Brand Vision and Barefoot Luxury with Sean Dee of OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group

From Levi.com to Barefoot Luxury: Sean Dee's Journey Building the OUTRIGGER BrandSean Dee, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group, shares his unlikely path from Stanford political science major and advertising media planner to launching the first consumer website in history at Levi Strauss, placing Levi's first-ever Super Bowl spot, and ultimately becoming the commercial force behind one of the world's most authentic beach resort brands.Key Insights You'll Learn:Started at ad agency Foote, Cone and Belding at $17,500 a year and deliberately spent after-hours in the creative department to broaden skills beyond the media job he was hired forHelped launch Levi.com in 1994 as the first consumer brand website, born from a talent budget surplus and a consumer affairs team trying to reduce 25,000 monthly call center callsOrganized the first internet consumer poll in history to let Levi's fans vote on which Super Bowl spot to air, generating over 250,000 votes before social media existedLeft Levi's shortly after that success in a departure that was not his choice, a turning point that shaped his outlook on resilience and keeping perspective on professional winsOUTRIGGER's brand positioning as the world's premier beach resort company grew from an HR orientation program, not a marketing briefBarefoot luxury combines beachfront authenticity, live music daily, local cultural celebration, and signature experiences like surf lessons with the world-famous Moniz familyAI tool Coral now handles roughly 50% of OUTRIGGER's call center volume, freeing human agents to focus on conversion conversations instead of service callsInternational visitation to the US dropped nearly 10% last year while Japan remains 50% below pre-COVID levels due to health anxiety that has little to do with US policyOUTRIGGER has completed or is completing roughly half a billion dollars in renovations with the flagship Waikiki property undergoing its biggest renovation in company historyGrowth criteria is disciplined: beachfront, warm weather year-round, overlap with existing source markets, and operational experience in the regionSean's Key Mentors:Uncle Ernie Chambers, Merv Griffin's partner: Sparked Sean's interest in broadcast and suggested advertising when production jobs were scarce in the Bay AreaLevi Strauss marketing leadership: Gave Sean the latitude to take risks on the internet, the first Super Bowl buy, and consumer voting before any of it had a proven track recordHamish Dodds, Hard Rock CEO: Led the brand restoration that stripped away years of dilution and returned Hard Rock to its founding purposeDr. Kana-Hilley, Hawaiian cultural historian: Developed the OUTRIGGER Way 30 years ago as an HR program; Sean recognized it as the brand's true differentiator and moved it to the center of all marketingJeff Wagoner, OUTRIGGER CEO: Joined in 2018 and set a higher bar for brand elevation, guest experience, and growth pace that pushed the entire organization forwardDon't miss this conversation about what it really means to own a brand position, why the best marketing insights sometimes hide in HR orientation manuals, and what the early internet can teach us about navigating the AI moment right now.Connect with Sean Dee:Website: OUTRIGGER.comLinkedIn: Sean DeeEmail: [email protected]📄 Transcript Available: Brand Vision and Barefoot Luxury with Sean Dee of Outrigger Resorts📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com