Topher Ingalls of Templeton, a real estate agent based in San Luis Obispo, tried to combine his past love of and experience with motocross in a marketing video to show how he arrived in the real estate industry. Unfortunately, he is facing backlash from people who say that the video was unprofessional and unsafe.
Ingalls’ video shows him riding a dirt bike along the streets in the area. He does an impressive job with the stunts, but they would be dangerous for someone to replicate. Ingalls said that he filmed the stunts early in the morning when traffic was light. No one was injured or delayed by his work, but it still brought controversy.
Hindsight Is 20/20
He received more than 1,000,000 views of the video before taking it down. Some viewers took offense and were concerned that Ingalls had put drivers in danger with his stunts. Ingalls apologized and removed the video. He says,
“I would do it differently if I could do it again. I would just make sure any jumps or wheelies that some people saw as “dangerous” or “reckless” were on closed course. Personally, I didn’t find anything reckless and I never put anybody else in any risk, but I never wanted to set a bad example or disappoint anyone. I think when marketing, it’s all about being creative, being yourself, and different is better than good.”
We’ve found various versions still available online, like the following:
Good intentions
Ingalls produced a high-quality video that probably needed more forethought. To his credit, he is taking accountability and responding to critics with grace. His boss reiterated Ingalls’ intentions, in that they were good, although maybe misguided. There are no plans to release Ingalls from the brokerage.
It is my hope that Ingalls has (or gets) a mentor who can capture that creativity while ensuring that he and the community are safe. A young man who can produce a video of that quality is not someone you want to let go. Direct that innovation and use it. Don’t throw it away.
#DangerousMarketing
