You Don't Pay Me To Advertise

  I have a very peculiar neighbor named Mike Montgomery. Mike is an interesting and brilliant guy. He is equal parts master carpenter, plumber electrician, welder, licensed jeweler, and at one point held the world record for the longest sand castle in the world. It was in fact a sand sculpture in the sahpe of a Millipede that was built for the Miller Beer Co. and was affectionately known as "The Millerpede".

See what I mean" INTERESTING GUY

I have referenced Mike on here before, as he helped me build some of my early rod building fixtures way back in the 1990s. One day back around 1996 or so, I was having dinner with Mike, when he proceeded to tell me how all of the vehicles that he purchased, he always had the dealer "custom order" them with no manufacturer logo on any part of the body. It was for all intents and purpses a generically branded vehicle.

  Honestly, this didn't surprise or phase me at all, as he was known for engaging in behaviors most of us could never figure out. When I asked him why he did that, he responded with what I thought was a brilliant answer. He said "You know Ford and Chevrolet....they take a big chunk of my money when I purchase their product. Why would I continue to give them FREE advertising by driving around in a vehicle with their logo plastered all over the side, when they aren't compensating me for that". Mike is one of those guys who can sometimes go off on a tangent for 30 min, and by the time his diatribe is over with, your head is SPINNING. But this was a pretty succinct statement, and the more I thought about it, the more it made some level of sense.

Now, I wouldn't say that I have taken it to the extreme that Mike has, but I will say that every rod I have built for personal use over the last 30 years, NONE OF THEM have a manufacturer logo on the blank. At first, this wasn't a conscious decision...I always used to put my logo on the blank whenever I built a rod for sale. Somewhere around 1999 I quit building rods for sale, but did however continue to build for personal use...and I saw no reason at all to plaster the G Loomis logo, or the AllStar logo, or the St. Croix logo all over my rods when they weren't paying me to advertise.

  I have always looked at a fly rod...or any type of rod for that matter as a tool to do a specific type of job, much like a hammer or a screwdriver. To that end, when was the last time ANYONE looked at the logo on your hammer to judge the quality of the house you've built? NEVER would be the answer. They judge you by your ability to use the tool, not what level of prestige the brand of the tool carries.

  Now that isn't to say that I don't build in certain aesthetic markers so I can tell the tools apart. I probably have 20 different 8wt. rods here, and each one of them has certain aesthetic characteristics so that I am able to differentiate them. And, sometimes I will put a VERY small decal on the underside of the blank with a manufacturer's model #, but that's it.

When the kind folks at Loomis or Sage or St. Croix decided to start cutting me royalty checks for all the advertising I could potentially be giving them, then we'll talk. And that goes for YOU TOO Paul Arden! I sitting by my mailbox waiting for that BIG check from you!

Hope you all are having a great week!

Andy