What is this?This is a curated list of articles that piqued our interest from around the web. We didn't write them, we don't own them, but we thought they would be important for many of our members.
I was trained to be an “Accountable” Account Executive. Besides the basic understanding of agency processes and project management, a very distinct and important attribute was instilled in me as well – a very real sense of accountability. Above all else, I, as an account executive, was and am responsible for absolutely everything. From the creative itself to the effectiveness of that creative, to client perceptions and to the agency’s success. At first glance this may seem misleading – but when you think about it, it isn’t. You would think after all, I as an AE am not producing the creative, I can’t control what a client thinks and I don’t run the agency. But, then again, I do.
As an AE, I am responsible for the creative because my job is to understand my client’s business challenges, to interpret and communicate that challenge to the creative team via creative strategies and conferences, and to inform the final creative product. I own the relationship with the client and therefore am really the only the person in the agency who can influence and control the client’s perceptions of the work, the agency and help interpret the results. Finally, I as an AE, am accountable for the client’s budgets, therefore the agency’s profitability and thus, am accountable to each and every one of the agency’s employees. I guess that’s why they called this job “Account” Service. What do you think?
Steve is a seasoned Brand Strategist and serves a strategic advisory role for many existing agency accounts at Davis Advertising, located in Worcester, MA. From market research, to brand positioning and account planning, he’s recently completed naming projects for Cornerstone Bank and Coastal Heritage Bank, brand positioning projects for Service Credit Union, the Yesway Convenience Store chain and the Wayback Burgers franchise.
Over the past 13 years at Davis Advertising, he was the Account Supervisor on the Charter Communications account – a Fortune 500 company, and has worked on a wide array of brands from the higher education, franchising, business-to-business, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and retail categories.
Having worked at RDW Group and Donovan Group Integrated Marketing, he has an extensive background in marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and media. While there he managed such notable accounts as Fallon Community Health Plan, UMass Memorial Healthcare, HealthAlliance, HarborONE Bank (formerly Brockton Credit Union/HarborONE Credit Union), Markem, Stratus Computer and Simplex Manufacturing.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in Advertising/PR from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Bill Phenix, Senior Marketing Consultant at WXRV-FM
Welcome to the newly created Virtual Ad Club Interview Series. Whether you’ve been in the business for 20 years or 20 minutes, we can all learn something from each other’s experiences. And that’s our goal here.
Our own Ami Cadugan sat down with William (Bill) Phenix, Senior Marketing Consultant at The River (WXRV-FM, Boston’s Independent Radio station), to chat about his career and learn his thoughts on the state of the advertising industry today. We hope you will find his insights to be beneficial, especially for our readers who are new to the industry.
Q: How did you get started in the advertising business? What sparked your interest?
A: As a kid I found TV commercials to be far more fascinating than the shows they were sandwiched between. I’d worked in the retail, hotel and food service industries, prior to becoming an ad man. But one Saturday I met a guy straight out of “Jersey Shore” in a bike shop and the following Monday my career in radio sales began.
Q: How many years have you been in the business?
A: I’ll celebrate my 15-year anniversary in 2018. And I had no delusions that it would last. 90% of salespeople don’t make it past the first year, because it’s an uphill battle and the rejection is difficult to handle. Only those that are self-motivated make it.
Q: What skills did you learn in your first few jobs? How have you been able to use those to move your career forward?
A: There are three things you can’t teach people: to be passionate, to care about your clients and to be detail oriented. Everything else can be taught and learned. Fortunately, I started with all of these qualities. I’ve been able to move forward by keeping up with industry trends, having a wide range of personal and professional interests and writing creative radio spots for my clients.
Q: Did you have mentors over your career? If so, who was the most influential?
A: I’ve enjoyed a grandfather/father/son style of mentoring over the last 15 years. The Grandfather was Charlie Dent, a life-long radio professional who loved the business and passed that love down to Steve Friedman and subsequently, to myself. I started working with Steve 13 years ago and we’ve worked together, on and off, ever since. Both instilled in me the importance of honesty, caring and helping our clients to grow their businesses.
Q: What was your favorite / most challenging / job where you had the best growth opportunities?
A: The River (WXRV-FM, “Boston’s Independent Radio”), both the first and second times around. I’ve been fortunate enough to work my mentor there, Steve Friedman, as well as our current owner, the brilliant Steven Silberberg. My former General Manager, Mike Trombly gave me the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” It contains a test, which teaches you to identify which qualities and talents will help further your career. According to the test, I am strategic, engage in individualization, enjoy learning and being taught, take in the world around me and am an “ideas guy.” Pretty spot on.
Q: What about Networking? What do you do, either in person or online?
A: I attend a lot of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce meetings and a variety of charity events, along with the occasional trade show. The number one rule is: always be prepared. Always carry business cards, because you never know when you’ll meet a prospect. It could be the guy sitting next to you at Starbucks. I also make notes on the business cards that I collect. Then I make two piles. Prospects go in the first pile and get entered directly into my contacts. Suspects go in the second. Of course, I’m also on LinkedIn. It’s a great tool to research people.
Q: Is there something that you’re passionate about that has driven your career path?
A: I really like helping my clients to succeed. Being honest. Knowing that it’s okay to say “no” if a client asks for something that you can’t deliver. Keeping everyone’s expectations realistic. It takes a minimum budget and level of frequency (as well as good creative) to make a radio campaign successful. Clients need to understand that upfront.
Q: What do you do to keep yourself “fresh” in our constantly evolving industry?
A: I read a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I like to use my creative side by writing ad copy. Radio is “theater of the mind,” so I’m able to stretch myself by crafting messages that work. Getting the right message across in thirty seconds, or less, can be quite challenging, but rewarding at the same time.
Q: How has digital media impacted what you do on a day to day? How have you helped your clients to transition their marketing plans over the years?
A: Digital is an important component of any marketing campaign, but shouldn’t be the only one. Many people think that they need to put 100% of their ad budgets against it. But advertising has always been about a media mix. There’s no one media that works 100% of the time for 100% of the clients. If a magic formula existed, then everyone would be using it. But, I like the trackability and sound components of digital/video ads. My clients have actually seen their digital numbers increase when combined with a radio campaign. Which proves my point above about a media mix.
The VAC would like to thank Bill for his time and insights. If you’d like to make his virtual, or actual acquaintance, click on his LinkedIn profile. Bill is based in New Hampshire, as WXRV-FM’s signal stretches all the way from Boston to the Lakes Region. Bill is always up for a good cup of coffee or glass of wine!
Just wanted to make available the famous and venerable JWT Planning Guide. The original document that defined (and still does define) what Brand Planning is all about. This is a genuine “must read” in a world of over-hyped marketing palp. Find value by reading for yourself what brand planning is. We will find a spot to post a PDF of this but in the meantime, just send me a quick email (sbsalloway@gmail.com) and I will send it on over to you. Enjoy!
Steve is a seasoned Brand Strategist and serves a strategic advisory role for many existing agency accounts at Davis Advertising, located in Worcester, MA. From market research, to brand positioning and account planning, he’s recently completed naming projects for Cornerstone Bank and Coastal Heritage Bank, brand positioning projects for Service Credit Union, the Yesway Convenience Store chain and the Wayback Burgers franchise.
Over the past 13 years at Davis Advertising, he was the Account Supervisor on the Charter Communications account – a Fortune 500 company, and has worked on a wide array of brands from the higher education, franchising, business-to-business, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and retail categories.
Having worked at RDW Group and Donovan Group Integrated Marketing, he has an extensive background in marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and media. While there he managed such notable accounts as Fallon Community Health Plan, UMass Memorial Healthcare, HealthAlliance, HarborONE Bank (formerly Brockton Credit Union/HarborONE Credit Union), Markem, Stratus Computer and Simplex Manufacturing.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in Advertising/PR from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Harsh economic times are especially dangerous for brands – perhaps now more so than ever. With the current economic climate as well as the convergence and consolidation of virtually all marketing tactics onto the web, and the inherent analytic capabilities that come with it, there is unprecedented pressure to make marketing, advertising and public relations accountable. This has caused a new mindset and approach by many companies when constructing messaging and media plans, with an emphasis on transactional messages. Transaction messaging is by definition limiting, and most often undifferentiating.In recent years, we’ve seen accelerated media fragmentation, new marketing techniques and channels, and at the same time, many business categories are experiencing mass commoditization of goods and services across their industries.
All of the above leads to an undifferentiated, confused and cluttered marketplace, – RIPE WITH OPPORTUNITY! Why? Because this is actually fertile ground for the establishment and nurturing of a new brand or reinvigorated brand story. In this environment, a brand story in itself is differentiating because it is not transaction-based. A vibrant trusted brand has more places to grow, tell their story, provide experiences and thrive than at any other time.
The challenge for marketers today is to develop a different way of telling that story. The story should become compelling enough that others pick up the mantle and tell it for your company. It must be transplantable and mutable enough to be relevant and engaging to many different people. This indicates a paradox to branding theory which always stated that to become trusted and positioned in a prospect’s mind, the brand message and delivery must be consistent. In today’s world, the values of a brand must remain consistent, however the narrative must be pliable and adaptable to whatever channel or environment it is applied to and to whoever is narrating the story.
Steve is a seasoned Brand Strategist and serves a strategic advisory role for many existing agency accounts at Davis Advertising, located in Worcester, MA. From market research, to brand positioning and account planning, he’s recently completed naming projects for Cornerstone Bank and Coastal Heritage Bank, brand positioning projects for Service Credit Union, the Yesway Convenience Store chain and the Wayback Burgers franchise.
Over the past 13 years at Davis Advertising, he was the Account Supervisor on the Charter Communications account – a Fortune 500 company, and has worked on a wide array of brands from the higher education, franchising, business-to-business, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and retail categories.
Having worked at RDW Group and Donovan Group Integrated Marketing, he has an extensive background in marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and media. While there he managed such notable accounts as Fallon Community Health Plan, UMass Memorial Healthcare, HealthAlliance, HarborONE Bank (formerly Brockton Credit Union/HarborONE Credit Union), Markem, Stratus Computer and Simplex Manufacturing.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in Advertising/PR from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
In “The Book of Five Rings” – Miyamoto Musashi the undefeated samurai compiled five scrolls, each discussing different elements of swordsmanship and battle. It was composed in 1643, so I think it is high time for someone to recommend 5 new scrolls or “books” that serve to discuss the various elements that make up the battles ad agency account service folks face every day in their careers. These books worked for me and should serve as “must reads” for ad agency account people at all levels as well as all students of advertising to fully grasp, understand and leverage in dealing with the multifaceted, fast-paced battles served up to us every day.
For general advertising theory and practice from a strategic and account point of view, I would suggest:
“Positioning” by Reis and Trout
“Ogilvy on Advertising” – ancient but important
“The Art Of Client Service” by Robert Solomon – a must-read
“Inbound Marketing” by Halligan and Shah
Anything by Seth Godin
Ok, so the last one is cheating a little bit. Keep these books in your library, read them periodically. It is amazing how these books grow and change over time as you progress through your career.
Steve is a seasoned Brand Strategist and serves a strategic advisory role for many existing agency accounts at Davis Advertising, located in Worcester, MA. From market research, to brand positioning and account planning, he’s recently completed naming projects for Cornerstone Bank and Coastal Heritage Bank, brand positioning projects for Service Credit Union, the Yesway Convenience Store chain and the Wayback Burgers franchise.
Over the past 13 years at Davis Advertising, he was the Account Supervisor on the Charter Communications account – a Fortune 500 company, and has worked on a wide array of brands from the higher education, franchising, business-to-business, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and retail categories.
Having worked at RDW Group and Donovan Group Integrated Marketing, he has an extensive background in marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and media. While there he managed such notable accounts as Fallon Community Health Plan, UMass Memorial Healthcare, HealthAlliance, HarborONE Bank (formerly Brockton Credit Union/HarborONE Credit Union), Markem, Stratus Computer and Simplex Manufacturing.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in Advertising/PR from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
There has been a lot of discussion of the past few years of “delighting” your customers. While this sounds wonderful, in a great many cases, customers are not seeking to be “delighted” – they are seeking to be left alone! By this I mean that there are often times when a customer wants to have what we all a “friction-free” transaction with your business. They want easy access to exactly what it is they are looking for from you, and do not want any interference – or friction- imparted along the way. So, don’t shove a popup banner ad on your site asking a user to subscribe to your e-newsletter within 5 seconds of their arrival. Make it easier and faster for customers to transact with you. This saves them – and you – both time and money. I guess you could say that a “Friction-free experience is a delightful experience!”
Steve is a seasoned Brand Strategist and serves a strategic advisory role for many existing agency accounts at Davis Advertising, located in Worcester, MA. From market research, to brand positioning and account planning, he’s recently completed naming projects for Cornerstone Bank and Coastal Heritage Bank, brand positioning projects for Service Credit Union, the Yesway Convenience Store chain and the Wayback Burgers franchise.
Over the past 13 years at Davis Advertising, he was the Account Supervisor on the Charter Communications account – a Fortune 500 company, and has worked on a wide array of brands from the higher education, franchising, business-to-business, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and retail categories.
Having worked at RDW Group and Donovan Group Integrated Marketing, he has an extensive background in marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, and media. While there he managed such notable accounts as Fallon Community Health Plan, UMass Memorial Healthcare, HealthAlliance, HarborONE Bank (formerly Brockton Credit Union/HarborONE Credit Union), Markem, Stratus Computer and Simplex Manufacturing.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration in Advertising/PR from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
