Saddleback leather generally populates their online and social media platforms with either pictures or videos. Both formats will generally have a promotional or explanatory purpose. For example, their Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/saddlebackbags/, is mostly populated by promotional ad photos. They have some basic pictures of their products, but most have some copy with clear promotional intent. Their YouTube page however, https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=saddleback+leather, while also serving a promotional purpose, is populated by videos which are primarily intended to demonstrate and explain the construction and design of their various products.
SB.’s Facebook page lends itself more readily to the visual aesthetic of the company’s brand. Because they are able to set a background photo (which in this case is a wood grain) with overlayed logo and motto, the visual presentation is well in line with the feel and spirit of the company. Their Instagram page is another matter. Admittedly, I am not sure what the customization limitations are with Instagram, so this critique may be due to no fault of their own. However, where their Youtube page is dark and warm in line with the type of product their peddling, their Instagram page is bright, and uninviting… at least to my eye. The background is white which presents itself as cold and disconnected. Their logo and motto are present, but small and easily ignorable. The pictures (mostly ads) are generic in feeling and I find myself less than compelled to scroll down to see below the “fold”, as it were.
Through the myriad videos found on SB.’s Youtube page, one will find everything from reviews of their products to design and construction explanations offered by Dave (the owner), to quirky clips showing their products’ endurance and strength being tested in some of the most unlikely ways (including being bitten by a crocodile) to touching videos of Dave and his family working with some of the charities they support… and more. There is a comprehensive representation of who they are and what they do, to be found there. Instagram, again perhaps because of its nature, displays far less range of representation. While there are some videos imbedded with the postings, I feel much less engaged by the platform in this case. I am not compelled to scroll and search for either product of company information and insight. I get a sense of what they sell, but their mission and spirit? Not so much.
I think we’ve beaten down the Instagram horse enough now that it’s safe to say it is well and truly dead. So, let’s focus on what is working for SB.’s online presence in the form of Youtube. Without a doubt, I would say that the content of their video offerings fosters a desire to further engage with them. As I write this, I am seeing video covers of Dave and the gang on safari, at home in front of a fireplace, in front of a waterfall and standing next to Stone Henge in England and all of this before I’ve scrolled down. I’m fascinated. I can’t wait to find out what he’s doing, where’s he going, who’s that with him, hey wait a minute!!! I’ve been there… and with that same bag!!! Awesome man!!! Nicholas Ind says it best: The company’s “cultural cohesion… comes to life because of the people that join [it].” (Ind, ch. 10, pg. 12, Living the Brand) No such engagement to be incited on their Instagram page.
There is no question that there is a significant community of loyal SB. customers and followers. I’m, of course, one of them. There is also no question that the company’s online presence is the glue that sustains that community. All their platforms are significant contributors to that effort, but Youtube is definitely at the top of the list… and not just because of the videos produced by the company. There are a great many people who have a word or two to say on Saddleback’s behalf (and a few critics as well). Many consumers and enthusiasts enjoy posting their own reviews of the company’s products or simply demonstrating their creative uses and adventures with SB.’s line of bags and more. Dave has been very open and welcoming of comment and I think that gives his customers a sense of ownership and share in the company’s success. As Douglas Atkin says, “It’s better to have a 100 people who love you than a million people who kind of like you.” (Atkin, chapter 4, pg. 9 All Together Now: The New and Vital Strategy of “Community”.)
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