She got our attention not with the repeated Viral, ASMR1 – style videos on print and marketing services, but more so when her East Coast Staples store, where she is a lonely associate wearing the red name tag, shot to # 1 in new revenue and new customer acquisition in monthly company wide rankings.
She is 22-year-old Kaeden Rowland (known online as “Oblivion” or affectionately dubbed “Staples Baddie”).
This is not about Staples, as NYU Professor Scott Galloway noted, “a marketing genius arrives”.
Her genius EGC2 (employee generated content)with a ‘precision narrative’ can be applied to your market segment with the right messenger.
This does not include an employee posting ‘driving to Nashville,’ or great they and the company are.
Oblivion’s delivery and content created a new marketing medium.
EGC Decision – Goldman Sachs is considering a fast-talking NY Banker and actually highlights the wheeling and dealing, think Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems.
Starbucks said last Thursday that Oblivion inspired them to copy and sign a TikTok/EGC partnership deal for their barista to produce marketing in every store, nationwide.
Staples corporate marketing’s first response to shutdown Oblivion until CMO said let her go.
“We have multi-million-dollar marketing budgets and are not moving the needle and she’s bringing in new customers who never had done business with us and they’re coming back as they have been here since we opened, especially young customers, which we had dropped and thought never.”
An EGC messenger with a precise narrative produces the same customer outcomes no matter whether it’s Staples or Saks Fifth Ave, just needs a different style of messenger.
In fact, Saks bought Neiman Marcus, which for years ran away from the moniker ‘needless markups.’ EGC says own it.
By the way, this September, Neiman Marcus is shutting down their 119 year old flagship store in downtown Dallas. Ripe, Ripe EGC. EGC could save a brand, it is that powerful and that cheap with the right messenger who understands precision narrative
Got to get out of our heads: Late 1980’s marketing – everything is perfect.
The movie American Beauty, written by Allan Ball (prominent voice in LBGTQ+), a gay guy from East Cobb, drubbed baby boomers for the white picket fence stifling manicured perfection syndrome, but look at LinkedIn – hard to let go.
Lesson: Precision Narrative – Oblivion’s tallest talent may be what is most lacking on LinkedIn: precision narrative, which is what Taylor Swift brought to music – instead of lyrical wandering generalizations about how much I miss you, she writes I left my red scarf in your sister’s drawer, and you don’t care to call.
Oblivion videos with ASMR touch the same heartstrings, you understand me. That is what every audience wants.
Every entrepreneur, CEO and marketing employee should follow Oblivion and think – who can generate EGC for our brand. Who has precision narrative? Who could be an honest actor?
You, what an American Beauty.
Thinking of you, Farmer Nat is making a weekly run to Atlanta and can ship across the US. If interested, contact Nat.
CliffCo members’ Bradford Farm box:
- Bradford okra
- Sweetcorn
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Heirloom slicer tomatoes
- Heirloom mixed cherry tomatoes
- Mixed garden-style lettuces
- Santee sweet onions
- Green and purple cabbage slaw
- Adirondack blend potatoes
- Heirloom field peas
Cliff Notes:
1. ASMR – Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response
2. EGC – Employee Generated Content
