How I Became An Accidental Brand Loyalist

Sneakers & BBQ

Written By: ANDREW SEVIN

We’ve all been there. That long, meandering journey through Instagram’s endless aisle of wonder. This is not an existential examination of social media. Heck, I’m not questioning if Instagram is listening to me. Are they invading my privacy? Not asking. It’s all good. I am a willing participant and quite enjoy my handheld curated content and commerce adventures.

Here’s how I see it. Instagram feeds my passions and presents me with hobbies, many I was unaware could fill my free time with joy.

Two such unexpected pandemic pastimes have kept me busy. Sneakers & BBQ. Before kids, I spent a lot of time and money on sneakers. Years later, I have come back to it with quite a different experience. Not only do I follow Nike on Instagram, I also keep after many of their ambassadors like Tiger, Serena, LeBron and Jeter to name a few. Much of my golf looks are Nike too. Many say good experiences are built upon some modicum of convenience. This feels more like an outcome than a driver of engagement and it trivializes the complicated work the brand does to keep getting to know me.

Where Facebook didn’t grab me, Insta ultimately did. Do you get caught by those innocent product carousels in your feed? No matter the frequency they serve up a series of Pegasus, Air Force 1 or vintage Blazer kicks, or maybe a Tiger Dri-Fit shirt, I’ll just endlessly swipe left. Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.

I pray each successive swipe yields me a new treasure. Sometimes a sucker, other times they surprise me. In the sneaky world of mobile commerce, active shopping cart “states” keep my recent finds neatly tucked away, begging me to add more and ultimately check out. Three to five days later, I crack open that magical box, try on a bunch, keep what I like, return the rest (free) and move on! It all happens from the chair I’m sitting in right now.

I have 10 pairs in my cart right now. I think I’ll buy them all.

The other one I never saw coming was BBQ. Grilling. Smoking. Mmmm...

Hobbies can be hard. I’m interested in excelling at new things, but the startup work can be a steep climb. Like most, I don’t have an extra 10,000 hours laying around. Like my kid’s video games, a quick cheat code can jump start things.

A similar Saturday morning Instagram session had me thumbing thru mindless content until I came upon a sponsored ad for Traeger Grills. Let’s skip how this arrived in my feed. I was neither in the market for a grill, nor had I done any research online or in a real, live physical store. Heck this was April 2020, no one was going anywhere.

Intrigued, I clicked. I researched. I went over to Traegergrills.com. I watched their well-curated library of YouTube videos, many showcasing a mid-50s man with perfect, flowing grey locks. He prepped the evening’s meal, put in on the Traeger, left for the afternoon, nonchalantly pulling his iPhone out to manage the time and temperature of his glorious brisket from the slick Traeger App.

Only took a minute. Cheat code unlocked.

Who would pass up going from BBQ for beginners to Masterclass in one big-box store transaction? This was the type of hobby on-ramp I was looking for. Something to do where I didn’t have to be terrible for eternity.

I bought the $1,500 beauty the next day!

Trager has devised a well-integrated system where their recipe library loads “into” your grill via the app, with simple, step-by-step instructions. Prep it. Cook it for six hours. Spritz it. Wrap it. Cook it for two more hours. You can even read notes from other registered users who have executed the recipe in their own perfect way!

"I didn't set out to be known as a sneakerhead or become a pit master, but my Saturday swiping has surely enabled, fueled, even accelerated my love for both."

The sense of immediate community made my onboarding simple.

I find myself deeply invested. I know several local butchers now. My pantry is full of spices and rubs. I follow many of Traeger’s brand ambassadors like Meat Church, Snake River Farms and Kendrick BBQ. I’ve driven out of my way to test out local BBQ joints. I recently got shut out of Matt Pittman’s (Meat Church) ½ day class ($300!). I’ve gone mad.

It’s impossible to measure my brand affinity based on the grill alone. Putting aside my culinary pursuits, I even follow Jeremy Andrus, Traeger’s CEO. The daily window into both his public and private lives are a blurred line for sure. He has inspired me to be a better leader, father, and friend. twenty months ago, I didn’t even know what a Traeger was. Today, the funnel I’m fully engaged in is surely connected to commerce outcomes, but it’s so much more than that. I think of Yeti as a lifestyle brand that has made this crossover seem effortless.

At first, I defended and promoted the brand blindly. A little more informed now, I still haven’t studied the competition, and probably never will. I am no one on the social media landscape but am all too happy to loyally represent the Traeger brand free of charge in my own micro-influencer world.

I didn’t set out to be known as a sneakerhead or become a pit master, but my Saturday swiping’s have surely enabled, fueled, even accelerated my love for both. I share of love of kicks with my boys and am equally touched when they ask me to make “my” burnt ends.