Harmon Brothers—the Provo, Utah-based social media ad agency behind the biggest blockbuster campaigns in internet history—has captured national headlines, earned more than 1 billion views on its videos, and helped drive over $300 million in sales on campaigns such as Squatty Potty, Poo Pourri, Chatbooks, and Purple.
A new book —penned by veteran author Chris Jones—was unveiled in a surprise video featuring some of the world’s best-known YouTubers during a live event at VidSummit 2018 in Los Angeles yesterday.
“Harmon Brothers pulled back the curtain and let us inspect the gears, because they believe anyone can do what they have done, once they have the blueprints,” said Chris Jones, author of From Poop to Gold. “Their story is as hilarious as their ads. Their culture makes us all want to work there. Their product vetting process has us all wondering if our product could disrupt markets too, and their application section has the tools to apply their great ideas to ourselves and our own businesses. I believe this book has a wide audience, people from all professional backgrounds and walks of life who want to learn the magic of telling better stories.”
From Poop to Gold: The Marketing Magic of Harmon Brothers
The same advertising agency created the viral ads starring the ice cream-pooping unicorn from Squatty Potty, the egg-dropping Goldilocks from Purple, and the crossbow-catching Mom from Chatbooks. The company is called Harmon Brothers. You recognize their work; it’s time to get to know their business.
Harmon Brothers creates award winning ads that make the world laugh and sell out warehouses of product. But the secret to their consistent success is their innovative business systems.
How Harmon Brothers flips traditional business principles upside down:
● They share half their profits with their creative team.
● They pay less than standard wages, yet have a waiting list of people lining up to work for them.
● And in 2017 Harmon Brothers had 1200 companies request for an ad campaign, when ten campaigns is the most they’ve done in one year (they purposefully stay small). In an industry known for burnout and high turnover (have you seen Mad Men?) they walk the delicate balance of exceptional creativity matched with productivity you can count on.
● The Harmon Brothers’ secret is in three traditional business ideas, Culture, Process, and Partnerships, with a Harmon Brothers spin—a modern blend of Idaho potato-farm work ethic and corporate libertarianism. It shouldn’t work. It definitely shouldn’t work to produce one of America’s hottest advertising firms—in Provo, Utah, of all places.
Who will read “From Poop to Gold”:
● If you’re a manager who wants to encourage people to work hard and stay creative, then this book is for you.
● If you want to read the behind the scene stories of these hilarious video ads (and half a dozen more), then this book is for you.
● If you’re a small business owner, trying to find a way to grow without torching your personal life, this book is for you.
● If you’re a new-age creative and think a career in YouTube video is the way to go, there’s no better place to look for inspiration than right here—with the people who’ve made it happen over and over again.
About the Author:
Chris Jones is a veteran writer of several books, including “Mastering the Six Channels of Marketing”, an Amazon top 25 book in marketing/advertising. Prior to becoming a working writer, his business career included running a dotcom startup, a marketing firm, and a presidential campaign, teaching junior high and high school, and selling subprime mortgages in the depth of the Great Recession, giving him a breadth of knowledge about American business and pop culture almost as unique as Harmon Brothers.
Having seen the potential disaster inherent in underfunded startups as well as the soul-crushing hopelessness of large bureaucracies, Jones could appreciate the magic behind Harmon Brothers as they generate hilarious, wickedly viral ads without the pressure and burnout of a traditional Madison Avenue firm. “I’ve seen the insides of every kind of business from IBM to a solo bakery, and what is happening at Harmon Brothers blew me away,” Jones said.
From Poop to Gold is the story of modern alchemy, turning words into spectacular leaps in revenue for dozens of companies around the country. Maybe yours, too.
