Case Study: My Herman Miller Experiment {Mini post & Video!}

By On · 27 Comments · In My Life

This mini post & video is a case study (yet to see the outcome) on if one of my crazy ideas can actually pull through and have an epic impact on my tush as I sit for hours working! Gist: I want Herman Miller to send me a several thousand dollar chair for free, in return I’ll blab about it’s greatness (assuming it is great) everywhere! Below is the video I put on Youtube and the letter I sent to their media relations department.

Hi <pretty please read this you won’t regret it!>

My name is Maren Kate, I run a blog geared towards entrepreneurship and own a social media firm all at the tender age of 24. I just put a video letter to you guys on Youtube, here is the link hopefully you’ll watch it as it is a plea to Herman Miller himself.

I am about to launch a new venture, it is a review site all video related and is going to tap into a huge market, in the video I am asking for you to send me a chair – your choice though I’ve always dreamed of the Aeron – for a year and I will review it, I’ll talk about it all the time on my blog (because I know it’ll be super comfy) and I’ll act as a viral good will ambassador since my target readers are Gen X & Y entrepreneurs themselves.

I am closing in on 10,000 unique visitors to my blog a month, I also have over 11,000 twitter followers (twitter.com/marenkate) and thousands of views to my Youtube channel. I promise this will get viral which can never hurt a great brand as yourself – plus it’ll relieve my aching back in my ugly old current chair :(

Though the tone of this email may be jovial, I am a serious business person and truly want to do this experiment to show how much better grassroots marketing of a product works than traditional. If you loan me a chair for a year I know you won’t regret it!

Sincerely,

Maren Kate

702-245-2423
marenkate@gmail.com
www.Escapingthe9to5.com < blog
www.OracleLaunch.com <business

_________

What do you guys/gals think? Will I get the chair? Will I get even a response?

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  • http://exilelifestyle.com/ Colin Wright

    Hahaha, “can I call you Hermie?” Priceless. Hope this works out for you! They're awesome chairs!

  • http://40daystochange.wordpress.com/ ami@40daystochange

    This is so crazy it might work. Classic Maren Kate: ballsy, no fear move, executed with your trademark personality via video blog post and twitter to your ever expanding audience. What's not to like? If you get the chair, I'll start looking for your Radillac when we go out west on our next vacation.

  • http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

    I admire your ingenuity…wishing you luck!

  • http://www.venturemixx.com/ Tony Ruiz

    Keep us posted on the outcome! I would send you a chair ;)

  • http://onemillionby30.com/ Patrick Toerner

    I love your case studies! It really goes to show that if you want something bad enough, you can get it. Can't wait to hear how this goes, and now I will go check the chairs out on google!

  • http://exilelifestyle.com/ Colin Wright

    Hahaha, “can I call you Hermie?” Priceless. Hope this works out for you! They're awesome chairs!

  • http://40daystochange.wordpress.com/ ami@40daystochange

    This is so crazy it might work. Classic Maren Kate: ballsy, no fear move, executed with your trademark personality via video blog post and twitter to your ever expanding audience. What's not to like? If you get the chair, I'll start looking for your Radillac when we go out west on our next vacation.

  • http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

    I admire your ingenuity…wishing you luck!

  • http://www.venturemixx.com/ Tony Ruiz

    Keep us posted on the outcome! I would send you a chair ;)

  • http://onemillionby30.com/ Patrick Toerner

    I love your case studies! It really goes to show that if you want something bad enough, you can get it. Can't wait to hear how this goes, and now I will go check the chairs out on google!

  • http://www.mymiller.nl/ Maaike

    hey Maren Kate! me, working for Herman Miller import agency HME in the Netherlands … it would be strange to get an imported chair from … haha, well anyways: good luck!!! great idea.

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Awesome, well I got two emails from H.M. today and they said they'd call later so we'll see :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    and they emailed me today! crazy, we'll see if i can get through the red tape & get myself a chair!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Aww.. Thanks Tony, see now lets just hope there are enough people like you that work for HM who will be sympathetic to my plight!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Thanks Nathan :) I'll keep ya posted!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Yay! That is what I have heard :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Awesome, actually i am going to test drive a “Radillac” today (need to make sure I can drive that beast before building the opt in page!

  • http://thedailycubicle.com/ Adrienne

    I hope you get the chair! Sounds like a fun experiment.

  • http://andbreak.com/ Julius Kuhn-Regnier

    You have some interesting ideas :P I wouldn't mind a nice chair but I am not sure whether I truly be willing to blog about it for a full year. You have heard from them haven't you?! Are they going to send you the chair?

  • http://www.sexycopy.org k0zm0zs0ul

    LOL..awesome Maren! :) You are too cute in your videos and crack me up. Definitely ballsy! Good luck with this latest shenanigan. Can't wait to see if they give it to you, keep us posted!

    Xo
    C

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    I think Hermie should give you a chair. Just saying. :-)

  • http://designandtheday.wordpress.com/ Nanna

    Hi
    I´m new to your site and new to the blogging world, but I just had to try to comment on this awesome video :-)

    I´t might be a tip for others. I´m danish and a few years back a young writher needed some money to keep writhing (and not have to work two other jobs at the same time) so she started to look for an old fashioned patron (one who would help with money, while the artist could concentrate on his/her work)

    So she made a website, explaning the idea, and about herself, and how to tribute tex. her bank account. On the last page she wrote who tributed. Tex. 100 kr. every month from peter smith, sushi 3 times a month from the local sushi bar, 5 t-shirts from this company and so forth.

    She also came up with other fun media stunts relating to this topic.

    And she got at lot of media attention. And I still remember her name even if I haven´t read her books and is years ago.

    Check her out on: http://www.maecensoeges.dk/ or her webpage: http://www.mathildewalterclark.com/

    I keep my fingers crossed for you getting the very special chair (it is a very nice chair ;-) )

  • http://www.positivewavesbaby.com Greg Blencoe

    This is a great example of creative problem solving. I'm glad to hear you will be getting your Hermie in the fall!

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  • http://www.lifewithoutpants.com Matt Cheuvront

    The question is…did you get the chair? :)

  • http://www.girlstartup.com Girl Startup

    Ha ha! That's hilarious. Did you end up getting the chair?

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    I've yet to get the chair! They said maybe they'll send me a new model for testing – but still haven't heard back :( worth the try though!