Hi, Andy! What can you tell us about yourself, career-wise?
I’ve had a diversified career path as over the last 30-plus years I’ve done outside sales, commercial photography, co-founded a food/tech company (recently acquired by ButcherBox), and managed several successful runs in agency PR and marketing, where I am now. The work I enjoy most supports companies and inspired founders who are making a positive impact in the world.
What are some of the things you do for our agency’s clients?
I develop marketing strategies, write engaging website copy and email campaigns, and manage teams for several technology and SaaS clients across a range of B2B industries.
If you could give clients one piece of advice on how to break through the current marketing noise, what would it be?
Focus on building trust and developing authentic relationships with your audiences. If your company’s purpose is pegged to solving a customer need, your marketing and sales will naturally follow.
What recent marketing trends or practices interest you most?
The myriad ways of producing and leveraging social proof to build trusted brands, and the increasing responsibilities of the CMO role.
What’s your take on AI and its impact on marketing—the good, the bad, and the ugly?
With the right guardrails in place, AI is a good tool for ideation and early-draft content. But it’s also sharpening the need for, and value of, authentic human connections and trust.
What I mean is that consumers, both B2C and B2B, are increasingly apathetic toward mass marketing. While the volume (quantity and amplitude) of the noise continues to grow, humans are great at ignoring input they don’t need. AI will multiply fake and blatantly false information so there’s a greater opportunity for authentic human touchpoints to differentiate the user experience and make it more meaningful.
You’re currently enrolled in the Northwestern/Kellogg School of Management’s Executive CMO program—how will that augment what you do for our clients?
The Kellogg School of Management is the leader in marketing education, and its CMO program is helping me tie together all my varied career experiences and hone my management skills. The course content is heavily weighted on developing customer-centric marketing strategies that are based on data and closely tied to measurable business outcomes.
Marketing continues to evolve rapidly, and a mindset around continuous education helps ensure we’re giving clients the best counsel possible.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I have an adventurous spirit and am a bit of a thrill seeker. I’ve enjoyed skydiving, bungee jumping, getting licensed to fly hot air balloons, and spending countless hours on and under the water fishing and SCUBA diving. I also really enjoy cooking and travel.
What do you like most about working with Carabiner and our clients?
Carabiner has a great culture. Our team members are smart and hard-working. But, just as important, everyone brings positivity and a friendly, collaborative approach to getting the work done.
Not to mention, the flexible, distributed team approach means I’m able to work from anywhere in the world. Along with my spouse and Carabiner teammate, Kira Perdue, I spent this past March working from Barcelona, which was an amazing experience.
Want to know more about our Carabiner team? Meet more team members here!