Would you miss it if it were gone?

I’ll admit it…I’m a huge Howard Stern fan. And to those that have these negative assumptions about Stern simply being a “shock jock”, well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Stern is probably the most under-rated interviewer out there. He’s brilliant at it. He had me engrossed in a 90 minute Lady Gaga interview, which included an amazing piano rendition of one of her songs. I don’t like Lady Gaga music…but I now appreciate what she does after Howard’s interview. He also happens to be an extremely smart and a wonderful entertainer. He’s ‘escapism’ for those that pay to listen to him on SiriusXM.

Anyway, this post isn’t about defending why I like Howard Stern. It’s about would you miss Snoloha if it were gone? Huh!?

This morning I turned on Howard 100 looking forward to hearing his thoughts on what’s happening with the debt ceiling debate and who his guest was for the day. However, they are on vacation (again). It’s a repeat show from 1987. Yes, I was bummed. I miss Howard when he’s not ‘live’. So…I switched over to Radio Margaritaville. There, all better.

I remember when Jerry Garcia died. People were so sad, they were brought to tears. I was never a Dead Head and still don’t know much about them. But now I ‘get it’. It’ll be a sad day when we lose Jimmy Buffett. His music and lifestyle is the ultimate ‘escapism’ for millions of fans around the world.

With Stern and Buffett, you feel a certain amount of personal connection to both. Sure they are entertainers, but they have also become their own brands. And I’ll miss them both when they are gone (or retired).

Borders is closing it’s doors. That bums me out. I enjoy(ed) going to Borders, grabbing a coffee and finding a new business book or magazine to buy. It was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. And they had a nice kids area that Savannah would of enjoyed. Now my hope is the local book store can step it up a notch. Too many visits for a specific book that they didn’t have, which took me to Borders, who’d have it. And yes, I still buy good old-fashioned books at a book store…you can toss them on the boat or on the beach and not worry about them being ruined like you have to with all these fancy schmancy eReaders.

That got me to thinking about other brands and if I’d miss them if they were gone. My list went something like this (disclaimer: this is not taking into consideration job and economic impact, I get that part. This is simply a hypothetical exercise):

• Starbucks – Nope. Could care less. Don’t have one near me anyway. Prefer the local coffee shop.
• GM – Yes. General Motors put the food on my table while growing up in Flint. My dad is a retiree. So there’s a personal connection there.
• Nike – Nah. Whatever.
• TOMS Shoes – Yes. Good company with a good cause. Again, a personal connection to what Blake is doing with that brand.
• Life is Good – Of course.
• Wal Mart – Yea right. That place blows.
• Best Buy – I might miss it simply for the convenience factor.
• FOX News – Please go away.
• The Today Show – If Matt Lauer leaves…so do I. Yes, I may have a man crush.
• Hollister – Absolutely not. What a horrible place.
• Burton – Yes. I love Burton (snowboards). First board I ever bought and learned on. Another personal connection.
• Mac – Without a doubt.
• PCs – No comment.
• Jeep – YES. How else can there be a Snoloha Edition Jeep Wrangler one day?! We own two Jeeps. Mine is 16 years old. I’ve had a longer relationship with that Jeep than anything else in my life (yes, I kid my wife about that one).

To me, it seems that brands that have a more personal connection are the ones that people are most loyal towards…and the ones that would be missed. And my hope is that Snoloha has that personal connection. If it’s just a t-shirt…then I’m in trouble. Nobody really needs another stinkin’ t-shirt, or another stinkin’ t-shirt company. It has to be more than that. It has to evoke a certain feeling. It should take you somewhere when you close your eyes. There needs to be an emotional element to what Snoloha means to you.

So as Snoloha continues to grow, I wonder if people would miss it if it were gone? I certainly hope so. I know I would.