideas. There’s also fear: I’ve got to earn a living. In addition to writing books I had a very successful company, and in the 2008 downturn got completely wiped out. Twenty-five years of work gone. I had to reinvent myself. I knew it would take two years before I had money, and I thought: if I’m going to get myself up every morning, I’d better love what I do. When Wiley published Roar!, I decided that more than anything in the world I wanted to have a NYT bestseller. So I got a tattoo that says “NYT bestseller”. This way I’m always reminded of the challenge I set for myself. Recently a CEO wrote to me and said, “We love this book. Can you talk to us?” I drew up a proposal and just sealed a $10,000 deal. And I’m talking to a Major League Baseball team. Now, I started from scratch. I had nowhere to go but up. And the fun of having a Major League Baseball team wonder, “Where the heck did this guy come from?” It doesn’t get any better than this.

JDS: Unlike many writers, you don’t seem cynical about the publishing industry. Why?

KD: I’m passionate about the publishing business—whether or not the publishers actually know what they’re doing. One of the problems is that most people under 45 don’t know anything about marketing in a down market. It’s about how do you use the tools available to you, and getting the people at the company energized about that. The publicist says, “You can’t do that—no one’s done it before”. My reaction is, “Great! Then we don’t know that it doesn’t work.” I like to think of the publishing industry looking at me and saying, “Where did this guy come from?”Kevin and his awesome tattoo--designed so he can read it in the mirror.