It’s been a hot second since our last in-person marketing event (February 2020 to be exact), but we made a plan to finally see our Setup community in person, and saw it through to success!

To make up for our lack of in-person events, we’ve hosted a number of virtual events showcasing agency case studies, marketing in big, medium, and small beverage companies, and business networking.

We’ve even created opportunities to continue to connect marketers virtually with our Marketer Matchup program and In This Dame and Age series where we connect women marketing leaders.

For our first event back at the Miami Ad School @ Portfolio Center, we revisited a classic theme: Show + Tell, to share the marketing strategies, thought processes, and success stories of incredible brands like Aaron’s, NCR, The Coca-Cola Company, and ParkMobile.

A Walk Through the Case Studies…

Speaker #1 - Sandi Murnane | Director of Creative Services | Aaron's, Inc

Murnane shared the story of their “Aa Team” campaign where they leveraged nostalgia and a celebrity to raise brand awareness. By using Mr. T, a celebrity familiar to many, they related to more audience members and caused a stir. The Aaron’s campaign includes TV commercials, in-store POP, direct mail, social, email, website, outdoor banners, and delivery trucks to support their campaign.

Speaker #2 - Jaclyn Osterloh | Director, Social Center | The Coca-Cola Company

Osterloh shared about Hi-C’s relaunch of the Ecto Cooler drink (limited time) for the new Ghostbusters movie. Without a paid media budget, they successfully launched the campaign with the help of user generated content and influencer marketing. The key to launching it successfully and quickly was maintaining a small team so that everyone was on the same page.

Speaker #3 - Jeff Perkins | CEO | ParkMobile

Perkins shared how his entire business survived during COVID - when few people were parking for events. Asking key questions like, “How can we keep people engaged with the brand during this time?” and “How can we help people that are struggling right now?” They incentivized users to keep the app by connecting it to a charity campaign and helping those less fortunate.

Speaker #4 - Katie Kirschner | VP and Global Lead, Hospitality Consulting | NCR

Kirschner presented about how NCR needed to provide value beyond the product, particularly during the pandemic when cash registers and payment swipes were less active. With the help of a team of internal marketers who refocused on creating fantastic, relevant content, the team started utilizing more SEO and social listening tools to create nearly 15 articles a week answering top questions, leading to about 90 articles a month. These strategic efforts resulted in a large increase in web traffic for two years running and more thought leadership from the company.

Some Leadership Advice…

Throughout their presentations and during the Q + A session, speakers included some career advice.

Perkins recommended that leaders perform DiSC assessments with their team so that they know how to work best with one another. Saying, “Sometimes the quietest people have the best input.” He emphasized that, as a Manager, it’s important to encourage the whole team to give feedback and facilitate that space so that every voice is heard.

Setup takes the pressure out of networking. I felt at ease, and the attendees were smart and interesting professionals.
- Jaclyn Osterloh | Director, Social Center | The Coca-Cola Company

There is nothing like the joy of watching networking and live connections take place. We are so thrilled to be back and cannot wait to facilitate more opportunities for marketers to grow, learn, and connect.

Setup is hosting another virtual Women’s Event, In This Dame and Age in June! Please invite women marketers on your team who may benefit. And, as always, Setup curates 1:1 marketing matches quarterly through the Marketer Matchups program. Get and stay connected with your marketing community, and see you next time!

Sign up for Marketer Matchups

Some photos from the event:

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