Murder Most Fowl: Killing the Middleman
Brandon Sanderson’s ($26 million!) Kickstarter has been covered ad nauseum. I particularly like Jamey Stegmaier’s take that a key to the success of the campaign is the trust that Brandon’s fans have in him to create great stories, consistently.
And, along those lines, while I like some of his books more than others (my favorite being The Rithmatist), none of his books are bad. They are all at least pretty dang good.
There are of course plenty of other factors that are driving the success of the campaign, and I’m sure there will be plenty of content inspired by and dissecting the Kickstarter. While worthwhile, I’ll leave the lessons learned, and tips and tricks to other content creators.
I want to focus on one meta-point that Chelsea (my fiancé) made when we were talking about the campaign. It’s an observation that I haven’t given much thought to, and that bodes well for the future of crowdfunding.
Millennials Killed the Middleman
I’m being hyperbolic – and a more representative statement would be that Millennials and Gen Zers are more likely to buy directly from creators (and brands) rather than through traditional distribution channels.
Murder most fowl in Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
One study showed that 68% of Gen Z and 58% of Millennials purchased directly from a brand (in a six-month timeframe) versus 37% of Gen X and 21% of Boomer shoppers.
I think there are a few potential drivers for this generational difference.
Comfort with technology: Technology has democratized distribution. Crowdfunding, Shopify and Woo Commerce stores, and platforms like Etsy – have made it easier for brands and creators to directly interface with consumers.
Social media marketing channels: This one is a little complicated, younger generations spend substantially more time on social media - with Gen Z at a self-reported 4.5 hours a day, and Millennials at 3.8 hours a day versus Baby Boomers at about 48 minutes a day. But, Baby Boomers are 58% more likely to click through to a brands website from a social media post. All combined, I suspect that the additional time on social media and ability of brands to build relationships with consumers through social media outweighs the higher click through rates of older generations.
Better customer experience: 60% of consumers who purchase directly from brands identified a better buying experience as a reason they purchase directly. 59% cited loyalty programs.
Support an individual: I’m a millennial, and I often support specific businesses or brands based on my perception of the company and its employees – as individuals. I can’t do the due diligence to make sure that every dollar I spend goes to people who I want to support (and our economy is way too complicated for that) – but whenever possible I try to support creators who I like, and who come off as real and genuine people.
Cut From the Same Cloth
For me, as important as consistency of the products they produce and sell – I support creators like Brandon Sanderson and Jamey Stegmaier because of how I have connected with them – through their free content.
Jamey & Brandon both produce huge amounts of free content to help people aspiring to their careers. I’ve consumed tens if not hundreds of hours of content that each of them made – Jamey mostly through his blog and book, and Brandon through his podcast and lecture series.
They are each generous with their time and knowledge. They come across as honest and earnest. They are the kind of creators who I want to succeed. And they are the kind of people who I aspire to emulate with our business.
I am proud to be a small part of their success, to champion their books and games, and to, when the opportunity arises, buy direct.
Don’t Kill the Middleman
Local game stores are an integral part of the board game ecosystem. They provide safe, welcoming spaces for the hobby to grow, curate product, and promote excellent games. Without them I think our hobby would be a much smaller place.
That is, there are some middlemen who are worth supporting.
To show our support for local game stores, Pine Island Games will be holding a monthly giveaway for credit at your local game store. You can join our newsletter to get notified when each giveaway launches.
I think that the “millennial” desire to buy direct is rooted in an understanding that businesses are made up of people, and that how we spend our money effects the success of those people. We would rather support small businesses and creators who share our ideals, and who care about our experience – rather than faceless mega-corporations that might or might not have values beyond maximizing shareholder value.
Why do you support brands or creators directly?
