If you're creative, I will listen

My wife and I had a fun experience discovering Imbibe Wine and Spirits, a new wine bar/liquor store in Bakersfield. It's a fun place to sample wines and beer that are off the beaten track. In other words, my kind of place.

My wife tasted a variety of red and white wines, while I savored a smoked porter from Alaskan Brewing Co. I first tasted smoked porter from Stone, but had never found Alaskan's version, which was the original. What a great experience.

I bought the Alaskan because I had  yearning to taste the history behind it. But my next purchase -- a bottle of Port Brewing Co.'s Old Viscosity Ale -- came simply because I liked the fun tone of the store's description of the beer, which likened it to oil out of an old farm tractor. OK, not a description that would probably attract the faint of heart, but for me, it was perfect. It said fun, adventurous, unpretentious.

Too often in the corporate world, marketing messages are buffed and polished so much they lose punch and believability. But there are more and more successful companies that realize some consumers -- a sizable group, I would add -- appreciate messages that are more raw, off the wall and funny. Those messages, rather than being dismissed as bad jokes, breathe authenticity, seriousness and individuality. They're not trying to reach all people, only people who share the value of honest, conversational messages that address the key weakness of marketing: OK, what's the catch?

Are you man enough to drink Arrogant Bastard Ale?Take Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard Ale. Here's the company's description of the beer:

"This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safe and more familiar territory -- maybe something with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy, yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multimillion-dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this."

Brilliant.

In one short paragraph, Stone has said it's funny, small and genuine, creative enough to try something oddball, and arrogant enough to dare you to try Arrogant Bastard Ale. Sold!

Bottom line: Be creative, take risks, whether it's in your product creation or marketing. If your product is good, there's a sizable audience who will appreciate and reward your risk-taking.