“The Field Notes team is obsessive about paper,” says Meitzler. “They test multiple pens on the paper to ensure the writability.” Tom Meitzler, Senior Vice President of Sales at Lake County Press FERTILE IMAGINATIONS Part of what makes Field Notes attractive to fans are the films that promote each new series— which perfectly match the company’s brand. “The voice of Field Notes is like Aaron,” says Bedell. “It can be boisterous and candid and a little irreverent, but it’s also very sincere. That sincerity really comes across in the films Steve Delahoyde [our filmmaker] puts together. They can be sweet, but they’re also intriguing.” Some of the films give fans a peek into the making of a series. “We realized customers were actually interested in how the production went,” says Bedell. “So we got to make films about the actual machines and the people who printed the books.” Then there are what can only be called stunts. For a series celebrating American space flight, for example, the team launched a memo book into space. According to the web page about the series, “We decided to mount a ‘Punch-Out and Assemble’ Apollo Crew Capsule to a rod. Connect that rod to a box containing a camera and GPS tracking unit. Attach the box to a parachute and a big weather balloon filled with helium, and then send the whole rig up into the sky.” Says Bedell, “We might have broken some laws with that one.” So what is the business goal behind these unconventional films? “It’s generally just been another way to get the word out and show the product—or sometimes not show the product—and give people a feel for what we’re about,” Bedell explains. “Some do better than others to attract new customers. We’re not terribly scientific about it but it’s all part of the launch and our fans look forward to them too.” Whether they’re brainstorming a theme for a new series, experimenting with unusual materials or working on irreverent promotions, Field Notes’ key to success is that their memo books aren’t just nice-looking products meant to sit on a shelf—they’re designed to create meaning, to be used and to have the pages creased and the covers beat up. A common refrain at Field Notes is, “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.” “The act of writing something down makes it more solid,” says Bedell. “Some people tell us, ‘I never know what I’m supposed to write in here.’ But it’s not supposed to be something for your big ideas. It’s supposed to be something that your big ideas come from.” CLICK HERE TO SEE BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE FIELD NOTES BRAND. 7
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