Steven Sashen's Guerrilla Marketing Campaign: 50K Bookmarks in Bookstores

In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Brett Stapper interviews Steven Sashen, founder and Chief Barefoot Officer of Xero Shoes. Steven built a multi-million dollar footwear company from a simple DIY sandal kit after discovering barefoot running transformed his athletic performance. Starting with basic SEO tactics in 2009, Xero Shoes has grown into a 60-product line worn by everyone from casual walkers to NBA and WNBA players. Steven's journey from Internet marketing veteran to footwear entrepreneur showcases how authentic product experiences, contrarian marketing tactics, and specialized talent acquisition can build a category-defining brand in a crowded market.

Topics Discussed:

• Building a brand around authentic product experiences and word-of-mouth growth

• Leveraging early SEO mastery to dominate niche keywords before competition arrived

• Creating guerrilla marketing campaigns that break conventional "best practices"

• Developing product lines through direct customer feedback and demand signals

• Assembling high-performing marketing teams through specialized freelancers vs agencies

• Using content marketing to educate consumers on barefoot running benefits

• Converting book publicity into brand awareness through strategic partnerships