THE MARKETING TRIFECTA | I think of effective marketing as being a blend of data-driven insights, artful storytelling, and human psychology. The science part — engagement analytics, ROI, trends, customer data — is the compass to guide strategy in an ocean of media possibilities. The creative part — compelling writing, captivating visuals, unexpected concepts — can propel a mediocre campaign into a remarkable one. And the psychology part — understanding customers’ pain points, ethos/logos/pathos, values, and preferences — is the roadmap that guides sound creative development for your brand and campaigns. I dig deeper into this in my blog (The Power of the B2B Marketing Trifecta).
All three ingredients of the Marketing Elixir are critical to the success of each other and to the marketing initiative as whole and I do consider myself a FullStack Marketer. However; I believe the most underestimated and under-used secret weapon in today’s B2B marcom efforts is The Creative Part. My years as a Creative Director give me a unique skill set and approach to problem-solving for marketing solutions that resonate with and motivate prospects.
Reducing marketing to checklists, formulas
and templates stifles innovation and puts you out
of touch with a changing world.
My experience and skills are at the intersection of Full-Stack Marketer and Creative Director.
THE MAGIC | Brands are judged by their touchpoints, not by advertising. Opportunities for brain-grabbing creative exist at every touch-point of a prospect's/client's experience of your brand: online ads, social, video, webinars, datasheets, brochures, landing pages, product solution/feature pages, emails, newsletters, events... When I get the "AH-HA" concept, I’ll drive it across a plethora of media — when users see consistent imagery/creative direction, it fosters a feeling of security/reliability/trustworthiness (that psychology part again) about your brand.
The art — guided by strategy and informed by psychology is your market-piercing, results-generating weapon. Do what your competition is not doing. The art is the path to your audience's heart and mind.
You will not get exceptional marketing results
with mediocre creative.
Philosophy
ON CREATIVITY | I've been drawing and designing things since I could pick up a crayon — it's in my DNA. I like to pretend I am the audience I am designing for — really get inside their heads, how they think, what they like. Then just doodle and think: "what would I like to see if I was this person?" To me, it's a balance of empathy and play. The magic is in the "what if" scenarios. I love designing. I can't stop doing it — even on weekends and on vacations I keep a sketchbook and favorite pens close to me in case some cool idea starts bubbling up.
ON PROCESS | Pencils before pixels. I like to start with hand sketches to explore different possibilities — lucidly think through experiences and loosely organize ideas and content. I find that both diamonds and landmines can be discovered from quality doodle time. A few good sketches can be the foundation for an effective 2,000 page website. Then when the headphones go on, I start pushing pixels with a vengeance — flicking in between five or six different programs to digitally carve out the vision burning in my head.
What IS exceptional design? There are unlimited visual tricks designers can use to capture your attention and get a "wow!" I think exceptional design is wonderfully appropriate design. It fits the function, its purpose, and its user.
ON ADVENTUROUSNESS | I could give numerous examples of creative adventurousness where I presented something that was more "out of the box" than anticipated to a client — you'll see results of that in my portfolio. My biggest professional adventure is when I started a design agency in San Francisco. Fresh out of art school but I was determined to make my mark in the San Francisco design community. I had many ups and downs in the seven years of business— and many lessons about people, the business of design, and creative problem solving. It was an adventure that will stay with me all my life.
ON TEAMWORK | I demonstrate leadership by doing my best to serve my team well. Making sure they have the information, tools, time and inspiration they need to deliver their best work. I nurture and accommodate creative process and am always learning from how others are solving challenges. With upper management, I like to have a lot of transparency so they are assured my team's focus is in line with company priorities.
ON BALANCE | Yes, I will go to the mat to protect a great idea from getting watered down into the banal obscurity of mediocrity. Passion needs to be balanced with flexibility. This means being open to colleague & client input — listening to and considering everyone's ideas. A great idea can come from anywhere and being flexible means being open to that. Change and shifting priorities need to be met with agility and a clear head for new challenges.