Marc Eckō - The Marketing Playbook That Built Ecko & Complex

Get Marc Eckō’s free playbook → openresidency.com/marc-ecko-playbook Marc Eckō went from an airbrush gun in a New Jersey garage to over $500 million in sales. He almost went bankrupt more than once, sold Eckō for nine figures, started Complex, sold that too, and is now back at Complex as chief creative and innovation officer. He walks through how Eckō started, the partner who put in the first $5,000, the production deal that was too good to be true, and the cease and desist that forced Echo to become Eckō. We also get into the Where’s Eckō sticker campaign he ran with no money, tagging Air Force One to launch a video game, buying Barry Bonds’ record home run ball and letting fans vote on its fate, when to license your brand and when to run it yourself, ikigai, the Japanese idea he still uses at Complex, and how the tags on Eckō clothes got Complex its first 150,000 subscribers. 🔗 MARC ECKŌ Instagram: @beingmarcecko Eckō: ecko.com Complex: complex.com 🎙️ OPEN RESIDENCY Instagram: @openresidency Instagram: @markbrazil LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea Website: openresidency.com Email: info@openresidency.com ⚡ POWERED BY Wispr Flow: Get 1 month of Wispr Flow Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY → wisprflow.ai ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:45 How Eckō Started With an Airbrush Gun 00:05:45 Influencer Marketing Before It Had a Name 00:08:40 The Partner Who Put In the First $5,000 00:12:57 The 2 Things That Took Eckō to Millions 00:22:51 The Production Deal That Was Too Good to Be True 00:32:56 The Fax That Forced Echo to Become Eckō 00:39:58 The Reset That Got Eckō Out of Debt 00:42:30 The Where’s Eckō Sticker Campaign Built on No Money 00:48:46 Tagging Air Force One to Launch a Video Game 00:54:22 Buying Barry Bonds’ Record Ball and Letting Fans Vote 01:01:22 Buying Back the License to Run His Own Stores 01:05:08 When to License Your Brand and When to Run It Yourself 01:10:53 Why Meaningful Work Beats Chasing the Algorithm 01:13:11 Ikigai, the Japanese Idea He Still Uses at Complex 01:18:36 Why He Sold His Name but Kept Complex 01:21:48 How Clothing Tags Got Complex 150,000 Subscribers 01:26:41 Why He Went Back to Complex 01:27:57 Where Media Is Going in the Next 5 Years 01:29:00 Quickstrike Questions