'Dear /r/Beards Mods' is an 🏷️#open_letter to 📝Moderators of the /r/beards 📝subreddit regarding 📝The Beard Club's transition of leadership, and energy, away from what resulted in them being banned.
Subject: Gratitude and Context
Hey /r/Beards Mods,
My name is 📝Brian Swichkow and /r/beards was one of the first subs I lurked for inspiration when I joined Reddit (and started my beard) in 2014. As someone with a patchy start, I am immensely grateful for the brotherhood that flourishes in /r/beards. I can attribute many positive manifestations in my life to my beard, beginning with an indescribable surge of confidence, and I can attribute much of that to the space you've made here. I know moderation can be a thankless job and it might seem silly, but... thank you, truly.
I appreciate this space immensely and want to respect it thusly. I'm about to target the /r/beards community with reddit ads for a kind of art project, and before I do, I wanted to share some context.
In 2014, I submitted an article about pranking my roommate with Facebook ads to /r/marketing; it reached the front page and I was labeled a 📝Reddit Marketing Expert. After moved to Los Angeles in 2015, I ran into the founder of Dollar Beard Club at a coffee shop. Later, I discovered they had been rightfully banned from /r/beards for self-promoting and campaigning for votes; a result of ignorant eagerness. I explained the dynamics of the community that resulted in their ban and suggested a frame by which they could offer apologize authentically. It would have been a funny and earnest video... had they made it. Since they didn't at the time, I'd like to extend an apology on their behalf. In the years since, I've taught companies about 📝Reddit Marketing using that ban as an example of disrespect by way of ignorance.
Fast forward to 2019...
A few months ago, while at dinner, I told a friend that beard.bot was one of 🏷️#my-domain and an art project slated for the future. He responded by telling me that the CEO was his client/friend. What I didn't know at the time was that the lead investor in Dollar Beard Club, 📝Bryan Welfel, had taken over as CEO.
While I'd admired the brashness of their early marketing, the energy of their former leadership and brand voice was... overwhelming. Speaking from personal experience, the bro-y "never cut/trim your beard" attitude was the same energy that spammed the /r/beards community and resulted in their ban.
My friend introduced me to Bryan and, when we talked, I shared my experience with the former leadership as he (a warm and open-hearted energy) shared their journey since; rebranding as 📝The Beard Club, removing the macho energy, and—to the best of their ability—📝making space for community to gather.
Still, they felt "trapped" by the ego of the old brand voice. I proposed that they fund an art project as a means to facilitate conversation and, to my surprise, he agreed. Here's our agreement: 🤝📝The Beard Club
Creatively prompted by the agreement above, I'm making 📝Reddit Art as a means to make space for 📝play. This will take the form of unlocked advertising with 🏷️#brotherhood-oriented quotes/aphorisms to prompt conversations thereof. And, since the Reddit Advertising Policy requires that ads "must clearly and accurately represent the brand, product, or service that is being promoted" (added, in small part, because of me😄) we'll be promoting t-shirts and all the proceeds will be donated to 📝Movember. And, if you're curious, here's what some of my ads/art has looked like in the past: brianswichkow.com
tl;dr — y'all are amazing, thank you! And you'll see likely some beardly ads/art soon
🙏
~ Brian
P.S. This is an open letter and is published here. Also, my 📝memos contextualizing the co-creative endeavors with The Beard Club are, and will continue to be, documented here: 🏷️#beard-club
👆
Reflections
"I have been a member of the r/beards sub for as long as I remember; often submitting prime quality OC of my own beard. The mod team is understanding and actively keeping the place in check. I can understand how a brand could get on the radars of mods this way. I can also understand discussing it transparently and being fair on both parties regardless of the outcome." ~ 📝Robert Allam, aka 📝GallowBoob (shared via the 📝Citizens of One Slack Community after asking for feedback)