Chicago

I will be the first to admit that when I saw my assignment to blog for tonight’s conversation with Tucker Max, I rolled my eyes. I can assure you- I never expected to walk out of tonight’s Social Media Week event actually being highly impressed with this keynote speaker.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I will give credit where credit is due. Clearly, the guy can write-I’ve read his blog, excerpts from I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and even a few of his tweets. Not only is his writing entertaining, but it’s more than a little well-written.

It was more the prospect of having to put up with his personality that caused my instinctive eye roll. I mean, it’s no secret that Tucker Max is known for partying, womanizing… and having an absolute BLAST along the way. Therefore, when he sauntered into the Hyatt Regency ballroom for his interview with Julia Allison, beer bottle in hand, I knew it was going to be one long hour.

I was wrong.

As the conversation unfolded, I found myself constantly impressed with Tucker’s insight and wisdom regarding social media and personal branding. Coming from a guy who only follows 53 Twitter handles, yet has 167,000+ Twitter followers, it’s apparent he’s doing something right navigating that social media landscape. By understanding that he must respect the attention of his fans, while always keeping in mind why his audience cares about what he has to say, he’s been able continuously effectively build upon his reputation.

Although his personality can be arguably contentious, Tucker clarified that he never tries to be hated or controversial… he just tries to be funny. In the end, though, there will always be those haters. But Tucker never lets those haters get to him, because they serve as proof that he remains relevant and important enough to challenge them.

When the conversation ventured to the topic of corporate social media, Tucker certainly did not mince words. In order for a company or brand to be successful in today’s society, it must be able to show people how their products create and add value. However, most corporations are purely interested in selling stuff to their audiences, resulting in a lack of authenticity that is crucial in order to effectively appeal to a social media audience. As such, Tucker equated corporate social media with “bullsh*t”.

I think we can safely say that Tucker Max rarely, if ever, follows brands or CEOs on Twitter.

Nor does he follow people one would “associate” with the stereotypical Tucker Max personality (read: hot girls).  His response? “The only people who follow hot girls to sleep with them are pro athletes.”

Gotta get some Tucker Max-isms in there somehow, right?