Scott Landes

Entrepreneur, Author, Marketing Junkie, and Trail Enthusiast

Founded, built, and sold two companies. Dedicated to safe trail & recreational marking, reducing damages to buried infrastructure globally and recognized as an industry expert. Scott has published over 100 articles in multiple publications and spoke in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Australia, Italy, the UK, and Turkey. With 10 patents on marking products. Scott is passionate about marketing, new ideas, and helping others.

• American Trails Board Member since 2019
• Vistage Legacy Award winner: 2023
• Founded Rhino Marking & Protection Systems in 1990, sold in 2021
• Founded Infrastructure Resources in 2003, sold in 2024
• Founded the Global Excavation Safety Conference
• Co-founded the Oceania Damage Prevention Conference
• Founder of the dp-PRO, formerly Damage Prevention Professional Magazine
• Created the 811 Runs and 811 Mudder public awareness events
• Created the annual Excavation Safety Guide (over 10 million published)
• Common Ground Alliance Jim Barron Award: 2007

Publishing two books in 2026. One book, Jimmy Buffett: Brand Genius, is an in-depth case study of building an authentic lifestyle brand, and why this marketing strategy can be so effective. This book mixes in plenty of stories about the events that shaped the brand and lifestyle along my personal experiences.

The second book, Holding Back Disaster, was written with Benjamin Dierker. This book shines a spotlight on the value of our nation's utility infrastructure and the difficult task of protecting it.

​What made you realize Jimmy Buffett was more than a musician, but actually one of the greatest authentic lifestyle brand creators of our time?

As I started to see restaurants and hotels pop up, I could see the theme was consistently focused on a tropical escape, not Jimmy or his music. This made me realize that he understood marketing and business and was not doing this as a vanity project.

Jimmy Buffett built an empire without seeming “corporate.” What do you think he understood about authenticity that many modern brands miss?

I believe he realized a few things that helped him avoid being corporate

• He realized that his fans not only loved his music, but they were deeply connected to the lifestyle his music portrayed. Since his music was so tied to the life he lived, he realized that continuing to be authentic was a key to his success and it also meant he did not have to worry about creating an image he had to live up to.
• He realized that he was selling and emotion, not a product.
• He truly believed that life and business should be fun and that was translated to the culture of his businesses.

Why do you believe Buffett’s connection with his audience became so emotional and enduring across generations?

Because he knew his music, books and brands allowed people to instantly be on a mental vacation. Their connection to him and his brand was tied to Jimmy being real. He also realized that it was more powerful to let people's imagination create their own image of a tropical paradise which is why he never tried to define where Margaritaville was.

In researching the book, what surprised you most about the business side of Jimmy Buffett’s career?

That he had a journalism degree and his first job after college was being a reporter for Billboard Magazine, which taught him a lot about the music industry. It was also interesting to learn that he was such an incredibly hard-working guy, which is very contrary to the lifestyle his music portrays.

Buffett created an entire world around his music, from restaurants to resorts to merchandise. Which move do you think was the smartest strategically?

That is a tough call. Both the restaurants and the hotels & resorts are phenomenal ideas because both promote the Margaritaville lifestyle brand while making money. In essence they are extremely powerful marketing tools that generate profits, not expenses. They also use an asset light model for the hotels & resorts which has allowed them to grow fast without huge cash drains. Overall the real key to the marketing and business success is the fact that they know they are selling and emotion, not Jimmy's name.

​What can entrepreneurs and authors learn from the way Jimmy Buffett built community instead of just building customers?

If you want to build an authentic lifestyle brand, the authenticity of the brand must be a company-wide culture; it cannot be faked. Even if you cannot build an authentic lifestyle brand you can build an emotional connection with your customers and work to make them feel like belong to your tribe.

​Buffett’s brand represented freedom, escape, and lifestyle. Why do you think people were so hungry for that message?

Almost everyone's lives are hectic and fairly stressful. Many people do not have the ability to live Jimmy's lifestyle or get to a beautiful tropical beach very often if at all. Jimmy's music puts people in their stress-free paradise without getting on a plane or breaking the bank. This is especially true in the U.S. where we have much less vacation time than most of the Western World. I heard over and over than going to a Buffett show allowed people to be on that tropical vacation for several hours. For many people his music is played in fun settings like vacation, boating, etc. so when they hear it they are transported to that time and place mentally. Even Niko Moon described that exact scenario at a recent concert in Minneapolis.

Was there a specific moment in Jimmy Buffett’s career where you believe he transitioned from entertainer to cultural phenomenon?

No, it takes longevity and consistency to become a cultural phenomenon.  Obviously the release of Margaritaville gave him a base, but Jimmy frequently talked about being on Johnny Carson in 1981 (plus 7 more times) and opening for the Eagles on their Hotel California tour as two things that expanded his audience dramatically.

Jimmy Buffett remained relevant for decades without chasing trends. How did he manage to evolve while staying true to himself?

The great part about having an authentic lifestyle brand is that you must continue to be yourself and not chase trends. Jimmy's music topics changed slightly over the years, but the underlying theme did not change. Jimmy's evolution was more about expanding his creative outlets to best-selling books, creating a musical, and many on brand business expansions like Radio Margaritaville, Margaritaville TV, Mailboat Records, and all his Margaritaville brands. This allowed him to evolve creatively without changing as a person. It must have been much easier to always be authentic than to try and modify your style and life based on trends. Everyone he worked him and crossed paths with says that Jimmy always made things fun. As Jane Fonda said at the Jimmy Buffett Tribute concert Jimmy had the “ability, like Tinkerbell, to sprinkle happiness wherever he went.”

After writing this book, what do you think Jimmy Buffett’s greatest legacy will ultimately be: the music, the business empire, or the feeling he created for people?

​That is the magic of Jimmy, so cannot really separate those three things. The music and the feeling it creates will last as long as people want to escape their daily lives or spend time on a boat or beach. The business empire looks like it has an long life ahead in large part because Jimmy and John Cohlan had the foresight to build a brand based on an emotion, noy on Jimmy's name.

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​Website: https://jimmybuffettbrandgenius.com/​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdlandes/​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589374236188​
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-landes-5490a411

Link to purchase the book: 
https://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Buffett-Brand-Genius-INSPIRING-ebook/dp/B0H411188C/​