4 lessons for brands from the (still hilarious) ‘Sh*t My Dad Says’
Two years ago, this Twitter feed exploded—it became a book and later a TV show. As you might imagine, there are still lessons for brands.
There are a few other lessons that marketing and PR pros can take from Justin Halpern, who started tweeting his father’s vulgar advice and opinions in 2009. He continues to this day, and recently published his second book, I Suck at Girls.
But there’s plenty that marketing and PR folks can take from the Sh*t My Dad Says phenomenon:
Don’t overextend your brand.
Some (like Halpern) would look at what became of his Twitter feed and deem it an unmitigated success. He’s now a published author, and he helmed a sitcom based on his father starring William Shatner. At 31, he has a career most writers would envy.
But if you view Sh*t My Dad Says as its own brand, the picture isn’t as sweet. Comedy spawned from a one-joke premise rarely works well. As marketers, we should know our brands well enough to know when to say, “when.”
There’s a reason ESPN-themed restaurants—once ubiquitous in major cities—are down to just a scant few. It’s called overextending the brand, and it’s quite common.
Shareability is the new gold standard.
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