You know, ougs have now tried to make shoes like I saw one the other day. One of the brands has released a pair of high heel ods. Oh my gosh, I just think, look dying a fire. I can't be involved cross. I can't run cross. They can't run ugs with the heel of it. Stay home, Okay, I tell you what. In my agency, we have what's called the black list. Don't come to one of my events and not do any content. We didn't spend a fortune on Floral's at a fucking event. More on for you to
turn up and leave. You're not famous, That's that's ran and said you must walk around with such baggage all day long. Everything bothers here, And I thought, if only you knew me, nothing like this bothers me. Honestly washes them me immediately.
Hello and welcome to Outspoken. We are so lucky to be joined by the smart, hilarious and super talented Sam Mangan. So firstly, of course, you're the director of Spin and Co, a hugely successful global brand agency on the Gold Coast. You've worked with massive brands and spearheaded multimillion dollar campaigns growing up. Is that the life that you thought you'd lead.
Look, I don't know if it's the life I thought I would lead, But I also think, I mean you think about like young people. I mean, who the hell knows what you're going to do? Right. There was this sort of illustrious idea in my head when I was not super young, but you know, when I was sort of high school, and you know, this idea of traveling the world and working, and I thought that would be so cool. I can confirm now that i'm there. Not so cool got myss off right in the middle of that, didn't I.
As we mentioned, you run a hugely successful business, but I hear it all started with glow sticks.
I've always sort of been, I guess, business minded. But when I was very young, I think I was around fourteen. I remember every week you used to have to take home to your parents the school newsletter, and you know, most weeks it didn't make it home. But remember one week I was reading it and it's said on there it was a call out for things that they needed for the annual school fair, and one of them was glow sticks. And I thought to myself, how hard can
it be to find glow sticks? And this is in the days before Ali Barber, So I sort of went to Google. I mean, probably maybe it existed, I don't know, but I don't think it did. I went to Google and sort of searched around and found a supplier who met who was actually in Australia but could facilitate purchasing through China. I tell you what, I've never been so rich in my whole life as I was in that
moment when I did that sale. You know, at fourteen, with thousands of dollars, You'll never be that rich ever again, I can tell you that much.
I'm glad to hear you went with glow sticks because the school we went to, I think the only thing people were selling with drugs at fourteen, So well, I.
Mean that's you know, look, I would say my margins weren't quite that good. Access was a little less defarious. That was ideal, but yeah, look I think it was a free gift. I kind of recall how they ended up transacting. I remember that that one sage they asked me if we could facilitate the sale of them at the event. I said, look, we're just wholesalers of products. It's not we're not retailers. Bought that line and off
they went. But yeah, no, so that was the beginning of the whole sort of disaster that it is.
It is interesting to hear that you did start selling glowsticks, though, because there's obviously a lot of talk about everyone wants to be an entrepreneur now and start a business and nauseating. Oh I know, and everyone's because I will listen to a lot of Gary Vee, who seems to be God, and he, you know, he talks about how he started his lemonade stolen whatever, And it always seems that entrepreneurs have the same story starting a business young. But what
would be your advice to young people? I mean, as we're saying, it seems to be a trendy thing at the moment, but what is the reality of actually owning a successful business?
Look the reality when you're younger. And I can't be clear about this. Yes, I started a glowstick business when I was younger. Yes it was successful for a very short period of time. It wasn't like I then went on to build a globsed toga empire and sold it. That wasn't the case one bit. I got lucky to a certain extent. What I will say, is that the moment most of valuable stuff I've done in my life in terms of allowing me to do what I do now, was I had a job as a telemarketer three times over.
I sold time share. At one stage, I sold charitable donations. And that is that, you know, working for someone else that wasn't my own business. And that was easily the most valuable work I've ever done, because let me tell you, there is nothing harder than seldom timeshare. So it just teaches you calling someone and selling over the phone. It just it's a totally different discipline. I just think it's
super valuable. And now with people like Gary Vee and you know, to an extent, he's also talking about, you know, don't be an entrepreneur. You know, it's fine to work for a business. But I think at the core of his message is and I think it's because people are deluded, right, like people honestly think out there that you know, when he says not everyone's made to build a business, it's a select group of people. Everyone goes, yeah, I'm the
selector of people. No DCTA. If you're not, you're actually a loser who should be you know, pushing trolleys. You need to focus on the reality of the circumstance. And so for me, like I can't stress enough that had I have not done those user as a telemarketer, I'm not sure I would be as successful as I am. Now.
That's such a good point about being able to talk to anybody on the phone, because I used to work it today tonight, and I can tell you so many crazy people used to call up with their stories, and I feel like it was the best training ground because if you can deal with crazies on the phone like that, you can deal with crazy people in the pr world, I think.
One hundred percent. I mean I used to have to call people and you know, you'd speak to them for all of four or five seconds before you're asking their average household income. And let me tell you, there's no Madder white forty plus male. So when you ask him how much money he earns, I can tell you that much because they would just let loose you've called during dinner. You're the scum of the air, know what you do? Say?
That sounds like our dad who might have called you keep your whistle by the phone.
If I'd have called my house, let me tell I would have got the exact same serving, but it really was a learning care that. I don't think there's a lot of appreciation placed anymore into, you know, just having a job, Like it's it's so funny now it's like, oh, who has a job these days everyone owns a business. God, there are some days I think to myself, imagine the ease of just going to Woolworth's packing shells, leaving it five and not giving up flying talking about the place
ever again. You know, Wow.
I think it's because dear Lord, and a lot of people wouldn't know that you actually studied law, So what made you want to move? Make them move from law to public relations.
Look, I have a very strong ego as to so many people in business, but I don't like being in a room where people speak and I don't understand what they're talking about. That's reserved exclusively for when I'm with my accountants. No, I think it's it's just super I
just didn't like it. It was uncomfortable. I felt that it was a it was something that I could go to university here, I mean with trash university degrees here, But for me, I don't like that going to university and studying that you could learn on the job yourself as you're going as opposed to something like the law, where it's quite difficult to attain that knowledge without being tortured.
And so I felt if I was going to go to UNI, which I wanted to do, I wanted to, you know, spend this ridiculous amount of money to learn
something that I couldn't otherwise learn on the job. Whereas for me, and this isn't the case for everyone, but for me, I didn't feel like a business degree would be super valuable a marketing dough etc. Because I didn't feel like a lot of the greats that I would look up to, you know, when I was a lot younger, most of them that you knew of didn't have business degree. So I kind of found that category was sort of like, if I'm going to spend the money. Look, my mum
was devastated. She was hoping that I was going to work my way up and be a lawyer. This whole start your own business plava to her was just an excuse to not get a job. But you know, it's just one of those things for me that I just felt like it would be valuable in so many aspects of my life. So that was the best investment of my time and money to have a degree that would allow me to well informed. And look, I mean, you guys are in a business you've knowniced as well as
I do. So many people love to throw around like I'll sue you, or like suing is, and let me tell you, the legal system is not built for anyone to win. The only people who win a lawyers, because every dispute is just you go literally nowhere. It's it's such a terrible system where it's designed to make it difficult so that not everything goes through, you know, like even small claims and things like that. It's just silliness.
So having to understanding you know, contractual negotiations, contractual obligations, you know, protections, you know, just being able to read a contract and understand what I was reading, it's just it's been super super valuable for me. Well.
Aside from all your business accolades, you are also renowned for your amazing Instagram rants. We love them. I just can't get enough of. And also your podcast. Literally I've been recommending it to everyone I was just listening. I appreciate it and it's so good. You know, like this PC world we're living in at the moment, it's so nice to hear someone actually being honest and open and I love that. Can you tell us what inspired your rants?
Yeah? Look, it was purely accidental. It's funny. I still get messages from people. I still get comments from people who say to me, oh, you're turning it on a bit, or you're hamming it up, or it's you know, this actor is too much. I can honestly tell you, and as will anyone who knows me well, none of it's an act. All of its reality. If you get me started on any sort of topic, we'll come back to Gary B. But if you get me to start on any topic, I really can go on all day. And
it's stopping me. That's the more difficult of the task. But for me, I just I started off originally doing Instagram stories where I would finish my day and I would just sort of have a general conversation with what was a very small group, you know, personal friends, et cetera, and sort of did that. Well, so personal friends who followed me, I didn't have a being following, and so
what I should have said? And so then I did that and then slowly more and more people started to sort of, you know, follow me and talk about it. And then they started responding to the Instagram stories and saying, if you posted this, I could tag my friend. I wish I could send to my friend. And then I started to notice in the analytics that people were sending the content on So then I decided, why not post it and then let's see what happens. And then sort
of the ball started rolling. And I mean, look, it's taken a bit of a life of its own. I unfortunately do have many day jobs, so I can't dedicate probably as much time as I would like to sit there and winch about the world's problem is going to be of the world.
You're not going to become a full time influence an hour.
Oh look, wouldn't I just be the worst influencer ever? Let me tell you. I mean, I mean, we're banging on Bunning's warehouse door as we speak, demanding to be answered, and yet they are refusing to talk to us. So I think that my influencer days are very much numbered, if they even existed ever. But so it kind of just evolved very naturally from there. You know, the podcast thing We've launched a new businesses recently which is in podcast production, and so it was just sort of a
natural evolution to have a podcast. But again, it doesn't have an intent. I know a lot of people think I lie when I say this, but it doesn't have an intent. There isn't some sort of grand plan and behind it. It's just because it's a bit of fun. I you know, personally, I like the fact that people can listen to it and have pure escapism for a moment of their day. It's ridiculous, it's stupid. I'm complaining and getting very worked une without the most inane and
moronic things. But that I truly believe that is what underpins all human beings. You know. The fact that someone doesn't use their indicator is something that no matter what happens, it will drive me mental for the rest of my days. And it's it's the stupid stuff. Like the other day on my story, I went to a cafe and I got an iced coffee and I left with my paper straw that disintegrate and under thirty seconds. But it's trash.
But it was served in a single use plastic cup, and it was served with a single use plastic spoon. I mean, please, you know, but we're all we all feel good about ourselves because we're using it a straw that you know, I couldn't even of course it people. Of course it's good for the environment. It's not even good for my drink. You can't get through one whole drink. Of course, it's going to disintegrate before it gets to
a turtle. But I mean, for me, it's just I just think it's funny because it's something that we can all connect with. And I get so many messages from people who now I sound like I'm really influence suff I get so many messages all the time, some who say to me like, oh, it was just so refreshing you you put a smile on my face and I was having a down day or this, that and the other. And I think to myself, will why not put it
out there? What's the difference. It doesn't make any difference to my day in terms of it's not what I do for a living or anything. But I just think there's so many silly things, and I must admit so many people say to me, you know that we're living in a PC world, and it's good to hear someone and say, I honestly don't think I'm that controversial. Sometimes sure, but I honestly don't think half maybe three quarters of stuff I say it's that bad. I truly just think
it's just normal. I just maybe color it in a different way.
I think it's just you know, people are so careful these days what they say, so I think it's just nice to be like, hey, I think the same as you, and you know, like PC Brigade, it's not going to come in.
And yeah, oh and look they come in. They come and they come into the Instagram DM or let me tell you, they roll in with their little pity party. But I think it's quite funny. But I had a d N the other day. Actually it was the most bizarre DAM I've ever probably not ever received, but one
of the more bizarre ones. Normally, someone will come into my dms either abuse me because I'm a terrible person, or it'll be generally speaking, the audience that I've sort of put together that is very it's the nicest people. All they all get it. They're all in on the joke, is what I like to say. No, Like I have something, we message me in and I'll say like I can't believe you're so worked up over a straw. You're so over this. I'm not worked up over It's just it's annoying,
and it's something that why not talk about it? And the hypocrisy of the straw thing or that says that, I just think is funny, And that's what I'm talking about it. I'm not going around. I've got one about two weeks ago and someone messtery and said, you must walk around with such baggage all day long. Everything bothers here, and I thought, if only you knew me, nothing like this bothers me. Honestly, it washes them me immediately. But I think, wow, what a funny thing to talk about
like that. I mean, here we go. No, you can't stop me. The Royals, I mean people saying they should be flying commercial. That is a true face, I mean honestly. I mean they're not flying economy because they want to, or because it's a good idea or anything. They're flying economy for pr Oh, it's ridiculous.
Do you reckon me? Do you actually think that Will and Kate and their kids actually flew economy Because there was that photo floating around of them walking on the tarmac and I thought, wait a sec, don't they aren't they meant to fly sep parally anyway, William and George because if the plane goes down, there's your future King's dead. So I was like, well, did they even fly it? Or do they just get this photo snapped on the top.
I truly believe they do, because there's photos of them on board as well, And that's the ridiculous's right, like that they're on board, but they're surrounded by guards and it's like, well, I understand, like what's that? You know what I mean? But honestly, what a disgusting life to leave, Like, you know, every day you grked at. You can't do anything. It's not like a regular celebrity. They're not allowed to
say anything they want. Their grandmother tells them everything. They're allowed to do, becau they're allowed to marry, when they're allowed to talk. I mean, like, it's really a sad existence. You can't spend any of the ridiculous money you've got. What's the point.
Yeah, And I love the fact that Harry's actually hit out for once and just told everyone basically to fuck off about blood.
Isn't that dreamy?
Yeah?
Isn't that dreamy? I am so into that. And then everyone was like that they've been giving you such a good media run. Sorry, our whole family is the reason you can sell a newspaper. You're giving us something.
Princes John has been dead for twenty years and they're still putting it that she's still making news.
I mean, it's still making news. It truly is disgusting. And you know, the people in the UK are so passionate about the royal family and you know, I hazard to guess that fifty percent of the tourism to London alone is because of that. Like, what on earth is going on? I mean the fact that you know, we've got a plane that our prime minister can fly on blah blah blah. They should honestly have a gold jet with diamond toilet seat, like good on it. You know what.
They've literally got a castle full of relics and diamond encrusted this and crowns and whatnot, but we're expecting them to fly economy. The whole thing, to me weeks of just this absurd pr play that I just don't think is necessary. I think it's okay that we all admit that they are literal royalty, who live in actual castles. They are in fact above the average person. And if they wish to fly private, I think that's okay.
It's not as if Megan Marker would be flying bloody economy during her suits days.
So yeah, do you think I think she was oraon? She was in baggage holes. I think it's the most stunning turnaround of events. She would have been begging for the invites to any event, and that pr and La would have been like, who are you suits? You're not one of the main people. Sorry, Harvey Specter only. And now she's called them all back and saying hello, remember me? Yeah, sucker. I mean, she wouldn't have been able to get into Vogue on her best day. Now she's doing a guest
edit because she feels like it. It's the most stunning turnaround I've ever seen.
Now, Sammy, I'm known for doing the Lord's work, and one thing that we love is for you keep the Cheryls and Susans and Karen's of the world accountable. Can you explain to our listeners who these type of people are.
Look, they're a very specific subset of human culture. There are some presumably listening I interchange the names because I do feel like often they do have different names. I don't want to think that's only just the one name. But look as Cheryl, a Susan a Karen. They're usually working in an accounts payable. They're often at the counter of a retail or hospitality ven. You're asking to speak with the manager immediately. They're usually at school pickup asking
why the hat is missing and demanding answers. They're usually driving around in a white persia. You know, they're a very specific group of people. They've commonly got a very aggressive cross fringe. It could potentially be a box diye. I can't be sure. They don't mind a color every now and again. They bought purple, came out more blue that stine For Cheryl, she doesn't mind. But look, the whole thing is just ridiculous, right, Like the whole premise
of what I'm doing is absurd. But it's just there are these types of people out there who exist, and they just love to ask for the manager, and they just love to really cause a problem in circumstances. They don't make a lot of sense. I mean, it's you know, the one's coming into my DMS and telling me that I must live a miserable and sad life because I'm worried about such frivolous things. And you think, wow, you've you've missed the joke by so far. I can't come
to you. And as I like to say, pack your crocs and your box dye and off.
Can you believe that the can you believe my ex boyfriend used to wear crocs? And the joke's.
On me because the joke is on you. But here's the question. How did the first purchase of the crocs occur? You know what's happened there? Taking me through the psychology?
Well, I wasn't there. Look, there's a whole other issue around it. I mean, it's a whole what the hell was going on? Anyway? But he had right, I probably shouldn't very large feet. He had issues with his feet. Yes, it was the only shoe. He couldn't wear thongs because there was actually something wrong with his toes that they couldn't cry. You're not really selling him, Yeah, And if that, god, you preface that with my ex boyfriend?
Yes, yeah, I have to.
Go to the croc store with him. It was humiliating, you know, the one there was one at Chadston and I was like, holy shit, if anyone sees me in here, this is so humiliating. But yeah, thank god.
That's right. Could you imagine the check you'd ask for if you're a celebrity and they came to us put your face in the school. I can't even breathe. I would be saying for them, if you're not making me more wealthy than Megan Markle, I'm out. I want to just be loaded. I mean, one campaign in the end, But look, I just don't understand the shoe as a hole. But I must say, and I said this thing on a podcast of mine the other day, I personally, my shoe size is whatever fits the fabulous shoe. I'm a
shoe person. So if I give a pair of shoes and it's a size too small, but I love it, I'm that shoe size for the day, I don't care. And so every now and again, if it's a little bit unk comfortable, you win some, you lose some where I find there are some people out there that require truly, you know, they just want such a comfortable shoe that you know their feet are just living in heaven at all times. And I think, what a b is that.
And I actually said on my podcasting the day, I think the actual upgrade from a crop to a real shoe is it's quite a simple jump. It's not that difficult. I think we in the real world offer some rather comfortable shoes, is my understanding. There are some out there. But the difference between that jump in terms of your perception in the public eye, you know, your personal brand, people's thoughts about you jump drastically when you just you
take the crocs off permanent. I don't really understand what's going on, but as the same people who are wearing like hugs that are not at home ugs, you know, hugs have now tried to make shoes like I saw one the other day. I don't know which brand it is now and who knows because they're all seeing each other because who owns the name or whatever. But one of the brands has released a pair of high heel Oh my gosh.
Doesn't that just purpose for the Bogan Princess?
Oh? I just think, look, Dina fire, I can't be involved cross. I can't run cross. They can't runs with the heel of it. Stay home, okay, you know, it's just there's no helping those types of people were.
Talking about shopping. You mentioned something on your podcast the other day about Christmas that resonated with us. We are probably the biggest Christmas lovers. I was going to say in Adelaide, but you know it's not that big. But anyway, and don't hold that against us. But yeah, so at the moment, Kate and I we live together, and just to set the scene, our whole shed is literally full of Christmas decorations and the one big thing, oh, it's like heaven. But our issue is we've got to divide
the Christmas decorations between each other. And the collection is so big. We actually opened the roller door and this sort of home well, this man walked by, this feral man. It was like fuck, and how there's so many decorations. We're just like, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Anyway, who are you?
I just was thinking, oh my god, he's going to come back and friggins try and steal them. But my question was, how do you think we should divide them? What is fair?
What is fair? Look, I just feel like there's going to be a triaging process where firstly, every year I go through a triage and I determine. You know, some years I had I had rose gold on my tree, and you know last year, actually there was a year before I said to myself saying, what are you doing? Rose gold on a Christmas tree? That's done? And so
I triage from this. I think triarching happens initially, what have you purchased out of the years that may have worked in, you know, twenty fifteen, and you've held onto it for too long? I then have you know, there's separated decorations which have somehow held onto life because my mum's involved and it's like, oh, you made this when you were four. Yeah, cool, Well I was clearly an idiot then, but this is disgusting. I had no concept
of colors, I had no concept of shape. I mean, really you should have been coming into school having a word with the teacher. But anyway, so I think there's two types of decorations, the remaining decorations after the triage and the personal ones. The personal ones who cares, I mean, let them fall off the back of a truck and
tell your parents who don't know what happened. The other decorations I think, probably, I think the fairest way to do it is you just sort of go through and whoever's you know leading the charge, you know, just keep some to yourself that you like the Bible. But look, I'm a real sucker personally. If someone said to me, like if I was separating my decorations, I would say,
you take them all. I'm going to go rebuy. I'm going to start from the ground up and rebuild my entire Christmas collection because that would really speak to me on a soulful level. I think that that's something that I could really get behind. And you've actually put an idea in my head. Maybe I've just been everything this year and staff a lot of times life. Maybe I'll shift mine to you and then you can it.
That's a good idea, perfect Well, I don't want to throw any under the well. I'm actually just gonna throw my sister Kate directly under the she I feel like I should get the first pick, because you know what she went out and bought the other day. She bought those you've talked about in your podcast, those hideous bird decorations with the I'm sorry.
No no no, no, no no no no, what says it, CURTI, I don't I'm very confused. I'm not understanding why feathers need to appear on a Christmas tree. I also don't understand why pink is on a Christmas tree normal blue. It's not a fucking gender reveal Christmas. I don't need pink or blue on my tree. And feathers, what are they? You know? You can do a very and I have them. I've had them in my tree now for two years.
When you have like a gold embellished leafing that you sort of sticks to the middle and it sort of branches out a little bit, that's fine. But what a feather's doing I don't understand, you know. And sometimes I think to myself, is it is it because they're trying to sell more decorations at these stores? Is the person
in charge of design Stevie wonder? Is there some kind of what is the process occurring that they feel the need to break away from the conventional And I'm thinking, if you can convince people that red, green, gold, you know, the approved Christmas colors are no good anymore, maybe they'll re buy. Whereas if they're the approved Christmas colors, they don't need to read buay every year. I just think
it's lazy marketing. I think if you work at one of these big stores and you want to sell more decorations in the core, Christmas colors do a better job of selling the magic of the whole process. Do you know what I mean? You don't, And I really, I truly believe this. You don't see a great deal of marketing anymore about the and I don't know about you guys, but it's a very big deal in my house. Every year in my you know, usually it's in my house
when the main Christmas tree goes up. My whole family comes over. Well not my whole family can't down. My immediate family comes over and we put it up together. There's carols playing, there's an appropriately sized cheeseboard with Christmas embellishments. There's a whole activity happening around the And I don't think that anyone out there this day of like content
is king all this bullshit. There is not really a lot of people doing a good job of creating the magic of actually putting the tree up and the process of decorating and things like that. So now it seems like it's cheap and easy marketing tactics, and it's like, well, let's telephone blues in this year, so they have to read buy blue decorations, and let's read buy a pink next year. And now it's bring out hideous birds with feathers,
and that way they'll buy new things. Whereas if you've created a magic that lives within me, I feel, you know, every year, you want to do better and you want a better tree because the whole period of time. And that's why I think is that is the core issue. So many people say, you know, they hate Christmas and it's stressful, and it's this because the presence and the
money and all the rest of it. And it's not about that in you know, in my opinion, and I'm sure it's also like yeah, sure, Dicket, you just talked about buying all new decorations. But I do really believe that the whole concept of Christmas for me is you know, your family comes together and there's time off and there
is a true magical component. And even when we discuss this with one of my clients is AMP Capital and their shopping center portfolio, and when we looked across the board at some of their properties and their Christmas installations,
some of the installations like fairy lights and things. There was a discussion point about them staying all year long because they're so pretty, but we made a collective decision not to do that because there's something about that period of time when they go up that gives you this feeling. And if you're not getting the feeling, you're approaching it wrong. And it's not about buying the most expensive present or
having the most presence. It's not about that, and if you feel that it is, I just think that you need to reassess the way that you approach the whole season.
I think that anyone who hates Christmas is soulless. But talking about soulless people, I think we need to talk about Bunnings, Willworths and KFC. This is some other poor marketing that is going on. What do we have to do to get you to be a brand ambassador for them? It's absolutely ridiculous that you are not at the moment.
I mean, you're preaching to the choir first. I mean I truly and I must say it's gone to the point now where I'm offended as a marketer, like I truly think. So here's my breakdown. Right, it's probably not
very interesting content for the podcast. You can shot this sight out, but I truly believe, right if you looked at say Bunning's Warehouse, for example, if you look at their market and who's buying from Bunning's warehouse, I would hazard to guess fifteen to twenty percent of their business trade. You know, the trades who are going in there and they're regularly buying their stuff to do work, right, I
would say eighty percent, if not seventy percent. Something like that would be every day weekend Warrior style block watching people who see the block and they go, I could do that, and they yell out and they go, hey, Steve, you know we could do and then all of a sudden Saturday there are Bunnings. You know, I could put a plan, I could do more green, and I truly believe that is a whopping part of their revenue on their bottom line. That audience is my audience. My audience
is overwhelmingly female. It's overwhelmingly you know, set of twenty five thirty plus. It's not young. And so I feel like for me, that is kind of their customer, Like, no, I'm never going to appeal to the trader, you right, So when it's all started and the whole thing was purely by accident. I don't know how long you followed me for, but the whole thing was purely by accident. I was turning a room in my house into a second wardrobe, and I went and I went to Howard's
Storage World, and I went to buy clothing racks. Anyway, they were like seventy dollars for a clothing rack that literally a strong breeze is going to blow over. And I was like, I'm not paying seventy dollars for that. That's outrageous. It's plastic. So then I was with a friend of mine and she said, well, Bunning sell them for cheap. And I said, oh, dear Lord, Bunnings. So we went to Bunnings nowhere conditioning as it was, and we traped through and I found them for nine dollars each,
and I was like, this is phenomenal. So I chronicled this whole thing on my social media. So the over at priced ones at Howard's that go in and buying the cheaper one, blah blah blah. I then put them together myself, which is a feat in its own and then within a few days they started to show signs of issues. They started to bend, they started to fold. I mean, to be honest with you, they folded like you know, I took chair. It wasn't good, and so
I again chronicle that on my social media. At the end of that, I had a guy message me and say, and this is my favorite douchebag. He messaged me and said, Hi, Sam, I only follow you because my girlfriend told me to. Do you think I give a fu Pi rack your little sad bike can get out anyway? He says that. He said, but I think it's shady that you don't disclose paid partnerships on your page when you're clearly being
paid by Bunnings. Now, not only had I trashed their product because it had literally completely fallen apart under the pressure of maybe seven shirts like oh Dear Lord, but also they would never work with me. I understand my brand isn't there. So anyway, we continued that joke, going up hosted the screenshot of his DM We laughed about
it whatever. Then I think a little bit later we did something else and I bought something else from there, and I talked about how I'm clearly the best outcome is the face for Bunnings that they could possibly have hoped for. And then finally we took it one step further. My team found me a whole bunch of official, unofficial Bunnings where house merchandise. We took the photo and it sort of has ever, it's gotten other hand from there, if
I'm honest. But now it's gotten to the point where I think this is efensive because you know on Instagram, right when someone sends you a DM and it goes into the other folder and you have to accept it for them to see that you know, you've read it whatever. So they've accepted my stories. So I'm now actively seeing that they're seeing the content. So I know they're seeing it, and yet they're ignoring it as a marketer, I tell
you what. And so I just think now, originally, had they responded, you know, some time ago, just with the loll I would have moved on and slipped a new target. Fact that they've ignored me means that I'm going to double down.
You need to go to a competitor. I don't know who the competitor. Yeah, someone else start showing some interest in my ten and they might suddenly be like, things don't deserve you.
I don't think after this well, look right, it's.
Probably some thirteen year old girl controlling the Bunnings or social media page.
Yeah yeah, well this is this is what I'm concerned about. Is it a forty five year old Cheryl who isn't actually getting out like the jog's well and truly over a loo sty head. Or is it an agency partner who's looking at being like they're probably an agency that knows me, and they're probably like, what a douchebag. Absolutely, they're moving on now.
We know you're a very busy man, but we just had one last segment we'd like to run through with you, if that's all right. It's our quick it's our quick fire rounds. We've got a few things. We just want to get your initial feedback from thoughts on the masked Singer.
Here. Look, I mean I haven't watched it myself. I do think that I think you said answers. I do think that it's the concept is great, Like I think that's a bit of fun. I think that in Australia though, you always drank the issue if we can't afford real talent, do you know what I mean? And I just feel like now you get into that situation where it's like they take off the helmet and Lindsay Lowhand looks at them and she's like, I've been told to act surprised.
It's like, sweetheart, you know, I'm also not a huge fan of Hughesy. I don't know that I'm in love with anyone who needs to yell to get a laugh. Personally, that's just my personal preference. But you just know that Cody Simpson's regretting it. Now there's dating mind.
Sure. The next question is to be and our next one is what do you think about vloggers who forget to vlog?
What does that mean?
Your typical vlogger will go to an event and obviously the pr and marketing team has spent all this money and they'll forget to bloody bring their camera in and then just go on the current say oh sorry guys, I forgot to vlog. It's like that's your whole job and you forgot to.
Well, look, there's I guess there's two parts to that question. Firstly, if it's just purely from an audience perspective and you know we've forgotten that, I think fucking leave that person immediately for debt. They're going nowhere with their career. If they're not remembering to fucking record, it's your only job. It's like on the McDonald's not getting Sweet and South source in the bag. This is the only job. It's on the list. Put it in. But if it's from
a PR perspective, I tell you what. In my agency we have what's called the blacklist. Don't come to one of my events and not do any content. I'm well known for it too. I have no time for that. I think there is a level of respect that's involved in these circumstances. We didn't spend a fortune on Floral's at a fucking event. More on for you to turn up and leave. You're not famous. Do you think your faith means anything to me? No, turn your phone on, like,
I mean, that's just the reality of it. But yeah, so I would split that up there. But for sure, I mean, you guys are in PR. If someone's turning up to your event and they're doing no coverage, that's a quick fire away to never get an invite ever again, is there.
Anyone that you hate to follow on Instagram? And if there is, can you tell us no?
So I am super weird with my Instagram, I don't. I follow very few people. I mean I follow two and a few people, so I was like, not that few, but it's pretty limited. Personally, my relationship with Instagram isn't hatred like a lot of people like I hate it, but I'm there for work. Personally, I like Instagram and that's because I only follow people whose content I genuinely
want to see push in my face. Now. I will often go on Instagram and go and find, you know, pages that I often will visit and see content, Like I don't follow any brands pretty much, so I will actively go out on there and look for content and consume content. May not follow the pages, And it's purely just because I set a rule for not a rule, but I set a standard to myself that I just don't follow every single person because eventually it becomes a
slippery slope where people get offended, you know. You know, it's like in our line of work, I don't follow every makeup harder set I work with for talent, I don't follow every hair person. I don't follow eight thousand people who work at the place that we worked with. You know, I don't do that, and I think that that hardline is it's nothing to do with you. It's nothing to do with that. I'm not following this person,
not following you. It's just purely because when I consume Instagram, I consume it in my personal time, when I'm working. I'm working. If I wake up in the morning at six and open Instagram, I don't give a fuck that you're doing. Someone's here I've never heard of, I never met you once. I don't care. So I just think, you know, if you tag me, I'm there, I'm liking it. I'm leaving a comment. You know, let's chat. All good,
you know, and you're a great person. I don't personally if I follow you, it's not some reflection of what a great person here, has nothing to do with that. It's purely a representation of whether I want your content forced upon me when I open it. I'm just trying to know it round and I hate but that list is very long. But I don't think. I'm now looking at my Instagram and just think, I don't think there's
anyone that I hate follow. Look, and to be honest with you, I regularly do you guys call your Instagram like, do you go through it? Look?
I'm pretty good with my Instagram because I feel bad sometimes if I delete someone I know. But there was a girl recently that she'd post about ten times in the space of five minutes and Instagram and she had to go. I was like, look, you're not understanding the rules of Instagram.
You've gone too far. You're out, Yeah for sure. Yeah. Look, so I'm literally you've got en out scrolling for my Instagram. Yeah. I don't have anyone that I hate follow this. I'm trying to think there's any pages that I actively go to to look at the content and just think, like, look that I'm sure there are some influences out there that I go trying. I think, my word, what I'm doing in your life every now and again, but none of them really come to mind.
That's good just to have your close friends. I mean, that's the thing. People can get wrapped up into this sort of hate following thing and it becomes such a negative place Instagram. So I think that's a good that's a really hate follow when I get joy out of it. If so someone that I don't like and I see that they're not doing well, but I kind of like, no one posts when they're not doing well instagrams like about bragging you can work it out sometimes.
Well, I mean you get that it sometimes though, and they sort of you know, they turn around and every now and again then they jump on this bandwagon of like if I post the real stuff, I'm going to get more engagement. Do you know those people that want to jump on top of this concept of the real Oh look, I have stretch marks too. That's weird. You first, you in the fuck out of your face? Why does it look like a hazy glow? Tell me about your stretch marks?
Jesus, Well, thank you so much. I think that's all the questions that we well, we have so many more, but we don't want to hold you up. But thanks so much. We've had such a great time talking to.
You, not worriting you're having the honor. I super appreciate it. What a fun time. If I'm in Adelaide any stage in the near future, and I'll be honest with you, I won't be But if I do end up going, we must have a drink because I think we'd have fun.
Oh for sure.
Well do you ever believe Adelaide? Do you come to you know? Or is that not a thing that you do.
Actually, we won't.
We won't.
Our best friend lives in Queensland, so we might be heading up.
Keep in touch please, thank you.
You're a legend. We love chatting day.
Hopefully see you soon.