What Texas has to teach us about cawn-tyent
“You all may go to hell. I’m going to Texas.”
Texans are shameless in their pride and celebratory sense of self. You see, as a queso-loving margarita-purist and Texan myself, I’m allowed to say that.
Texas joined the United States in December of 1845, but what you might not know is that the Lone Star State existed as its own country, The Republic of Texas, for nearly a decade before joining the union. And we never forgot it. As recent as the 2016 presidential election, Texans threatened to secede from the U.S. and re-form their own country. Chutzpah #amirite?
The Republic of Texas is not forgotten in the hearts of modern-day Texans. The Lone Star state of mind is unapologetic in the fierce protection of its core identity and for a good reason:
If Texas were an independent nation today, it would have the world’s 10th largest GDP. In 2017, Texas had an economic output of a staggering $1.7 trillion.
The state is also the largest producer of wind power in America and produces nearly 40% of America’s oil. Texas is a transportation superpower as it boasts over 300,000 miles of roads, 16 seaports, and more than 380 airports.
Texas has welcomed the tech and startup scene with the likes of VRBO (home rentals a la Airbnb) and Solugen (a developer of a unique process for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide inspired by principles of cancer biology), along with 1 million women-owned businesses.
Texans have clung to their spirit of independence and uniqueness and leveraged it as their strength to achieve unparalleled innovation, success, and creativity.
Which brings us to the central question of this article: what can Texas teach us about content?
Everything. Hold tight onto what makes you unique. It is your strength.
If you’re a robotics company entering the U.S. market, let’s think about what makes you-you, and why nobody else is you. Standing out, producing engaging and lead generating content in today’s tweet-noisy world is about a return to authenticity and your brand’s core values.
Take your content back to basics. As a Texan living in Israel, I often get a surprised look when I say I hail from Texas along with, Does everyone ride horses there and wear cowboy hats? Kind of. We’re proud of it! The mesquite smoked BBQ, SXSW music festival, the largest protected urban bat colony, NASA— when you can communicate your unique value, great things can happen (I mean, Beyonce is from Texas. So.)
Let’s zero in on what you are doing and what that matters. Let’s write your narrative. As America Ferrera aptly remarked in her recent TED talk, My identity is not my obstacle. My identity is my superpower.
A cowboy-hat-clad-mustached candidate for governor in Texas a few years back ran on a simple and genius slogan that says it all, Why the hell not?