Season 2, Episode 5: Marketing Magic

This episode of Coffee + Tea with SCG features Chris Jasinki, VP of Marketing. He's spilling the beans on his fascinating past life in media and his transition to client services, and revealing how those experiences are key to driving marketing innovation.

Transcript

Tom Marguccio 0:00

Welcome to Coffee and Tea with SCG, a podcast from the industry experts at SCG Advertising and PR. We are a full-service woman-owned agency that offers advertising, public relations, recruitment marketing, and association and event management. In this season, we'll be chatting with some members of our team about innovation in their respective industries. So grab your coffee and your tea and let's brew up a good conversation.

Maddie Trumino 0:30

Welcome back, everybody, to an episode of Coffee and Tea with SCG. I'm your host, Maddie Trumino. And today I am accompanied by Vice President of Marketing, Chris Jasinski. Welcome, Chris.

Chris Jasinski 0:43

Hello, Maddie. Thank you for having me.

Maddie Trumino 0:45

Of course, we're so happy to have you today as we ask all of our guests first question coffee or tea and how do you take it?

Chris Jasinski 0:53

Personally, I'm a coffee guy. I like coffee uh first thing in the morning, and I take my coffee with milk.

Maddie Trumino 0:58

Good option. That's how I like it too. Milk preferred.

Chris Jasinski 1:01

Keep it simple. Don't need the sweet. So true. Just a little dairy in there.

Maddie Trumino 1:05

So true. Okay, so for all of our listeners, we'll just jump right into it. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today.

Chris Jasinski 1:13

Great question, Maddie. Okay. So my marketing journey started about 25 years ago. Over the years, I've worked on the side media side. I've also worked within client relations. Over those 25 years, I spent the majority of that in an agency setting, which has been really helpful for me personally in my growth. As I mentioned, I did spend a lot of time on the media side. The first few years of my career, I was working more focused on traditional media, your TV, radio, print of the world. Then on the latter half, I started working more closely on the digital front. Overall, this has gave me a really well-rounded knowledge of media in general. And that really helped me as I developed into the role on client services. As you know, as working on my team, we have have several clients that we work with, and it's really important that anyone who's in a client service or a client-facing role has full knowledge of what happens on their campaign. So having that media background was really beneficial for me as I got into doing client services. So I was in client services for about a decade before jo joining SCG. And that really helped me develop into the role now as VP of marketing here at this wonderful company.

Maddie Trumino 2:16

Yeah, which actually makes so much sense because when I started working with you about a year, almost a year ago, right?

Chris Jasinski 2:22

Yeah, about a year.

Maddie Trumino 2:23

About a year ago. That was something that I noticed that not only were you able to teach me client services, but I noticed how much you were able to work with Kate, which I also thought was very cool. And then you had told me that you had worked in media for a while. And I think that is something that not a lot of people can say that they have this like full, you know, you stay in a vertical usually and you perfect that and you work on that. And I think it's cool that you can kind of say you're a jack of all trades and you can kind of touch into every you know area of service.

Chris Jasinski 2:51

Well, it's important, very important, like the what you just mentioned. Many a times we'll have client calls where we have our media team on board as well as client services and our creative team if necessary, but you never know we're gonna have a one-off call with a client. And they may ask you a media-related question. So having that knowledge, being able to speak to it, you might not have the answer that they're looking for, but you can at least articulate your knowledge within there. And if you have to get back to them with a question, you let them know that you'll come back and you'll get that answer from the media specialist.

Maddie Trumino 3:18

Right. Absolutely. Which some may say takes a little bit of innovation, which is a very, very bad segue way into my next question. In the time span that you've worked in marketing, what does innovation in marketing mean to you personally and how do you foster that mindset? Where you where you work and within your team?

Chris Jasinski 3:38

Uh that's a you know a really good question because like marketing and media has evolved so much, as I mentioned before, since since I started working there. So in my first stop, when I worked on the client side, we had a weight loss supplement that we were promoting. And we had a spokesperson, her name was Anna Nicole Smith. You guys may or may not have heard of her. So the company we worked for was called Trim Spa. Trim Spa, baby. Um, but working with Anna Nicole at that time, as I mentioned, traditional media was big, right? So we were doing a lot of TV, we're doing a lot of radio, we do some print as well, maybe some out-of-home, but there wasn't the digital and social that we're used to today. So in looking back, uh, my mentor at the time, gentleman by the name of John Cowan, he, you know, he was he had the foresight. He said, you know, like we have this spokes model, but how do we use it to her full extent? How are we, how do we get in front of the people that we're we're not just outside of these radio and these TV opportunities? So um he he kind of saw her as an influencer before the influencers that we know now. Like nowadays, you see influencers that are all over social media, they're all over, you know, that's it's it's hard to miss. Um, but that wasn't common back then. So if we knew Anna Nicole was making an appearance, we'd make sure she'd have the right talking point. She'd promote Trim Spa, which was really important at that time. So to me, you know, seeing something like that, you always have to have that mindset. What are we not doing? What could we be doing within the parameters that we have to really amplify our message another way? So that was one area. And actually, when I was working in the same same company, this is one of my favorite stories. So when I was younger, this is 20 or over 20 years ago, um, my friends and I were big fans of UFC, which is the ultimate fighting championships, right? Back then, UFC took place once every three months or so. It was a big event when it would take place. We did have one of their fighters at the time was, let's say, on the payroll, and he was one of our sponsors that we utilized as part of our campaigns. And I'll never forget it. Me and my friends were gonna go down to Atlantic City. Um, my boss called me. He's already down there because we have a fighter down there, and he says, Listen, I need you to stop by the CFO. Um, she's gonna hand you a package, I need you to bring that down to me. So go down to finance, finance, mind you, and we get down there and she hands me a pack and she goes, Don't open this. And I go, No, it's not a problem. Well, I get that in my car, I start driving down. What do you think? The first thing I did was well, I opened that package. Of course. And there was $20,000 in there. And you just you know, all right, let me mind you. Now I'm in my my early 20s, now I'm driving with $20,000 in cash. It's tempting. It is very tempting. So we get down to Atlantic City. I catch up to my boss, John. I said, John, here's that money you're looking for. What are we gonna do with this? And he goes, You see this stack of hats? You see those fighters? We're gonna find some sponsors tonight. We're gonna find some that promote the product. And it was on a pay-per-view. So, you know, I wasn't very involved when it came to that part, but watching him work and just saying who can be that low-hanging fruit to get us on TV, not for free marketing, but for close to. It's something gorilla marketing, if you want to call it. That's the old phrase they used to use with it. But that was one of my favorite stories. So just seeing John and the way he operated the and the Anna Nicole Smith and this, you just said, well, how do I apply that in the future, right? Like when we have a budget parameter that we're working off with, a client only has creative for certain platforms. How do we take that and squeeze as much juice as we can out of that lemon at the end of the day? So while I don't have a specific current day example, top of mind, always having that mindset. What more can we be doing within the parameters we have?

Maddie Trumino 6:44

Absolutely. And it's so interesting because now influencers are a dime a dozen. Like that is some of the most popular ways that people influence their brand and and get their name out there and have visibility is through these influencers on social media apps, TikTok, you see it everywhere. So it's kind of interesting too. I feel like innovation is a word that gets thrown around a lot now that I think people think is a new concept, but it's been happening for years and years and years. It's just had a different look and feel back then. But that's what innovation is. It grows with the times, right?

Chris Jasinski 7:10

Innovation grows with the time. There's always gonna be something new, something exciting to go after. And I think I applaud all the platforms out there that are always looking to find a new, unique way to get in front of an audience. And I appreciate clients and agencies who are willing to take that risk, to take aside and put aside testing budget to try these new opportunities. Because if you don't try it, you're not gonna know if it's gonna work at the end of the day.

Maddie Trumino 7:31

Absolutely. And it sounds like you had a really good mentor and leader at that time. I for what was his name again? You mentioned John.

Chris Jasinski 7:37

John Cowan.

Maddie Trumino 7:37

John Cowan. Well, it sounds like he was ahead of his time in certain ways and had a lot of great ideas. So, what advice would you give to other marketing leaders like John was to you? What would you say based off your own experience in your current role?

Chris Jasinski 7:50

I think as a leader within an organization, you had to have a certain mindset. Obviously, at the end of the day, we're looking to get the best service our clients. We want to make sure that we're getting a job done in a timely matter. Um, but what's important to me overall is really the respect that we have for our employees, um the people on your team, because without those people, you aren't gonna succeed. I think it's very very easy to say that, you know, if you have employees that work on your team, the better they look, the better you look. And it's not about me, it's about really the company and setting the culture and making sure people are comfortable working in that environment. You know, so I would just say, let first and foremost, let's be kind to people, let's treat people how you would want to be treated. And I know that sounds so cliche, but it's the truth because I've had some managers over the years where you're just like, I'm a human, right? And why don't we talk to each other like we're human beings? And again, I don't want to derail, but I will tell you a story that I worked for a leader. When I was working in New York City at one point, I worked for a print agency and I learned a tremendous amount about print, which unfortunately is a dying breed right now. But I did learn so much. And at that time, my wife and I had twins, right? And so the boys were very young. And I vividly remember one day walking into my senior manager's office, and I said, I'm not gonna use names here, but I said, I said, Listen, I need to leave at four o'clock today. I have to take my sons to an appointment. Um, this was a very corporate setting that I worked in, and the response shocked me. And the response was, Well, can't your wife do that? And you know, my wife worked full-time as well, and and I'm a I'm a parent, she's a parent, and uh I would never say that to an employee. I would never think that, you know, to say that to employees. So you just you take the learnings over the years, the way you've been treated, the way you want to be treated, and you say, as a leader, why don't we why don't we practice that, you know, but practice what you preach at the end of the day. And and I hope that's like the the mindset that we're creating here. And so, you know, Maddie, you know me. You know I like going off script. Um, so I'm gonna ask you, right? Like you've been at SCG for two years now. You were at SCG a year before me, but that that part's irrelevant. But at the end of the day, like, what what do you feel about the culture here? And what do you feel about the culture that we're developing within our marketing and advertising team?

Maddie Trumino 9:52

I mean, I love it. I think this is an easy question for me because it is easy for me to tell you that this is such a great environment that we're fostering from the minute you and your team showed up to even before then, when I first got here, because like you had mentioned, I had been here for quite some time before. You had even arrived, and this place has been filled with so many great people. It's led by so many great people for so many years. You know, we've been in business for 60 years, and I think that it's been a rotation of fantastic people, and it continues to build with every new hire we get, with every new person that walks in the door, you know, it's just another great, motivated, empowering person after another. And I think especially with our team in specific, our little marketing team, like I love our daily huddles, I love what we've fostered, I love the relationship that we have. And speaking of team, something that we've implemented and tried to implement is our team acronym, which is trust, empowerment, accountability, and motivate. And I think when you really sit with those words and think about them, I think that we display all of those things every day. Um, and so does everyone at this organization. So yeah, thanks. I never really get asked questions, so that was kind of fun.

Chris Jasinski 11:02

Well, and I'm and I'm glad you answered that the way you did, right? So if we look at that team acronym, it starts with with so let's go back to the question you asked me, right? Like what advice would you give to leaders? I think it starts with trust. Yes. Right? If you're when you're building a team or if you have a team in place, if you if you can't have trust in your employees, then then what are we doing here, right? That's that's like the number one starting point. But then that leads into empowerment. You have to let your employees have a voice, let your employees have the ability to say, you know what, I've got this. And if I don't have this, I'm gonna let you know and we'll work on it together. But how is someone gonna be able to grow if you can't give them that empowerment to handle a project, a task itself? And obviously, we gotta hold ourselves accountable. I think that's so important. And and we have to motivate each other. So I think it's a perfect acronym. I think it's fantastic, and yeah, so I'm I'm really happy to hear you say that.

Maddie Trumino 11:48

Yeah, I'm happy to be able to say it truthfully. No, it's true.

Chris Jasinski 11:52

I mean, it ties into what we said before is culture. Like culture is key. Obviously, as you mentioned, this agency has been in business for quite a long time. We have people who love working together. Um, and so to be a part of something like that is special. Listen, we've all been there in our careers at one point. The dread of getting to work, the anxiety, the the Sunday scaries, as people call that. But to be able to walk into work with a smile on your face and say today's gonna be a great day because you know it's gonna be a great day, that's just amazing.

Maddie Trumino 12:18

I know it's so major. It's so and I really do think we have fun. Like, not even to sound corny, but it does feel like a family. You know what I mean? Like I feel like I can talk to anybody here about work-related or personal, or like I feel like I can vent and laugh and celebrate and cry with everybody here, you know, which is so major. I feel like a lot of people, you know, and and not to project, but I think it's safe to say it, a lot of places people don't feel like that. It's just a job for them. Where for us, you know, we get to do important work with the people that we care about.

Chris Jasinski 12:46

No, and I think what's important too for us here, and I mean to cut you off, but I think what's important for us in this agency is we're here four days a week. Yes. And that's not common. Like COVID changed the workplace in general. And I appreciate the fact that if I need to work from home, I can, you know, I do at other agencies. But we're here four days a week. The collaboration we have, the cohesiveness that it builds is second to none. So you're right, it becomes like a work family that we have, and we can laugh together, we can celebrate together. And you know what? When when losses come our way, we can we can have a pity party together, right? Like and we'll do that.

Maddie Trumino 13:17

Yes. Absolutely. But to pivot from losses, let's talk about success. Because I think that's a way more exciting thing to talk about.

Chris Jasinski 13:25

I agree with you there.

Maddie Trumino 13:27

How do you measure success, Chris, when you're trying something new, which is something we try here all the time, and it kind of ties back into innovation, right? To think outside the box. Yep. What does that measurement look like for you when you're in those uncharted or untested environments within your marketing strategy?

Chris Jasinski 13:42

So I think a true marketer at the end of the day will find a KPI, a key performance indicator, right? Ultimately, that there may not be something that's set in stone, like I'm gonna try this new technique, I'm gonna try this new form fill in good in meta, you know, whatever it is that you're trying differently, like what does success look like to you? How do you gonna gauge that? So it's gonna be different, right? And I'm sorry for a vague answer in that regard, but I I think you need to identify like there may not be a low-hanging fruit of what success looks like, but what are we hoping to accomplish? You know, like we we worked recently with a client of ours about an awareness campaign, right? Where we know that there was an opportunity for some results that would come back from testing or getting treatment, right? But at the end of the day, we don't have access to that information. So how do you find the parameters to show success? Is it more people coming through the door, right? Like what is the ultimate, you know, find that ultimate KPI you're looking for. But if you can't identify that, then let's find pieces in between that we can really measure our success on. You know, Kate, we referenced error before in the media front, there's media KPIs we could always look at. But when whenever we're trying something new, let's just collectively come up with something that works and then measure ourselves against it to the best of our abilities.

Maddie Trumino 14:50

Right, absolutely. And I think the client appreciates that, and that's something that's so big. You know, if you can come to them with those KPIs, like you said, I think that does build that level of trust, you know, same as the trust that you have internally. You want to build trust with those clients as well, which is huge. And I think that's also something good that we can touch on. Like in your opinion, how should you foster those client relationships? How do you gain that trust? How do you show other than KPIs that you're there for the client?

Chris Jasinski 15:14

Fostering client relations, nurturing, as I like to say, client relationships is actually one of my favorite things out there. And I think that's helped me grow so much as a professional, but as a person as well. And I know that sounds kind of corny to say that, but it's true, right? Like when you're talking to someone, someone you don't know at the end of the day that your client's knowledge when it comes to marketing, but you know what they're looking to get to, right? And I always take the approach of you always have to look at items when you're whether you're looking at a creative for approval or a media new tactic to bring to the table. Look at everything through the lens of the client. How would a client perceive this? That's number one, right? But getting to know your clients, right? How do you foster and nurture those relationships? During COVID, I was very infamous for this when in my previous stop of any time that there was a client call, I'd always be on five minutes early. It's not because I had nothing better to do for those five minutes, but it was the hope that the client or someone on the client side would hop on and I could talk about life for five minutes with them, find out their interests. So then I can use those interests when we have future conversations to say, hey Eric, how was the yard work this week? Because you know that was his passion. Yes. Or saying, Hey Mark, how is golf going? Because I know you love golf. We should get out there sometime. Yes. Because people, you know what? If they if if they know that you're listening and they know you have an interest outside of here's a budget, spend my money, deliver our KPIs, it goes a long way.

Maddie Trumino 16:31

Totally.

Chris Jasinski 16:32

You have kids going to college, how's their first semester going? You got to personalize what we're doing. So so me personally, I think that it starts at that area. Let's let's nurture that relationship, let's get to know people. Yes, we're gonna talk about shop for a half hour on this client call, that's fine. But it's is it's not the only thing in life, right? And just let them know that you humanize what we're doing.

Maddie Trumino 16:52

So true. And I think personally, from learning client services and you taking me under your wing, I think in meetings where we are building that bond with the client, I notice it's almost it feels easier to deliver the work side when you feel comfortable with them on a personal level too. Like I feel like it's so much more enjoyable to talk strategy and numbers when you've had that fun five minutes before the call, you know, where we talk about the Yankee game that was on over the weekend, or you know, like it almost makes the rest of the conversation brighter and easier to connect. And, you know, if there's tough topics to talk about, it kind of softens those a little bit too when you feel like you have that rapport. So that's so true. It's huge to humanize your clients and make sure that they feel the love, as you always say. That's the saying I got from you as well. Be genuine.

Chris Jasinski 17:42

You have to be genuine right in your conversations with the client. You want them to know that anything you're saying that you're you're you're you mean what you're saying. You have to be transparent. You have to be listener, you have to listen. You know, even if the client's saying something and you go through your head, I cannot wait to respond with this. Stop your thoughts. Yeah, listen to what the client's saying because many times you have an opportunity to help solve a pain point, or maybe there's an opportunity to grow your business, and you may have missed that mark, and that's not gonna look good at the end of the day. So it's always listening, always being transparent, because the last thing you want to do in client relations or anything when it comes to agency relationships is the client discover something before you.

Maddie Trumino 18:18

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Such a good point, which is something, like you said, we never want to do and might be considered a mistake, which is gonna lead me into our last question here today. What are some mistakes that you can make in managing a client?

Chris Jasinski 18:31

So I just touched on it a little bit, but I'll say, you know, not it honesty, right, is the number one thing. If something's going on, hey, if a platform put a wrong creative out there, underperform, underspend, be open with the client, right? That this I think they'll appreciate that a lot more than you know. Um, but then discovering things without you bringing it to the table, that could go sideways really at the end of the day. But if you have what I talked about, you listen to the client, you know what their needs are, you know their likes and dislikes, you you'll avoid situations like that at the end of the day. So I I'm I'm I'm a big advocate again of just transparency, making sure that the client's fully aware of what's going on, whether they're spending a small amount with your agency or a large amount, all clients should be treated equal and get that full attention they deserve.

Maddie Trumino 19:14

Absolutely. Well, thank you so much, Chris. This has been such a pleasure. We always have good talks. And this one was just another edit to the list. So I really appreciate you coming on the podcast today. And uh yeah, stay tuned, everybody, for more.

Chris Jasinski 19:27

No, thank you for having me on today. This was really enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next series of Chris Talks that come out in the future. So, yes.

Tom Marguccio 19:38

Don't forget to subscribe whenever you listen to your podcast so you never miss an episode. And leave us a review. Until next time, keep those mugs filled and those ideas flowing.