The pandemic changed everything. Businesses had to adapt and pivot along the way Some shifted dynamically. Welcome to The Marketing Accelerator Podcastā€¦featuring three insights in about three minutes. I'm Drew Dinkelacker. Today, I'm speaking with Courtney Cantor. She is the marketing director at Hamilton, an event marketing agency that creates immersive brand experiences. Courtney, your business made a dynamic shift from being perceived as an exhibit house, to an experiential marketing agency. Now, that's a significant change. Where did you start?
Courtney Cantor: Well, we knew in order for our perception to change, we actually had to gain alignment on what we really want to focus on and how we want to be perceived. So, to do that, we started by making a list. We had a big group of us together from the leadership team, and it was a traditional white boarding, writing up these areas we want to focus on and not looking back at what we've always done, but more looking forward about where we wanted to go. And this led to a really powerful discussions of possibilities as well as clarity, alignment, and unity.
Drew: Oh, that's great. You got clarity and that is just not an easy thing to do, but that's just the first step. So, what happened next?
Courtney: Yeah, well, because the pandemic had really shut everything down, we actually had the space and opportunity to let this holistic mindset evolved and be refined, and this changed our approach to everything, because we were not only changing how our clients and prospects perceived us, but also how we talked about ourselves internally and how we thought about ourselves. So in order to do that, it took a lot of work and then marketing had to get to work to make it really happen and execute.
Drew: Yes, marketing always has to deal with the ripple effects of leadership's decisions, other people's decisions. Can you give us an example of how this more holistic mindset changed things?
Courtney: I think the biggest change is that we started to work in areas that we probably previously never would have considered. For example, with the Indiana Department of Health, they were looking for a partner to help plan, design, and implement these outdoor mass vaccination centers in 2021. And doctors are not necessarily the best event planners or marketers, so that's where we came in, and, together, we assisted with the administration of over half a million vaccines across the state. And also were able to build brand awareness and recognition for Hamilton and then through that, developed our own focused initiative, supporting government and NGO clients. So, really something that we never thought we would have been involved in and was, so, I think, fruitful from a marketing perspective, but also just from a good community perspective. And today, we're in a great position. We're able to turn down business and we're doing the kind of work that we really love, and the work that we do best.
Drew: Taking the time to get clarity is a critical step that can lead to alignment and unity, and that is an environment that's ripe for marketing success. The Marketing Accelerator Podcast is a production of MarketingAccelerator.com, and just one of the resources we provide for marketing and business leaders. I'm Drew Dinkelacker.