Mark Sanders

What’s kept me going in entrepreneurship for over a decade? The ability to create an environment like this 👇 A lot of people start working for themselves because they want freedom. IMO, one of the best things about starting and running a company for the last 11 years is the ability to create that freedom for others, too. It has been a privilege and a (big) challenge to learn what people need from their workplace—and how to make changes. Jenny Weeden and I have been running our internal NPS for a handful of years now and I’m not going to lie… I definitely shed some tears over the first couple of surveys. The NPS does exactly what it should: unearths the things in our workplace that people are unhappy about. When discovered, we set out to find the root of each issue, and determine how we can make change. Change, by the way, is an imperfect process, with bumps in the road, false starts, wins, and losses. Fast forward to this year’s NPS, we received our highest score yet thanks to the willingness of our team to be honest, to engage in meaningful conversations, and to make change together. We're still constantly evaluating our environment and I expect that we will be as long as the company exists. Thank you, team Accelity. 💛 There is no group of people I’d rather spend my time at work with. (Mostly remote, because that’s how we want it! 😇)

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Calling all DTC brands and retailers! With Back to School underway and Q4 around the corner, tune in below to our Retail Media webinar that I hosted and learn how you can set up a new profit center 🚀 in time for the holidays. #postpurchasemonetization #nonendemicadvertising #Fluent #adflow

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What’s happening Brand Nerds?! We have a new Brands, Beats & Bytes episode with special guest and fellow Coca-Cola alum, Don Scheibenreif. After decades of success in his career, Don shares his tips and thoughts on CPG, tech & more. To catch the full episode click the link below. Please share & subscribe. https://lnkd.in/gaJZKyz

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The discussion with Lori Brokaw Stout on redefining partner relationships is noteworthy. Her focus on quality over quantity in partnerships and ensuring mutual benefit challenges traditional metrics-driven approaches. This strategy of aligning partner values with company culture could significantly enhance B2B ecosystem effectiveness. #CMO #ChiefMarketingOfficer #podcast #B2B #C-Suite #B2BContent #B2BMarketing #B2BSales #PartnershipStrategy #ChannelMarketing #B2BEcosystem #ValueAlignment

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Why we should all take a lead from the Geico Gecko If I were starting a brand today the one thing I would seriously consider is creating a brand character If that seems like some throw back to 1980's cereal brands then the data would back you up as incidents of brand characters in award winning IPA entries has tumbled dramatically from around 40% to 15% over that time. They really aren't that fashionable today. But you ignore them at your peril because they are one of the most powerful advertising tools out there Orlando Wood who describes them in his incredible book Look Out as "character fluent devices" has shown that they have a profound impact on business results get a copy you won't regret it!) Take the 2024 Super Bowl for example. Had you used a celebrity like most advertisers then the average Star score (emotional response) was exactly the same as those without one. However had you used a branded character then on average you would have seen a massive 1 Star advantage over non characters & celebrities. Add to the fact that they don't charge the same fees as a celebrity and its the Advertising effectiveness bargain of the century! In the latest episode of Uncensored CMO I caught up with the very clever Michelle Moscone (she/her) who is in charge of brand and creative at Geico about the importance of their famous Gecko which is 30 years old now She puts it in a beautifully simply way that the Gecko enables the audience to have a really fast connection with the brand in a lovable way creating a short cut for your brand and message. It's well worth reading Jenni Romaniuk's brilliant book called Distinctive Brand Assets which covers a lot of research on types of assets and how they work. Link to the episode in the comments section below Jon Lombardo Peter Weinberg Vanessa Chin Andrew Tindall Kerry Collinge

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October means different things to people. In baseball, it’s the playoffs (nice run Brewers). In business, it’s typically the end of the year and planning for 2025. For Bay MarketForce, it’s an exciting time to set the stage for the coming year and ... a lot is happening.   Let’s start with a warm welcome aboard to Sophie Krause, Shane and George Strauther!!! We are excited to have you join the team and look forward to working with and learning from you.   What do we do starting in October to try to boost the 4th quarter and prep for 2025? 🍁 Trim the CRM fat – eliminate records we just aren’t active with (by eliminate I mean, take a backup then delete them, we aren’t savages) but get them out of our active CRM. 🍁 Contact everyone we've been in touch with at one point or another over the last 24 months. 🍁 Send a nice note or simple gift to those people who believe in us (THANK YOU to our Believers).   What other words of wisdom can I offer this October Wednesday? It's Quarterly Bonus time! This gets Kurt and I jacked up; we love giving bonuses! And of course, our First Annual Chili cookoff – thanks for organizing it Chris Merkel. Who will the winner be? We'll announce it on Bay MarketForce's page this Friday! #goodpeoplegreatwork #octoberbonuses #Chilicookoff #baymarketforce

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Hey, marketing friends! I'll be back at Digital Summit Minneapolis this August to talk about what the heck is going on in #SEO (not that anything's changed much recently 🙃). Some things I'll cover... 1. AI Overviews 2. Topical Authority and what that means NOW 3. How to use AI for thought leadership! You can use my code SPEAKER300 to save $300 off your pass! https://lnkd.in/e9yHZ83X #seo #digitalsummit #contentmarketing

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🍩 Digital attribution: the junk food of marketing measurement 🍔 Junk food is so dang tempting because its heavy in ingredients that use to be rare. Namely fat and salt. Many of us are hard-wired to enjoy junk food in quantities that impair optimal health.   Digital attribution is similar.   Digital attribution tempts us because it is heavy with frequently updated and detailed marketing data. Again this was historically rare, so our brains are drawn to the high density data. It is tempting to use for decisions, even when it is completely inappropriate for a given decision.   Now I am not saying you should never use digital attribution just like I would never advise anyone to never eat junk food. But moderation is key as is the role of mindful consumption…   All opinions are my own.

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The right ageny partner can literally make or break your #abm program. Your partner needs to be capable of shouldering commercial accountability and driving tangible outcomes, not only the functional delivery of an ABM program. Check out Orla Murphy's latest blog on the art of scaling... https://lnkd.in/g9ikvF7C Seeblue

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What does it mean to Midwest Prompt? Listen to Creativity Squared Episode 54 with Cathy McPhillips to find out! Cathy is the Chief Growth Officer at the Marketing AI Institute where she leads efforts to make artificial intelligence accessible to businesses of all sizes. I’m a big fan of the Marketing AI Institute and its robust educational content and events, including its signature MAICON conference, which will take place this September 10-12 in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m honored to speak on stage there alongside other A.I. marketing experts like Cathy, Sandy Carter, and Wil Reynolds. Today, you’ll hear how A.I. is changing the trajectory of the marketing industry and how the Marketing AI Institute helps marketers understand, pilot, and scale artificial intelligence. The conversation includes A.I.’s role in content creation and the ethical and legal considerations surrounding A.I.-generated content. A.I. isn’t going anywhere and Cathy encourages marketers to embrace it, stressing the continued importance of human expertise alongside A.I. tools. We also discuss the delicate balance between A.I. efficiency and human creativity in marketing and reflect on how creativity is evolving in the age of A.I. Get ready for a conversation that demystifies A.I. in marketing and provides practical insights for marketers at all levels, especially when we geek out about A.I. tools and prompts with tips you can use today. Check out our full conversation: https://lnkd.in/griQtFuc #CreativitySquared Paul Roetzer Tracy Lewis Mike Kaput Noah Sharp #MAICON #MAICON24 #GenAI #Marketing #contentmarketing #AIMarketing #GenerativeAI #ArtificialIntelligenceTechnology #DigitalMarketing #DigitalCreativity #PromptTips #ChatGPT #LLMs #ResponsibleAI

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What is the biggest opportunity for local media outlets to grow their revenue? Community building. Jeremy Sinon, VP of Digital Strategy for Hubbard, was a guest on the Sound Off Podcast with Matt Cundill recently, and he told the story of how he built an online community for KFAN in Minneapolis, and it blew up. But here's the kicker: This all happened before Facebook. Today's digital tools make it far easier to build this type of community. So why aren't more local media outlets focused on community building? #communitybuilding

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Staying ahead in business isn't about hopping on every trend—it's about understanding your customers deeply. This article breaks down why prioritizing customer insights is the game-changer you need.

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💡 #MarketingTipMonday: "Our CEO has full access to all datasets, and we encourage every team member to be analytically minded, which sets the tone for a data-backed decision-making culture." — Calvin Lammers, SVP Digital and Media at Nécessaire, Inc. At the 2024 CommerceNext Growth Show, the session "Data-Driven Scaling" focused on how brands can leverage data to improve everything from inventory management to customer acquisition. Calvin Lammers shared how Nécessaire, Inc. has built a data culture where everyone is encouraged to be analytical, driving smarter decisions across the business. This approach ensures that each department contributes to the company’s success by relying on data, not just assumptions.🔍 Explore more insights by watching the full session recording: https://lnkd.in/gp59PKKB #CN2024 #retail #ecommerce #data #collaboration

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Take a look at the powerful impact private label brands have had on national brands over the last year! Better product development, value pricing, and consumer education, thanks to in-store digital displays, are contributing factors. Sources: NIQ and WSJ #digitaldisplays #productmarketing #fractionalcmo #incitecreative

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You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Funnel Over the summer I had an opportunity to speak at the Denver Digital Summit to room full of digital marketers from various industries (b2b, b2c, and b2b2c). My talk was about 5 strategic marketing principles that will strengthen your marketing, and put your organization on the path towards healthy, sustainable marketing. I titled the presentation “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Funnel”, and received a lot of positive feedback about the topic. Since then, we’ve broken down the 5 major principles of the presentation into helpful clips here. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/gbxCjn4x #berelentlesslyhelpful, #marketing, #leadership, #strategy

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I had a ball on "Hello, Iowa!" talking about the ins and outs of personal branding with Who-Tv 13's Megan Reuther. Whether you're a solo-preneur or C-suite exec, there are mindful, strategic ways to put yourself out there effectively and efficiently. More importantly, there are countless opportunities to promote your company via your team. (Yeah, I said it! Marketing the team who works for you can be your biggest promotional asset.) Eager to learn more? Get me on your calendar to find out how! #personalbranding #marketing

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