From Code Camp to Branding Fun and Honey Pot Marketing
This is turning into a busy month for me and personal speaking engagements, but I am still trying to have some fun with these very serious audiences I run into. Great attendance at Silicon Valley Code Camp to hear me and my son, Ben Foden, talk about converting code into product and product into brand. But not a lot of interaction on my theory. Luckily Ben’s real life example was of much more interest to the audience.
Then off to the Business Marketing Association breakfast roundtable to talk about Having some Fun with Your Brand (without offending the corporate lawyer). I prepared some interesting props…but I guess locals are not in the mood for fun. Very dismal turnout. Oh well.. last time I pitch that subject for a talk around here – at least until the general business mood improves.
Now this coming Wednesday I will speak on naming and branding as a guest for UCSC Extension, in their new location just off 101, as part of a marketing fundamentals class.
But the real action is Thursday evening when I am the featured speaker for the Silicon Valley Enterpreneur Meetup group. Mostly I am going to talk about Honey Pot Marketing – the name I have proposed before for a marketing strategy when you really cannot directly target your prospects. The idea is you put out lots of honey pots, and attract the bees and the bears to come to you instead.
Of course, being a naming professional, I never even bothered to check until a few minutes ago if anyone else is using the name! Now I find a complete agency in Canada using that name, with some similar concepts and ideas. But why is their bee so sad?
Don’t you prefer my little bright idea bear head, that serves as my photo icon on lots of forums, as well as my naming books and even some ads? Or do you think this is too cutesy? Our logo for Brighter Naming by itself is supposed to just be classy, and that is why we have rejected all light bulbs and brain concepts. But sometimes it is just boring and forgettable. Unlike our little branding bear!
4 Comments to From Code Camp to Branding Fun and Honey Pot Marketing
Hi Athol,
Thanks for the mention! Our take on Honeypot Marketing is similar to what you describe and there is in fact an anecdote on the history of the name.
Almost 10 years ago now I was Director of Development and Technical Sales at a startup. Basically what I did was merge the worlds of marketing and technology (being fluent in both fields).
One of the initiatives I put forward was to involve developers in the business meetings so they were directly exposed to the business goals of our software.
After one meeting in particular the lead database developer and I were chatting and he made a great point:
“Why are marketers always using tactics to attack potential customers? Guerrilla Marketing, Covert Marketing – it’s like a war. I know I’m being marketed to all the time so it should be like a Honeypot. Bears love it, bees love it, people love it. If we have something great we can put it out there, promote it and then the marketing is more like Honeypot Marketing that people will want to market to each other.”
I was pretty surprised to get this insight from a relatively quiet and soft spoken developer. It suffices to say that I immediately went and registered the domain and incorporated the company.
I could go on about our mission and beliefs over here at Honeypot Marketing but I think you get the idea.
Oh, about the bee. It’s a take off on Invader Zim – the bee is intended to represent the bewildering world of marketing. It’s a bit tongue in cheek 
Kind of like us.
marketing always makes a product more popular and is necessary for its success..*’
marketing should be your first priority when you want to introduce new products or service:”,
I really appreciate all the great content you have here, regards for this post. Thank You !! 
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October 21, 2009