It’s All About the Stories

What sets good communicators apart? For me, the answer is simply a love for the work – a desire to start the day because they are genuinely excited for what it will bring more so than anything else.

I want to showcase some of the professionals I believe have that passion through some of their most interesting days, in their own words. So, I asked a group of colleagues from across the marketing communication spectrum a question:

What is the most fun or interesting thing you have ever done for a client or your company that you wouldn’t expect someone in our industry to do?

The responses were insightful – and almost always started with the phrase “I’m not sure if this qualifies.” They saw it as something that was just part of their regular work.

And that is the point I want to focus on. True passion shows itself through professionals, like those I highlight here, becoming ingrained in the communities and industries they serve to the point where they see these stories being as much a part of their lives as their last vacation. These are the stories they tell their friends over a drink – almost always with a smile that says “you should have been there.”

So, let’s follow a journey together, as told to me by some of the most talented and fun professionals I know:

Let’s …
Start with a Quick One …

And by quick, I am being literal. Peter Baron, the owner of Carabiner Communications (and one of the best relationship builders I have ever met), told me a story about a new product launch with a little twist:

“Once for an Apple press conference to launch a fast new Mac (the fastest available at the time), we borrowed a vintage Ferrari and stationed it next to the original Mac,” he said. “We also borrowed the newest, fastest Ferrari to emphasize the speed and power of the new Mac. It made for an exciting press conference, great photos and excellent coverage.”

Then Lift Off …

Maggie Tilley, the Founder and President of G&T Communications, Inc. in Boone, NC, talked about a different kind of vehicle:

“I literally hung out the door opening of a helicopter to film and then photograph the construction of a new transmission line, she said. “I felt like a war correspondent, but it really was a fun experience with an element of danger.

And Stop to (name a) Snack …

Sometimes, we take a more direct role in the story. Sarah Broberg, the Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Communication and Marketing at UNC-Asheville, and president of SB Corporate Consultancy, told me about carving out her own small piece of history:
“I once got to name an ice cream flavor!,” she said. “An alumni couple from the university where I work owns an ice cream shop and offered to create a special ice cream in honor of our brand new Chancellor. We went through the entire process of determining the preferred flavor profile, ingredients – and, my favorite part, the taste test of three flavors that made the shortlist. Once the final selection was made, we had so much fun coming up with creative names for what would soon be our favorite ice cream.”

Meet A Future Leader in Construction …

Our stories aren’t always about what we do, but about the people we meet. Rachael Farr, the communication manager for Robins & Morton, a construction firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, told me a story about a five-year-old girl who would pass a hotel they were building every day, constantly asking her grandmother about its progress.

Rachael’s team noticed and, as the building neared completion, reached out to offer her a tour – and set up an interview with the local news. Rachael noted the young girl’s obvious interest and questions.

“My company has a ‘Building With Purpose’ commitment that states that our goal is to make a lasting, positive impact through the things we build and do,” Rachael explained. “It was amazing to see that commitment in action in nurturing another generation of professionals. Women only make up about 10% of the construction industry, but Brooklyn is well on her way to breaking down any barriers at only five years old.”

And A Future Leader of Our Nation …

Kristina Schnepf, the Chief Commercial Officer at Area Wide Protective (AWP) in Canton, Ohio – and one of my very first clients from my agency days (and a good friend to this day) – also focused on someone she was able to get to know during a project:

“One of my favorite experiences was leading the planning and execution of a ground-breaking ceremony for a project that had received ARRA funding in 2009, at which then Vice President Biden was in attendance,” she said. “The best part was spending time with Mr. Biden as he interacted with construction workers present for the event. Mr. Biden’s team briefed him that he was to meet and greet the workers and that a backhoe operator would be introducing him on stage. He glanced at me as I stood there in my heels and business dress were, ‘Let me guess, you’re not a heavy equipment operator.’ That was the start of what was one of the most relaxed, genuine, and honest meet and greets I have ever experienced.”

Search for Bikini Pictures Online …

Not all of our stories take place in the physical world. Sometimes, what we do in front of the keyboard can be just as fun and interesting.

As a founder and part-owner of Lumino Digital, a digital reputation agency in Oklahoma City that focuses on channels such as Wikipedia, Glass Door and Reddit, Jenny Karn lives her professional life protecting people from rumors and misinformation online. She told me a story about helping a client-targeted by potential online predators.

“This individual had recently married into a wealthy and prominent family who wanted to send cease and desist letters to all websites hosting images of this woman in her bathing suit (or less)” she said. “My coworker doing the heavy lifting on this assignment had to explain to his wife what was going on in case she peeked at the computer screen at his home office.”

Introduce “The General” to Employees

And then there are stories that aren’t (completely) about people. Dan Taylor, the president of Taylor’d Communications LLC in Pennsylvania, offered an example where he got to work with another species altogether:

“I hired a falconer to bring in a falcon named ‘The General’ to the company’s AV studio for a global employee broadcast,” he said. “Our VP explained how new biz development for the business resembled a falcon (excellent vision, high viewpoint, fast/agile), while the core business could be likened to dragons (protective, big/strong, fierce). During the broadcast, this large falcon was perched very close to the VP, so thankfully, The General behaved, and an ear was not lost! The strategy was embraced by employees globally.”

Offer Rides from the Airport …

Brian Gossett, the CEO of ResponsePoint, a lead generation and nurturing agency headquartered in Raleigh, NC focused on a unique way to put sellers in front of customers at a large trade show:

“We had a client who was attending a national trade show where they would be promoting their Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), which are sophisticated motor controllers,” He said. “We helped them target a key consulting engineer audience that could specify their VFDs in systems they design. We reached out to this target audience through direct mail and phone calls to schedule personalized Town Car limo transport from Newark, La Guardia, or Kennedy airports into Manhattan for the conference. The ~45-minute “drives” that we arranged were accompanied by a member of our client’s sales team. We set up about 45 of these unique sales opportunities.”

And, Finally, Stop to Enjoy the View …

Tom Sloan, the Founder and Creative Director of Have Spacesuit (who wins my forever respect for coolest agency name with a Heinlein reference), focused on something we can all relate to – that celebration in the hours after a job well done:

“I was at the Mirren New Business conference and met someone who was there also enjoying the sessions, who randomly says to a group of us during after-hours drinks ‘my office is on the 61st floor of the Chrysler building. Y’all wanna go out on the terrace where the giant eagles are that Annie Leibovitz climbed out on?’,” he explained. “To which we responded HELL YEAH. So at nearly midnight a small group of us made our way across town, took the elevator up, climbed out a window and hung out on the terrace with the 2′ wall the only thing between us and the ground 700+ feet below.”

Thank You

Obviously, I have my own stories to tell (and that I love telling), but those are for other times and other blogs (maybe – I’m not really planning ahead with this).

My point here is obviously about more than just telling a few fun stories. It is about enjoying your work – and just as importantly, surrounding yourself with professionals who do the same.

I am lucky to get to tell these stories offered by my amazing colleagues and friends (old and new) like those above – to work with them where I can – to learn from them every chance I get – and, most importantly, to just have fun just knowing them.

If you have a fun story about something most people likely wouldn’t expect someone in our industry to do, I would love to hear it.

And, thank you to everyone that helped me put this together.