[experiential marketing background highlights]
Strangely enough, I feel compelled today to backtrack a bit and give you some background on how and why I “got into” experiential marketing. It’s often life’s odd paths that help you branch out and form your own business. My paths have been no exception.
First, I am the President of Street Sampling, Inc., an experiential marketing agency (sounds a bit like the line from the movie “American President,” but it’s true).
I started my marketing career as a consultant in 2004. By 2006, I’d founded Street Sampling, Inc. This company has gone on to execute numerous experiential marketing programs on behalf of agencies and clients such as:
o Chevy
o Lacoste
o Krispy Kreme
o Dr. Pepper
o Reynolds
o Puma, and
o The Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Prior to striking out on my own, I honed my marketing skills as a Field Marketing Manager for Princeton Partners (on behalf of PNC Bank). During this period of explosive growth for PNC, I lead the field outreach efforts for new branches. Ideas I incorporated were:
o Street teams (using brand ambassadors)
o Event activation
o Grand openings
o Major contests and VIP events.
While I didn’t invent these ideas, they were not being used well by the company. I made sure they worked.
In fact, at its peak, this group supported 40+ new branches. All the while, I played an integral role in the field marketing during the conversion of Mercantile Bank (Baltimore) and Yardville Bank (New Jersey) into the existing PNC footprint.
What I have done with Street Sampling, Inc., is conceptualize, create, execute, and/or fix broken programs for many of the Fortune 1000. From multi-city tours, special events, grand openings and live product sampling, I’ve has done it all – 12 years+ experience within the hospitality industry – from senior manager to director positions.
As with any business, having extensive operations experience lends itself well to the successful execution of each and every experiential marketing program event.
At Street Sampling, we take pride in exceeding client expectations.
So as I draw this post to a close, I also wanted to leave you with an important thought. Don’t forget as you contemplate starting or expanding your business that it’s also critical to become active within your physical community. With that said, I’m also a member of the:
o DC AdClub
o Latino Economic Development Corporation, and
o Potomac Executive Network.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading a bit of my background as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you.
Feel free to make and take a moment and tell me something about yourself by commenting to this post.