Mike discussed building a brand and the new “authentic” venture My Dirty Jobs™ Cleaning Products during the recent Shopper Marketing Summit and his ideas are detailed in the June, 2012 issue of Shopper Marketing.
Rosemont, Ill. — Building a brand isn’t enough in a world flooded with endorsement deals and paid spokespeople, according to Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel series “Dirty Jobs” and chief executive officer of mikeroweWORKS. Consumers want to believe that a brand has inherent values; consumers want authenticity.
“Here’s what I believe is certain about authenticity,” said Rowe during a Shopper Marketing Summit general session. “Every single successful brand that I’ve seen today, with no exceptions, is authentic to itself. And here’s the other thing I believe: Anybody who sets out to build an authentic brand with purpose, deliberateness and intentionality is therefore fundamentally inauthentic.”
The “nexus” of authenticity and the ability to control what is already authentically valuable to the brand is the sweet spot. Rowe attributed the success of his various projects (“Dirty Jobs,” mikeroweworks.com, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, and marketing partnerships with brands such as Ford, Caterpillar, Lee and Hewlett-Packard) to his control of the authenticity of the Dirty Jobs brand, without compromising its genuineness.
Rowe’s most recent “authentic” venture is a cleaning product line inspired by the show from newly founded My Dirty Jobs LLC (with licensing from Discovery). The line launched at retail partner Walmart and Walmart.com in March.
Rowe sees to it his brand’s consistency isn’t lost. The Dirty Jobs cleaning product campaign emphasizes his mantra that dirt doesn’t hurt. Rowe recalled a period before the Dirty Jobs products when he wanted “to get in a place where I can talk about a cleaning product … not by nature of its many features and benefits, but I want to be able to say dirt is good, work is good, and whether you’re working hard or playing hard, it’s dirt. It’ll wash off. My stuff will do that.”
The “Dirty Jobs” series didn’t experience the same success right off the bat. The idea behind the show emerged during Rowe’s freelance stint in San Francisco as the host of CBS series “Evening Magazine” in 2001. The entertainer had always admired his grandfather’s career as a skilled worker, and when the station manager gave him creative freedom with “Evening Magazine,” Rowe pitched “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” a reality show documenting tradesmen like his grandfather and a hard day of work.
After being dismissed by a news station manager and peddling “work on TV” unsuccessfully for a year, Rowe approached Discovery with an idea for a show from the viewer’s perspective rather than that of the network’s usual “experts.” Several setbacks later and a turn of events finally led to the airing of “Dirty Jobs” in 2005.
A series of events in 2007, in the midst of a struggling U.S. economy, solidified Rowe’s brand as “hero to the working man,” aptly coined by “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno. Time magazine ran an article on Rowe titled “America’s Most Famous Chronicler of Work.” Rowe discovered organically developed themes in the show pointed out to him by media sources and pop culture figures. And when a financial reporter from The Wall Street Journal called Rowe for a quote on rising unemployment and the widening skills gap, Rowe realized the purpose of his brand. The “Dirty Jobs” show “champion[ed] the trades” during a period of high unemployment and a simultaneous shortage of skilled laborers. Rowe found a way to harness those themes in mikeroweWORKS without losing his brand’s authenticity “in spite of [his] purposeful intents.”
Rowe focused on growing his newfound endorsement business from 2008 to 2011, saying “no” to companies more often than “yes,” and partnering only with other brands that made “authentic sense.” He approached these efforts the same way he approached Discovery in 2002: as a viewer, not an expert; as a fan, not a spokesperson.
“I can’t be ‘the Ford guy,’ but I can be somebody who likes the stuff you make,” said Rowe. “And if you let me tell it in those terms, and at the same time support my foundation … then we don’t have an endorsement deal, we have a partnership, or at least a relationship.”
The mikeroweWORKS foundation aims to revitalize the skilled workforce by allocating donations to related organizations, scholarships, and vocational or trade schools. Meanwhile, mikeroweworks.com offers articles on a wide array of topics including farming, sustainability, economics, politics and immigration, as well as separate pages aggregating resources and information on specific trades such as painting, locksmithing and forestry.
View the original article – HERE
Mike Rowe here, Dirty Jobs™, etc. This is the first Press Release penned by yours truly. If it works, there will be more. If it doesn’t, I’ll hire an actual publicist. I would prefer not to however because 
I’m cheap. I’ll be brief.
Walmart and Lowe’s are now carrying a new cleaning product called Dirty Jobs™ Complete. Technically, it’s a laundry booster and since it’s named after the TV show that I created, I’m rather anxious to see it succeed. Toward that end, I want to announce a new website called trydirtyjobs.com. I invite you to go there and print out a coupon for the 52/62 oz container that will save you $3.00. Then, I would really appreciate it if you’d go to the nearest Walmart or Lowe’s and buy some. Read More...
This Dirty Jobs™ product review comes from the Rockin Mama website.
It is in the kitchen and in the bathroom that I find some of the most challenging cleaning scenarios. I don’t enjoy cleaning (not many people do) but I desire a home that is presentable and free from dirt, dust, and grime. My husband and I always rotate who will clean areas like the stove or the bathroom because neither of us enjoy those tasks. Inevitably, we end up spending quite a bit of time scrubbing to remove things like grease from our stove and soap residue in the bathroom.
Perhaps you’ve seen the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs, hosted by Mike Rowe, which showcases difficult, messy, and downright dirty jobs. If you thought that the person who collects your trash each week had a dirty job, watch the show for some perspective. There is actually an episode parents might appreciate which aired last year and features the popular company Hair Fairies, who assist families with lice removal.
At times, we all encounter cleaning challenges. My Dirty Jobs, in partnership with Mike Rowe and inspired by the show, recently introduced a new line of heavy duty cleaning products at Walmart. The line launched with Dirty Jobs Complete, a heavy duty stain remover that can be used on clothing, upholstery, carpets, fabrics, and on kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Additional products recently introduced include a Laundry Spot & Stain Remover, a Multi-Surface Cleaner, and an All Purpose Degreaser (you can view the entire line at Walmart).
What’s unique about Dirty Jobs Complete is that it contains a heavy duty oxgen-powered stain remover, one of the most advanced on the market. Since my toughest cleaning “jobs” are centralized in the bathroom and in the kitchen, I decided to use the Degreaser on my stove. So, I waited an entire week before cleaning my stove, to see how dirty it would get and therefore test the effectiveness of the product at removing the grease.
From the video, you can see that my stove was significantly cleaner after using the product. There are at least 2 areas I would like to spend more time on, but for a simple spray and wipe down, I was quite happy with the results. As I mentioned in the video, there was very little odor thanks to it’s low VOC profile. It was easy to use and tackled the job relatively quickly without a ton of scrubbing.
I also used the Multi-Surface Cleaner on my refrigerator, which cleaned up nicely. This ammonia-free cleaner has a fresh citrus scent and can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, including stainless steel and glass.
The entire line is available at Walmart.
Visit the Rockin Mama website – HERE
Check out the My Dirty Jobs website – HERE
Mike is featured in the April/May issue of the Romanian issue of Worker Smart magazine. (Translated from Romanian copy)
Mike Rowe has had more jobs than you. In fact, Mike had more jobs than anyone! Series creator and executive producer of the Emmy nominated Discovery Channel, 
“Occupations dirty”, Mike has spent years traveling the U.S. and working as an apprentice in more than 200 jobs that most people would try to avoid. The extracted coal to gathered flocks, up worms and castrated rams, Mike has worked in almost all possible branches and filmed the series in almost every state in the U.S., bringing homage to Americans who work hard to enable civilized life for everyone else. Read More...
The mikeroweWORKS Foundation, in partnership with SkillsUSA, is proud to announce a scholarship opportunity for SkillsUSA members who have competed and placed first in their state 
association competition.
The 2012 mikeroweWORKS Foundation Scholarship winners are below: Read More...
By Dana Beyerle
Times Montgomery Bureau
MONTGOMERY — Mike Rowe of the “Dirty Jobs” television show said it best in his promotion of “Go Build Alabama.” Read More...
This Dirty Jobs™ Complete Heavy Duty Stain Remover review comes from The ABCD Diaries.
What we thought: We reviewed the Dirty Jobs Complete Heavy-Duty, Oxygen-Powered Stain Remover. It can be used as” a booster for stain removal in the laundry, a cleaner for dingy bathroom surfaces, for freshening upholstery and fabrics, and it is even safe as a carpet stain remover. The original formula of Dirty Jobs Complete harnesses a higher concentration of oxygen-powered enzymes unlike any other product on the market cutting through grime, grease, stuck-on dirt and set-in stains.” I love that it works on such a large variety of projects. It is safe for colors and biodegradable. It works really well on the mold that tends to grow around our tub and sink in our super humid climate along the Texas coast. This is a really great all-in-one product:) ABCD Diaries gives Dirty Jobs cleaners an A+!
Visit their website – HERE
Stop by mydirtyjobs.com website to learn about the products, see videos and check out the “Mike Gets Dirty” section for more videos and fun Mike stuff.
