July 26, 2009
note to texas twitterers: futile marketing in texas
[UPDATE: Of course, I can’t do this alone. I’ll be needing the help of the Texas Twitter community to help me. If you have any ideas to help make this act of futility somehow less futile, please email me at gapingvoid@gmail.com. Thanks!]
My long-term plan is to continue living out here in Alpine, Texas, writing books and making paintings. An ideal West Texas “creative” life and all that…
BUT BEFORE I settle into that role, I have one LAST marketing fandango to pull off.
Namely, making Stormhoek the best-selling South African wine in Texas.
How am I going to do that? Basically, get in my car and drive. Start visiting with people. Start spreading the word. Start finding allies who can help my little adventure along. Stay on the road until I reach my goal.
You can read about my adventures on my EVIL PLANS blog page.
When David Brain asked me what was the appeal of writing books, I replied:
I certainly didn’t expect to make any real money from it, and how much it would “help” other people is pretty debatable. But sometimes in your life you have these defining moments, where you draw a line in the sand and declare to the world, “This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is what’s important to me.” I think we all need these moments at some point, to make us better understand who we really are. Writing a book is a good way to force these moments to the surface. That was really the key driver, here.
I have found that marketing can be a pretty good “key driver” in this department, too.
Especially “Futile Marketing”. Yes, this undertaking is insane and futile. It’ll probably fail. I’m going to do it anyway.
[The Futile Marketing archive is here.]
[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades.“EVIL PLANS”.]
I LOVE this cartoon. Could you link it to a higher def one like you do with your other cartoons so that I can create a cube grenade out of it? Thanks Hugh!
So what currently is the best selling South African wine in Texas?
Funny cartoon! So you are planning to write about the South African wine?
OMG i fucking love your site!!!!!!!! More power to ya!!!!
I’m gonna disagree with your cartoon just a bit. Hope that’s OK. IMHO, if the fucker doesn’t threaten to cost your life it isn’t a quest, but plenty of heroes do finish quests alive. (Notable exception = Abraham, who didn’t quite make it in person.)
Alice, who said “costing your life” meant literally “dying”?
Cartooning has definitely cost me my life, and I’m still here (for now)…
Well you know, I thought it had a double meaning, & nearly added that…
See what you’re saying, but I’m gonna disagree slightly one more time… cartooning has cost you your life so far, but you’re still here, so all other quests remain open.
My own life cost me 20 years of career-time, but now I know what to do about that…we’re all getting wiser (hopefully) (I guess).
The best way to get a Texan to do something BIG is get an Oklahoman to do it first.
Plenty of wine enjoying fools here in Tulsa. We have space for you (it’s “the man” and his “law” that get’s in our way).
Hell, I traveled all the way to London to see you, Scoble, Maryam, Milan and Winer. You can sure as hell drive to Tulsa!
We’re having an invite-only wine tasting Nov. 14 in Midland for a large number of board, staff and members. I’ll put you down on the list of people to call as we plan this thing.