Follow me and I’ll auto-DM you a 10% off coupon code to my funny t-shirt website.

Smart stuff.

I can confirm the DM arrives. If this code also escapes into the coupon aggregators, that’s even better since more new folks could then potentially discover Rizzo Tees.

All Undies should consider this approach. It evidences good design in that:

• The open enticement of a 10% discount might induce more people to click “Follow” and thus help grow the follower base. All followers receive an immediate reward.
• Folks also should not be surprised by an auto-DM because the Bio copy notifies them it’s coming. Stating this upfront at the Twitter profile serves as a kind of light opt-in for the DM.
• “Auto-DM” implies a programmatic solution that just runs. It thus hopefully doesn’t require too much ongoing time from Chris to maintain. This facet is important, especially for Undies that handle many of their own operational tasks and therefore remain quite busy if not overloaded much of the time.
• It connects new Twitter followers to the online store and rewards participation, aka orders. More visitors might thus become buyers. Transacting directly with fans represents the best monetization going for Undies, and leveraging Twitter to grow direct sales is brilliant.
• In general, it’s always a good idea to imagine what next audience action should follow the current action. For instance, Twitter followers can become buyers. A shipped order could encourage folks to join an email list. An email sent to this list could reward fans for meeting up at an event (like, say, SXSW, here in Austin this week). Fans at events could be led to Twitter. And on and on it goes in a virtuous cycle that ideally benefits fans and creators alike. The fan experience comprises a simple, consistent, point-to-point set of steps across all these mediums: site, store, Twitter, Facebook, events, email, products, etc. Rizzo Tees has established one important link by connecting Twitter to store. How can you make it easier and more enjoyable for your fans to take that next step?

Give it some thought. How can you best employ similar ideas to treat your fans and feed your passion?

Btw, for more sources on this and other topics, dive into our Delicious page. I’ve grabbed a lot on Twitter lately because Undies are using it in all kinds of cool ways. In addition, as Twitter continues its rapid growth, more applications and uses arrive almost daily. Have fun with it, and let us know how you’re using it.

 Evolution

New Zealand T-Shirt Designer Glenn Jones has recently launched a blog.  In a world of copycats, Glenn stands out as a true original.  Seeing his work makes me very happy to NOT be a shirt designer.  Even if Glenn were simply illustrating other people’s ideas, his execution would be far better than almost anyone.  But when you consider that he’s the IDEA guy too, well, it’s almost too much.   He’s just so good at all aspects, concept, humor, execution.  If you’re remotely interested in T-Shirt design then it goes without saying you need to subscribe to his RSS Feed.

Deflating Defenses 

Endangered Species

Secret Habit

It’s a Bottle Jim

You can say many things about the gang at Rooster Teeth. They own their medium. They’re funny. They’re continuously experimenting with new forms and permutations (Grifball!) And many more.

But they’re also just overkillers in the best way. They invest their DVDs not only with the classic Red vs Blue content, but with so much of the unrelenting absurdity that is their signature. So when they release the DVD BOXED SET of ALL 5 Seasons of RVB on 5 DVDs at $69, you’re already getting an enormous value. (The DVDs individually retail for $20) And each of those DVDs were packed with all the outtakes, missing scenes, bonus foo and so on.

But with this new boxed set they’ve now created 2 MORE hours of behind the scenes material, “making of” documentaries and all sorts of other stuff. So six DVDs for seventy bucks, it’s like $50 off. Plus you get the awesome black/blue and red all over double-box to carry them in.

We hope to have a more extensive writeup soon.  (we still have to watch through all this stuff!)

Previously in Undependent…

• We profiled Tiki Bar TV’s Lala Pinup Calendar and praised it for:
  • Its direct function as a wall calendar
  • Its value as a shibboleth for Tiki Bar TV fans…
  • Its deepening of the Tiki Bar TV brand thanks in part to its perfectly executed Vargas-style retro aesthetic

So now we’re introducing to Undependent readers Tiki Bar TV’s new “Drinkbot Decanter.”

Again, Tiki Bar has produced a genuinely original product here. Like the Lala Calendar and the Charooba Mug before it, Drinkbot Decanter scores a direct hit for true fans. But we at Undependent, presuming as we do to be experts, also have to praise Tiki Bar TV particularly their manufacturer Tiki Farm for a tiny detail which serves as the crowning achievement of this product. As this will factor into future merchandise profiles, we’ll call it the “You’ve Got to be Kidding Me” factor.

Drinkbot Decanter’s capstone is the tiny, detailed lampshade included with the order. If you haven’t done so already, watch the classic Drinkbot episode for this perfect bit of prop comedy. Being confident comedians, they don’t stop everything to ensure viewers see the lampshade on Drinkbot’s head. It’s just another example of theinspired lunacy that is the signature of Tiki Bar TV.

So, if you were making an expensive, completely custom mug, would you go to the trouble and add more cost to it for this small joke? Of course you wouldn’t. That’s why we’re not writing about you, we’re writing about someone who really gets how tangible the little intangibles ARE. Cheers and mahalo to Tiki Bar and Tiki Farm for really going the extra mile for a joke.

Now that you think about it, you agree, right? Buy a Drinkbot Decanter to say so!

Tiki Bar TV’s Lala Fastwaster now has a pinup calendar. Artfully rendered by Vancouver visual effects artist and increasingly-popular pinup illustrator Kevin Genzel (thethirdsequence.com) this calendar achieves a lot more than meets the eye. For thousands of Internet Geeks, saying “Lala Pinup Calendar?!” will doubtless be more than enough to capture credit card numbers. But this hits a trifecta, well, ok, maybe a quadfecta.

• “Lala Pinup?!” - Understood
• Direct Function – By actually providing real utility, it increases the impulse purchase likelihood because “Hey, I need a calendar anyway…”
• Shibboleth – Tiki Bar TV now offers another product that lets fans identify themselves as “in the Tiki Bar TV Fan Club”
• Brand Deepening – The genuinely authentic rendering of these illustrations itself reinforces the cool retro vibe which spans other Tiki Bar TV elements.

All these elements together just deepen and expand the Tiki Bar TV brand. We’ve already mentioned their truly awesome original Charooba Mug here. Charooba is the Tiki Bar TV mascot made into an actual Tiki Mug. (A coffee table book that ITSELF becomes a coffee table!) This wicked, green glazed creature is a must own for any serious fan of the show and anyone who calls themselves a Tiki Collector. Buy them both and be done with it.

Ordering couldn’t be simpler. The familiar navigator located beneath each comic strip simply has a new button that reads “Buy a Print.” Click it and you’re done. No Ajax, no Logins, the item is automatically added to the Penny Arcade shopping cart. You can return to the navigator to add more strips, shop for other PA merch in their store, or just checkout.

A simple, subtle, nearly frictionless purchase process. You can read more about it in Gabe’s announcement here.

These cards parody the seemingly endless number of precious-metal credit cards. Despair’s Card comes in Rust, Pyrite (shown) and Tin. But this isn’t everything. The cards are working physical gift certificates. Each is serialized, like any gift card, each can be redeemed online at their store. They’re printed on metallic card stocks, feature embossed alphanumeric gift codes as well as a scratch off panel on the back. (What’s under the scratch off? I’ll never tell.)

Diesel Sweeties and Despair

How about a Diesel Sweeties & Despair crossover? Metal Steve modeling for Despair, and Dr. Kersten giving Red Robot management lessons? Just saying.

Ask a Ninja smartly boosts online sales by advertising their own store at the end of their videos.  Sometimes, they even share coupon codes in these ads as well.  I’m pretty sure that they use CastFire for these ads.  The best trick is that when they update their ad, it plays at the end of every video in their entire archive.  That’s great because as more new fans continue to discover the Ninja, they all get to learn about the great stuff available in the Ninja Mart.
Thus, viewership isn’t the only stat that climbs when a new episode is released. Sales rise, too.

And as always, support these Undies by going to their sites, browsing their stores, and buying lots of stuff.