I went to school to become a filmmaker. A director. Graduated from Southern Methodist University Cum Laude with a BFA in film studies. I was going to be an artist and share my vision of artistic film with the world!
But…marketing? How the heck did I get HERE?
In spring of 1997, I really needed a job. Really. I had just finished a very special production of a live-action book called “From the Heart of Love” at the Glendale Center Theater and had quit all my jobs to do it. While the creative, artistic experience was one I will never forget, I had to pay my rent (and my mounting credit card bills).
A new friend, Leslie, who produced the production, took a liking to me and asked me if I wanted to be her assistant in her other job. She worked at a chiropractic and nutritional clinic.
The ideas of chiropractic and nutritional supplements were new to me in my early 20’s. I was someone who just weathered various neck and lower back problems with rest and Advil, and regularly ate packages of instant butter and herb noodles for dinner (ugh).
My job was to assist Leslie, the Director of Marketing. I started out doing basic duties: copying fliers and distributing them around the city, signing up people for our weekly health education talks, making reminder calls to those who signed up, putting together all the supplies for our booths at health trade shows, getting people to come into our booths for free health screenings by our chiropractors.
Of course, no one can market something they know nothing about. So slowly, I learned about chiropractic, how the nerves that come out of your spine connect to certain areas of your body and when those nerves are pinched, you get pain, but you also get issues with the parts of your body that the nerves are cut off from. I learned how to eat healthy and also take vitamins and supplements that helped support my eating, and make my body stronger. I was indoctrinated to the clinic’s specific three step program for patients: get out of pain, rehabilitate the body part, and then maintain the now healthy body. I learned the technology, I learned it worked very well for me, and I believed in it. Eventually, I could talk easily to public that we wanted to attract into our clinic and, from my own experiences, relate how chiropractic and nutrition can heal and and enhance their bodies, and sometimes their lives.
Belief in a product is essential for any marketer. And while that may sound a little simple, even a small amount of belief helps when formulating a marketing strategy. Visualizing a goal relies a great deal in believe that you can achieve it with your product. I am lucky that every company that I have worked with I have believed in–and more than that, I have believed in helping their customers. Because at the very root of marketing can (and should) be a need to help people live better and fulfilled lives.
This is turning into a manifesto, so I’ll end here.
Keen Koncept 