Story
Tony Hawk fired his marketers over a roll of toilet paper
Jordan Harbinger recounts Tony Hawk discovering his marketing agency had put his name and face on toilet paper, joking they could sell anything with his brand on it. Hawk fired them on the spot for not valuing his brand.
“And it was a roll of toilet paper with Tony Hawk's name, face, and logo on it. And he goes, what the hell is that? And the guy goes, oh yeah, anything we put your name and face on does so "well, we were joking that we could put your face on toilet paper and we'd still be able to sell it." And he fired them on the spot because it was clear that they didn't value his brand, which I thought was a funny story.”
Steal thisGuard your brand: walk away from any partner who treats your name as a commodity to slap on anything.
Story
Tony Hawk fired his marketers over a toilet paper roll
Jordan Harbinger recounts a Tony Hawk story: at the height of his video-game fame, Hawk walked into his marketing team's office, spotted a roll of toilet paper with his name, face, and logo on it, and fired them on the spot for not valuing his brand.
“And it was a roll of toilet paper with Tony Hawk's name, face, and logo on it. And he goes, what the hell is that? And the guy goes, oh yeah, anything we put your name and face on does so "well, we were joking that we could put your face on toilet paper and we'd still be able to sell it." And he fired them on the spot because it was clear that they didn't value his brand”
Story
Tony Hawk fired his agency over a toilet paper roll with his face on it
Jordan Harbinger recounts Tony Hawk firing his marketing team on the spot after spotting a roll of toilet paper bearing his name, face and logo. The team had joked his brand was so strong it would sell even on toilet paper, which signaled to Hawk they didn't value his brand.
“And it was a roll of toilet paper with Tony Hawk's name, face, and logo on it. And he goes, what the hell is that? And the guy goes, oh yeah, anything we put your name and face on does so "well, we were joking that we could put your face on toilet paper and we'd still be able to sell it." And he fired them on the spot because it was clear that they didn't value his brand”
Tactic
The con artist's trick: make the 'yes' feel like their own idea
Jordan Harbinger explains the social-engineering move he used to talk his way into concerts: frame an implicit downside (your name on a failure) so the gatekeeper does the cost-benefit math themselves and lets you through. The same 'speak the jargon, get inside the circle of trust' principle is how Frank Abagnale posed as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer.
“Now, an amateur person will try to explain and force you to do that calculation by explaining it to you and being explicit. If you can get people to think it's their idea and that's how they solve the problem, then that's the security hole, right? And it's kind of like sales, except for you're trying to unsell them on a certain idea and then you get them to push the issue forward.”
Steal thisDon't argue your case; surface the other person's downside and let them talk themselves into your outcome.
Story
How Jordan Harbinger landed Kobe Bryant: a canceled comedian booking
Jordan Harbinger explains he was pitching a publicity team for a much smaller guest, a comedian, when they canceled and offered Kobe Bryant instead. He flew to Kobe's office and did the interview in September 2019, months before Kobe's death.
“I was pitching a publicity team for a different guest that I can't even remember now, 'cause he was about 1% as famous as Kobe Bryant. And they booked it, and it was like some comedian, which I, of course, was really excited about. They booked it, and they canceled it, and I got really annoyed. And they said, "Well, would you consider interviewing Kobe Bryant instead?" And I said, "Yeah, of course I would consider that. Let's do that."”
Fact
It's easier to run a con now than in Frank Abagnale's day
Jordan Harbinger relays that Frank Abagnale (Catch Me If You Can) says fraud is actually easier today than in his era, because people now over-trust machines and digital verification rather than scrutinizing in person.
“He's told us that it's actually easier now for fraud scams, con men, to operate than it was back then, because you'd think, oh, now we have computers, we can verify everything. Back then they didn't have that, the communication took longer. Now though, people trust the machines too much, so you can trick people and you can trick machines.”
Framework
Make them think it's their idea: the con man's security hole
Jordan Harbinger describes talking his way into concerts by invoking a low-grade fear (getting his contact in trouble with an editor) so the gatekeeper does the cost-benefit math themselves and lets him in. The trick is getting the target to push the decision forward as if it were their own idea.
“Now an amateur person will try to explain and force you to do that calculation by explaining it to you and being explicit. If you can get people to think it's their idea and that's how they solve the problem, then that's the security hole, right? It's kind of like sales, except for you're trying to unsell them on a certain idea and then you get them to push the issue forward.”
Steal thisInstead of arguing your case, set up the situation so the other person reaches your conclusion on their own and feels it was their idea.