THE MARKETING DIRECTOR of American Apparel, Ryan Holiday, is to speak at a digital marketing conference in Ireland next month.

Only 26, Holiday is known for controversial but effective marketing campaigns and came to particular notice with his 2012 book Trust Me, I’m Lying (Confessions of a Media Manipulator), which purported to explain how to exploit online sources to get publicity for a brand or cause.

To this end, he managed to pull off a number of pranks on media by posing as an expert for stories, getting himself into news pieces in the New York Times, on ABC and MSNBC, to name a few high-profile.

Now he manages marketing campaigns – most notably for American Apparel, with whom he has been director of marketing for the past five years.

While American Apparel has attracted controversy for some of its publicity campaigns,recent ones including the Sochi equality campaign (seen above in picture), the hiring of a 62-year-old woman to model their underwear and using mannequins with pubic hair have drawn praise for challenging fashion norms.

Holiday is to appear as a speaker at the DMX Dublin digital marketing conference, organised by the Marketing Institute of Ireland, on 12 March next.

Ryan Holiday Image: DMX Dublin

If you’re wondering how a 26-year-old master marketer manages to read seven books, come up with viral campaigns for American Apparel and other brands, write a draft of his next book and still have a life  - all in one week – his ‘This Is How I Work’ interview on Lifehacker is worth a view.

He writes:

Personally, I’ve found that doing more than one thing career-wise makes you not only more productive but better at what you do. Writing makes me a better marketer, marketing kicks up all sorts of ideas for stuff to write about. Working with clients helps me at American Apparel, the unique problems I’ve dealt with at American Apparel helped me with other jobs and projects I worked on.

I’m somewhat amazed at people who can fully dedicate themselves to only one skill or field. I think I have too much energy or too little patience.

We’re exhausted just reading it.

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