#MarketersBreakfast - Unlock Your Team’s Potential Recap
At Setup, we are actively analyzing internal teams and external partners to help marketers achieve their goals. We’ve found that whenever there are weak links between Brands and Agencies or within departments, the source is often poor communication.
Our recent blog “Talk the Talk: Mastering Workplace Communication + Collaboration,” goes into more detail about how poor communication skills can lead to faster burnout and ultimately failed Client relationships and worse cultures.
Connection in a post-Covid world is different. Most teams are remote and trying to rebuild the remnants of culture’s past. Our August #MarketersBreakfast was aimed to cure this slump by focusing on the tools leaders need to build better and more healthy communication practices to unite their teams and improve their organizations.
To do this, we incorporated fun, low-pressure improv exercises that aimed to create open and supportive atmospheres for connection and creativity to thrive. These exercises could also be utilized for onboarding, cross-departmental collaboration, brainstorming, and more. The session was led by Setup Marketing Manager, Madeline Evans, who is also a professional improviser producing, performing, and teaching all over the city.
Marketing Brand representatives in attendance included TK Elevator, J-B Weld Inc, Cox Automotive, Inspire Brands, Panasonic, and more.
How can Improv Help Business Leaders Succeed?
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful relationships. This means honoring and listening to other people’s ideas and articulating your own vision so that everyone is on the same page.
Studies show that poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, reduced morale, and decreased productivity among team members.
Marketing leaders are not only communicating to their consumers, but they are constantly communicating to their C-Suite to prove value, their Clients and partners to work together, and their team to unite on a single vision.
The key to improv is listening. Conveniently, that’s also the secret to building relationships and having good communication. Just like in day to day conversations though, listening to understand versus listening to respond is key.
The improv philosophy is “Yes And,” which means celebrating an idea and building upon it. How often are you in a brainstorming session and an idea immediately gets knocked down? What would it look like to acknowledge, celebrate, and see where different ideas take you?
Improv causes people to celebrate other people’s ideas. What if we were constantly celebrating each other in the workforce? There is a reason you hired your team - every person has a valuable skill set or experience to offer. Leaders need to leverage these unique experiences and POVs from their team members to shape their strategies. The best leaders surround themselves with people who are smarter than them. How are you leveraging the unique perspectives that your team members bring to the table to influence your decisions?
Attendees opened up with laughter as we learned each other's names and focused on being completely present with one another. Madeline used UCB’s Will Hines’ analogy of everyone bringing a brick to the wall in order to truly build off of other people’s ideas and create an unpredictable masterpiece. Think about the kaleidoscope that is possible when other perspectives are encouraged as opposed to one person building a wall with their own ideas. Instead of listening or being inspired by anyone else, the result would be pretty formulaic.
Madeline emphasized that improv is rooted in a belief that you are enough, that your voice is unique and interesting and deserves to be shared, and tied it into how it is leadership’s responsibility to create opportunities for people to share themselves and their ideas. She led the group in trust exercises that broke down barriers, led to silly conversations, and encouraged people to be vulnerable. As marketers, we know that authenticity and vulnerability is the key to building relationships with our consumers. Empathy is at the heart of good marketing and also the heart of being a good person (and improviser).
After the activities, people were more free to be out of their shell and network freely with one another. Multiple people felt energized and stated that, unlike traditional networking events, they truly felt like they knew the other guests and had something to talk about that was more meaningful than what they do day to day.
In the end, all leaders want to do a good job. The key is to recognize your team’s worth and what they have to offer, and to listen and celebrate the people you surround yourself with.
If you are looking for a fun, pressure-free experience to improve your culture, check out our Team Building service. This is led by our team member Madeline Evans who has over 15 years of improv experience, teaches corporate gigs and classes with Dad’s Garage, and leads her own improv program. If you are a Client-side marketer interested in attending one of our future events, RSVP here.
Gen Z is expected to have $2.7 trillion in global spending power, and its influence will only grow, projected to reach $12 trillion by 2030. They currently make up about 25% of the worldwide population. While Millennials have more established careers and spend more, Gen Z has the power to shape trends and is increasing its purchasing power as it continues to take over the workforce.
Gen Z is a big deal, and marketers need to pay attention.
Although Generation Alpha is not yet old enough to be purchasing leaders, this tech-savvy generation was the first born into a digitally established world, and their influence may cause marketers to change priorities and adapt to new tactics.
Are you overlooking your own growth? Many Agencies often focus heavily on B2C tactics to attract Clients. However, this approach may cause them to miss out on untapped growth potential. While you’re busy boosting your Clients’ success with B2B strategies, are you neglecting to apply those same powerful techniques to your own Agency?
Connection in a post-Covid world is different. Most teams are remote and trying to rebuild the remnants of culture’s past. Our August #MarketersBreakfast was aimed to cure this slump by focusing on the tools leaders need to build better and more healthy communication practices to unite their teams and improve their organizations.
Marketing Agencies are the go-to experts for helping businesses grow. They craft smart strategies, spark fresh ideas, and navigate the tricky waters of market challenges with ease. Yet, there is a glaring irony in the industry: many marketing Agencies, despite their mastery in growing other businesses, often struggle to apply those same winning strategies to their own growth.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Trish Nettleship, the Chief Marketing Officer at NCR Voyix, about understanding your “why,” the power of relationships and listening, passion, and more.
People overall are not feeling heard or understood. When that happens, team members don’t feel valued, and they usually leave a place of employment or end a partnership. We provide suggestions to improve culture, collaboration, and communication for marketing leaders, including our Team Building service.
Setup’s Manager of Strategic Partnerships listed his favorite Cannes Lions campaigns from Coca-Cola to Pop-Tarts and more, and the takeaways for marketers.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Dan Csont, the EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Corpay, about leveraging every opportunity to gain experience in your career, the evolution of U2, the power of understanding people as a leader, and more.
Being purpose-driven leads to stronger relationships with consumers rooted in trust, a positive perception of the Brand, excited employees and stakeholders who feel like their work has meaning, and more. By leaning into cause-driven marketing, Brands make a stronger impact, and gain more traction. Past studies show that consumers want Brands to care, especially when it comes to values that align with their own.
Through our research and discussions, we were inspired to point out a few ad campaigns that use their influence for good.
Here are five of our favorite marketing campaigns that amplify what it means to be purpose-driven:
Our latest virtual Women’s event was themed “Marketing for Good - Turning Passions into Action,” where marketing leaders discussed the internal and external benefits of cause-driven marketing. Attendees included Setup Agency partners as well as members from established Brands at Cox, FIS, FedEx, Great Clips, Kimberly-Clark, The Home Depot, and more.
Navigating the marketing industry often leads professionals to stick to either the Agency or Brand side, potentially limiting their growth opportunities. In our series, we delve into the experiences of marketers who have made the jump from one side to the other. Building on our previous exploration of transitioning from Client to Agency-side marketing, this time we interviewed Allison Turner, who has transitioned from Agency roles to becoming the Marketing Copy Manager at Floor & Decor on the Client side.
This journey highlights how working on both sides can enhance a marketer's skills and adaptability, making them more equipped to handle diverse tasks and challenges.
Setup President, Amanda Thompson, spoke with Mika Yamamoto, the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks, about the power of perseverance and believing in yourself, Warby Parker’s tactful and intentional experiential marketing, the importance of listening to your team for campaign input and success, and more.
Traditional Agency searches, frequently conducted with the help of search consultants, can involve lengthy and expensive processes. These consultants typically charge significant fees for a three- to five-month process to narrow down a large pool of eligible Agencies to a handful of qualified candidates for the Client to choose from. In contrast, Setup can achieve the same goal of narrowing down to a small group of highly qualified Agencies in as little as a week and at no cost to the Client.
Transitioning from Brand-side to Agency-side marketing can be both rewarding and challenging for marketing leaders. This shift offers unique opportunities to enhance strategic thinking, creativity, and versatility while navigating the fast-paced dynamics of managing multiple Clients. Drawing on insights from marketing experts like Cami Albrecht and Elaine Fowler of Sagepath Reply, this blog provides essential advice for successfully making the switch and leveraging the benefits of both career paths.
Each year, we conduct the Marketing Relationship Survey with both Client-side and Agency-side marketers to uncover the latest insights on marketing challenges, innovative solutions, and industry preferences. This allows us to identify key marketing gaps and provide strategic solutions that simplify and enhance marketers' efforts. Reach about last year’s Marketing Relationship Survey.
What challenges are Clients currently facing alongside their agency partners in 2024?
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with DeLu Jackson, the EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of ADT, about the power of collaboration, harnessing different communication styles, Apple’s innovation, and more.
Agency leaders and marketers in general are dealing with worldwide challenges like adapting to and adopting advanced technology and social platforms, budget constraints and showcasing marketing’s ROI, and navigating data privacy changes.
The 2023 Marketing Relationship Survey revealed that Delivery and Business Development remained a key challenge for Agency-side marketing leaders in the last year.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Rich Honiball, the EVP and the Global Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer for the Navy Exchange Service Command (which is also known as NEXCOM), about the power of taking risks and failing, true authenticity in a brand, and the importance of curiosity.
The Setup Marketer Speed Dating #MarketersBreakfast is one of our most popular in-person events because attendees get to meet as many qualified people as possible in short bursts of time. Many attendees recounted that the facilitated structure of the matchmaking event made networking so much easier. Plus, to ensure that everyone’s time is valued, the roster of #MarketersBreakfast attendees is exclusive, only open to our agency partners and Client-side marketing leaders. Some of the brands in attendance included Veritiv, Cartoon Network, Primrose Schools, and more.
According to the 2023 Setup Marketing Relationship Survey, Word-of-mouth and Referrals consistently remain the most frequent methods Clients use to find new Agency Partners.
This has been the case for the last five years of the Marketing Relationship Survey.
What does this mean for Clients + Agencies? How can they optimize their efforts with this knowledge?
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with the Co-Founder of Reebok, Joe Foster, about the foundation behind building a strong brand, the importance of listening as a leader, Winston Churchill, and more.
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, it might feel impossible to keep up. Staying ahead of the curb is as important as having your morning coffee – miss it, and you might find yourself dozing off at the wheel.
You can’t go anywhere without hearing people talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI), but it isn't just a fancy buzzword; it's critical to making sure you aren’t missing key opportunities. Elaine Fowler, Director of Market Strategy, Experience & Marketing at Sagepath Reply, shares how marketers can best optimize AI to improve their marketing strategy.
Setup President, Amanda Thompson, spoke with Alec Hanson, the Chief Marketing Officer at loanDepot, about how his irrational self-confidence allows him to embrace his inner nerd, the beauty of perspective, the power of sales experience, and more.
According to the Setup Marketing Relationship Survey, Clients leaned more heavily into content creation and video in 2023 than previous years by 15%. Since video content is more accessible to all types of people and is easier to consume and understand in short bursts, it makes sense that Clients would take advantage of platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. What other disciplines have been a brand priority?
Setup President, Amanda Thompson, spoke with Alex Cwirko-Godycki, the Chief Marketing Officer of Human Capital and the Head of Digital Marketing at Aon, about his problem solving skills, the power of simplicity, United Airlines’ relatable motto, and more.
Marketers graduating from college often ask me whether they should pursue client- or agency-side opportunities for their initial job out of college. I tell them that in the long term, it is always best to get experience with both, but initially, a stint on the agency-side provides more opportunities to learn about different marketing roles, industries, and experiences than the client-side.
Joe Koufman, Founder and CEO of Setup, the matchmakers bridging the gap between agencies and brands, and Andrea Striebel, the VP of Marketing for Floor & Decor, share their thoughts on agency- vs client-side careers.
At Setup, we work with some of the finest marketing agencies across the nation with an array of capabilities. Our most recent March #MarketingMixer gave our partners a platform to share an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into their process, strategy, and campaign results in under two hours. Ten case studies in 90 minutes, with some fun trivia in between, featuring an array of brands like adidas, ParkMobile, PAMA, Prudential, and more.
Setup CEO and Founder, Joe Koufman, spoke with Amy Comeau, the Vice President of Marketing for Emory Healthcare, to share about her journey from vocal performance and Opera houses to Healthcare, building collaborative bridges, passion for Publix, the power of her mother’s words, and more.
With economic uncertainty, shifting consumer expectations, and evolving digital trends (AI, anyone?), it has become more of a challenge to sort budgets. Last year’s numbers may not be a great indicator of future success. One thing is certain, however: demonstrating the ROI from marketing efforts is crucial for brands to stay competitive.
Check out key budgeting challenges that marketers often face and practical solutions to help marketing leaders craft a stronger, more agile budget.