How Brands Are Built: Jacob Kass Ran a Wildly Successful Summit
Release Date: December 23, 2024
In this compelling episode of How Brands Are Built, host Rob Meyerson delves deep into the intricacies of organizing a successful virtual summit with Jacob Kass, a renowned designer, brand strategist, educator, and coach. Jacob shares his journey of creating the Brand Builders Summit, a transformative event that attracted over 23,000 attendees from 156 countries. This detailed, long-form summary captures the essence of their conversation, highlighting key insights, strategies, challenges, and future plans.
Introduction to Jacob Kass and the Brand Builders Summit
Rob Meyerson introduces Jacob Kass, outlining his impressive background and the creation of Just Creative, a leading branding and design consultancy. Jacob's clientele includes industry giants like Disney, Nintendo, Nike, and Red Bull. The focal point of the episode is Jacob's ambitious project: the Brand Builders Summit, a four-day virtual event that garnered unprecedented attention and participation.
Notable Quote:
"Brand Builders Summit was a four-day semi-live event for brand builders, including designers, strategists, and marketers. It was an immersive experience with 24 prerecorded presentations, live Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and workshops."
— Jacob Kass [02:08]
Inception and Motivation Behind the Summit
Jacob describes himself as a "creative drifter," constantly exploring various facets of branding, design, strategy, and marketing. His previous experiences speaking at numerous summits ignited the idea of hosting his own. The catalyst for the Brand Builders Summit was a significant downturn in his blog and affiliate marketing efforts caused by Google's algorithm changes, which led to a loss of 90% of his website traffic. This challenging period pushed him to pivot and invest in creating a summit as a new avenue for engagement and revenue.
Notable Quote:
"When my blog and SEO crashed with Google, causing a loss of 90% of our traffic, I knew it was time to try something new. That's when I decided to pull the trigger on hosting a summit."
— Jacob Kass [06:02]
Building and Structuring the Summit
Jacob meticulously planned the summit structure to address the saturation in the summit market. Instead of focusing solely on design, he integrated brand strategy, design, marketing, and business to offer a comprehensive experience. The summit featured:
- 24 prerecorded presentations
- 24 live Q&A sessions
- 3 live panel sessions
- 3 live workshop sessions
- Live networking and co-working sessions
This multifaceted approach ensured that the summit catered to a diverse audience, from students to seasoned professionals, across 156 countries.
Notable Quote:
"The integration of strategy and design was key. Designers are feeling the pinch from AI and commoditization, so offering strategy alongside design provided valuable insights for attendees."
— Jacob Kass [14:44]
Promotion and Marketing Strategies
A standout feature of the summit was its pervasive marketing campaign. Jacob leveraged his affiliate marketing expertise, built a substantial email list, and utilized robust SEO strategies to maximize reach. He also employed Krista Miller's Summit in a Box program, which provided essential tools and guidance for running a successful summit.
Notable Quote:
"Summit in a Box was an amazing program that taught me how to run summits effectively. Krista Miller's resources were invaluable in promoting and managing the event."
— Jacob Kass [09:01]
Technical Execution and Tools Utilized
Organizing a large-scale virtual summit required a sophisticated tech stack. Jacob shared the array of tools that facilitated the smooth execution of the event:
- Hosting and Community: Circle for live videos and calls
- Scheduling: Out Event for calendar management
- Engagement: Interact for quizzes, Formaloo for surveys
- E-commerce and Content Hosting: ThriveCart
- Marketing Automation: ConvertKit (now Kit)
- Analytics: Hotjar and Google Analytics
- Customer Support: Custom AI chatbot using Chat Base
- Design and Branding: Motion graphics from Fiverr and Drop Music Branding
- Ads Management: Facebook ad specialist
- Project Management: Airtable for speaker management
Jacob emphasized the importance of scalability and efficient customer support, highlighting how automation tools like AI chatbots were crucial in handling attendee inquiries without overwhelming the team.
Notable Quote:
"Using Chat Base for our AI chatbot was a game-changer. It handled time conversions, FAQs, and significantly reduced the burden on our customer support team."
— Jacob Kass [18:42]
Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned
Despite meticulous planning, Jacob encountered several challenges:
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Technical Glitches: ThriveCart experienced a major platform crash on the second day, disrupting access for attendees. Jacob had to manage hundreds of frantic emails but handled the situation transparently by communicating the issues promptly.
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Time Zone Strain: Hosting the summit from Sydney meant operating in the US time zone, leading to exhausting early mornings. Jacob noted the physical toll it took but also recognized the necessity of comprehensive planning.
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Delegation and Trust: Initially, Jacob managed most tasks himself. However, he learned the value of delegation and building a trustworthy team, emphasizing referrals and recommendations as key avenues for finding reliable professionals.
Notable Quote:
"The summit was draining because it was hosted from the US time zone, but the success and overwhelming attendance made all the hard work worthwhile."
— Jacob Kass [28:00]
Success Metrics and Impact
The Brand Builders Summit surpassed all expectations, ultimately attracting 23,000 attendees. Key success factors included:
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Free Access: Making the summit free significantly boosted attendance, catering to a global audience with varying income levels.
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Power Pass Upsells: Offering a Power Pass valued at $6,000 for only $97 encouraged upgrades, providing valuable resources and maximized revenue through affiliate links.
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List Building: Speakers benefited from substantial email list growth, with some gaining 4,000 to 5,000 new subscribers.
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High Engagement: Post-event surveys revealed that 100% of respondents would recommend the summit, with an average rating of 9.7 out of 10.
Notable Quote:
"Our survey showed that 100% of respondents would recommend the summit, and it received a 9.7 out of 10 rating. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive."
— Jacob Kass [30:21]
Future Plans and Enhancements for 2025
Buoyed by the summit's success, Jacob is already planning for a 2025 Brand Builders Summit. He intends to incorporate more live interactions, such as breakout rooms and face-to-face networking sessions, to enhance community engagement. Additionally, Jacob plans to refine promotional strategies by fostering stronger relationships with speakers through direct communication and personalized support.
Notable Quote:
"For the next summit, I want to focus on improving the experience by adding more live interactions and building stronger relationships with our speakers to ensure better promotion and engagement."
— Jacob Kass [31:36]
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
Jacob emphasized several crucial elements for hosting a successful summit:
- Comprehensive Planning: From selecting the right tech stack to structuring the event for maximum engagement.
- Effective Promotion: Leveraging email marketing, affiliate links, and strategic partnerships.
- Scalable Support Systems: Utilizing AI chatbots and efficient customer support tools to handle attendee inquiries.
- Building Relationships: Establishing strong connections with speakers to enhance promotion and ensure quality presentations.
- Continuous Improvement: Reflecting on feedback and iterating on previous models to enhance future events.
Notable Quote:
"The biggest tip I can give is proper pre-buzz planning and maintaining strong relationships with your speakers. These are the prerequisites for a successful event."
— Jacob Kass [16:02]
Conclusion and Where to Connect
As the episode wraps up, Rob Meyerson encourages listeners to explore Jacob Kass's work through Just Creative and to join the waitlist for the 2025 Brand Builders Summit. Jacob also highlights his Branding Briefcase, a free bundle of resources available on his website, providing valuable tools for brand strategists and designers.
Notable Quote:
"Visit justcreative.com to access the free Branding Briefcase, filled with downloads and freebies for branders, designers, and strategists."
— Jacob Kass [38:33]
Jacob expresses gratitude for the collaboration and looks forward to future endeavors, promising even greater experiences in the upcoming summit.
Final Thought:
"Thank you for joining me on this journey. The Brand Builders Summit was just the beginning, and there's so much more to come."
— Jacob Kass [39:08]
Stay Connected:
- Jacob Kass: justcreative.com | brandbuildersummit.com
- Summit in a Box by Krista Miller: summitinabox.co
Additional Resources:
- Listen to Jacob Kass’s upcoming appearance on Krista Miller’s podcast, Summit Host Hangout, to gain deeper insights into orchestrating a successful summit.
- Explore Designing Brand Identity, the book featuring Jacob’s work, available on Amazon.
For more inspiring episodes on building brands, subscribe to How Brands Are Built wherever you get your podcasts.