“It keeps people engaged – it keeps people watching”: Cesar Gueikian explains his social strategy for teasing new Gibson products
“It’s fun to watch and just builds excitement.”
Credit: Ed Rode/Getty Images
Since Cesar Gueikian took the Gibson reins in 2023, he’s regularly exercised his authority to tease some of the brand’s product releases on social media.
In the past couple of years, Gueikian has used his own socials to tease a new Les Paul signature model for Lamb of God’s Mark Morton, a DG-335 Dave Grohl signature model revival, and the return of the Gibson Les Paul Supreme.
Therefore, it’s no secret the Gibson CEO enjoys drumming up hype for new Gibson releases on social media, and in a new interview with MusicRadar [as per Ultimate Guitar], he explains why he enjoys it so much, and why it’s so valuable for the Gibson brand.
“It’s something that I enjoy doing,” he says. “Obviously, with the help of my team, the social media team.
“But I enjoy doing that and dropping little Easter eggs on a regular basis. It keeps people engaged. It keeps people watching – and sometimes they catch them immediately, sometimes it takes a little longer.”
“It’s fun to watch and just builds excitement,” he adds. “Everybody gets excited to see what we are working on. They know that if we are working on something, they know they can expect it in the future.”
And while consistent social media teases are good for the business, Gueikian admits he also does it to unwind, somewhat, from his other, more pressing tasks as CEO.
“It’s a little bit of, personally, having fun with it, being a little bit more relaxed from my day-to-day with 2,500 people around the world, and working 16-hour days. It gives me a little bit of relief as well with what I truly love. Ultimately, I love guitars. I love music. And I love Gibson.”
In other Gibson news, the guitar giant just opened a new store in London, the Gibson Garage. A space with hundreds of electric and acoustic guitars across Gibson’s portfolio of brands, Gueikian hopes the shop will become a “hangout spot” for musicians of all backgrounds, abilities and styles.