1. Backstory:

- Introduction: As the launch date for my tenth book, "How My Ancestors Drink Whiskey," approached, I reached out to the incredibly creative Jess Snyder of JessWuzHere to create a campaign that would truly captivate and push presales on Black Friday, November 29th, 2019.

- Context & Challenges: The real challenge lay in designing something that would resonate deeply with my readers and stir up genuine excitement for the book's release.

2. Ideation & Brainstorming:

- Concept Development: We brainstormed a multi-faceted campaign that incorporated quirky elements like countdown graphics, a unique guerilla marketing approach on the National Mall and, my favorite content, intentionally bad memes.

- Key Insights: We realized that the heart of our campaign was its carefree and engaging spirit while also connecting ancestral veneration to the larger campaign.

3. Strategy Development:

- Strategic Planning: Jess and I are both Millennials who grew up on Tumblr. We wanted to capture that aesthetic with the marketing campaign.

- Targeted Approach: We honed in on the spontaneity and enjoyment factor while also leaning into the nuances of southern Black girls who sang in the choir and got their hair done at the kitchen table.

4. Implementation & Structuring:

- Execution Process: We snapped everything we could. I posted quotes from the upcoming book, we created an IG page and official tag to go along with each post, we crafted a small book signing tour that 2020 ended before our last stop. We were intentional with our captions and drew on the growing curiosity of the book.

- Structural Framework: It was all about creating a diverse framework that encouraged creativity and humor, aiming to capture positive attention.

5. Progress & Milestones:

- Achievements: The book launch was a success! Our engaging and fun campaign struck a chord with the audience, sparking real excitement.

- Results & Impact: Through this lighthearted, engaging and intentional approach, we managed to build genuine anticipation for the book launch.

6. Conclusion & Reflection:

- Lessons Learned: Don’t second-guess or try to think for your audience. Our approach of creating and sharing worked well because we had something cool to share and didn’t try to tell our audience what they should care about. We believed in the project and had fun making it and it showed in engagement and support of my last book.