Messin' with Sasquatch

Okay … so maybe we can chalk this up to a "focus group of one" story … but I think I'd prefer to claim this as a great example of just how well a well-placed sponsorship works instead. I gotta say -- it sure worked on me!

So here's my tale. My middle son, Ryan, came home from college this past weekend for a nice three-day weekend. We hadn't seen him since he headed off to school in mid-August, so it was great to have him home for a few days.

And as he usually does when he's home -- Ryan turned on the TV to watch poker on ESPN. Admittedly, while I'm familiar with poker, it's not something I know a whole lot about, and had never really watched it for much more than 3-4 minutes on TV in the past. However this time -- since Ryan is so rarely home, I pulled up a chair and watched a recent episode of WSOP (the World Series of Poker) with him.

Ryan, who follows this religiously, was having a great time filling me in on all the "back stories" of the various poker superstars, and explaining some of the strategies involved. It was all fascinating stuff … but (…and this is where you'll laugh at me…), what was really capturing my attention was the logo on the felt for Jack's Links.

"What’s a Jack's Links", I asked Ryan – completely clueless.

"They're a beef jerky company, Dad."

"And they sponsor the World Series of Poker?"

"Oh yeah", he replied, "They're the Official Sponsor of WSOP". (I came to quickly learn that nobody actually calls it "World Series of Poker"… apparently the REAL fans call it "WSOP".)

And while it was fascinating to see if the guy in the fuzzy hat going "All In" was going to be able to pull a club on the "Turn" card, what I couldn't seem to get away from was this Jack's Links tie-in. I'd never heard of them before. Wonder what they're all about…?

So today I went out in search of some Jack’s Links beef jerky. And you know what – it's pretty good! I'm a fan. (Just as I am of their well-targeted commercials themed around "Messin' with Sasquatch". If you haven't seen them – look 'em up on YouTube. Funny stuff!)

So what have we learned here today? Well … if nothing else, you just got a ringside seat to one man's example of how a well-placed sponsorship tie-in can sell product. I'm probably not the "target demo" of WSOP – but apparently, it seems like the ones who are … already know all about Jack's Links.

And isn't that what a good sponsorship is all about…??