Charleston, May 26th, 2022

Headquartered in Charleston, The Brandon Agency is a full-service, integrated advertising agency and marketing firm. It specializes in B2B, financial services, utilities, telecom, healthcare, and real estate, among others, offering a wide array of services, from brand strategy to social media and website development.

Scott Brandon is the Chief Executive Officer at The Brandon Agency. In an interview with TIA, Brandon described his day to day at the agency and gave examples of recent work he’s proud. Brandon also went through the process of hiring at the agency and highlighted the importance of leadership to create an inclusive workplace.

To kick things off please can you describe to us a little bit about your city and why it is a great place to work?

We are headquartered in Charleston, SC which has been consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to visit and to live. Our office is currently located in a building that was constructed in 1723 and occupied by the famous sculptor Clark Mills who is most famous for his equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington DC. Charleston is a really dynamic city. You have a premier coastal setting with the ocean, marshes, and rivers, historic architecture, a creative culture, and incredible restaurants. It also has a thriving economy bolstered by new manufacturing facilities by Boeing, Volvo, and Mercedes. Google and Amazon both have data centers here as well. Charleston is a great place to work and an even better place to recruit talent.

How would you describe a regular day as CEO of the agency?

The thing I like most about my job is that no two days are the same. That said, I usually get up around 5 am every morning and after feeding my dogs and grabbing some coffee I settle into reading through news and trend reports and returning emails. I have been working from home more since the pandemic and I plan to continue to do that going forward. My wife and I are empty nesters so being home with her is really nice. My meetings generally start around 8:30 am and go back-to-back throughout most of the day. Some of these are internal meetings and others are client-facing. I still manage a few clients personally myself. Some people question that but I think it’s good for me to continue to do this. It forces me to stay up on the latest trends, understand what clients are looking for, and also the processes within the agency for getting work accomplished. I think it is hard to set up a process when you don’t actually follow the process yourself. From an agency perspective, I am engaged with new business, agency marketing, finance, acquisitions, strategic planning, diversity & inclusion, and inward communications. I really love my job and the people I work with.

What attributes do you want people to associate The Brandon Agency with?

We have many long-standing client relationships and when I say long, I mean that some of our clients have been with us for over 50 years. When I ask clients what they like most about working with us, the most common answer I get is – you guys really care about me and my business. I can tell that your team is truly involved in my business and wants us to succeed. In terms of the attributes that I want clients to associate with us those are:

• Data-driven
• Results obsessed
• Accountable
• Strategic
• Smart

You’ve been able to shape so many brands in your career, but what mistake have you seen from companies trying to stay relevant?

I think the biggest mistake brands make is not being authentic. Consumers are smart and they can see through B.S. They want to associate with brands that they can trust and who align with their personal values or make them feel a certain way. Many times brands deviate away from authenticity because of external threats – things like financial projections, new investors, or the economy. Brands that stay true to themselves usually win the day. We focus on helping our clients develop a brand strategy that is not only durable but also credible, relevant, and unique. If we can do those four things, we are usually successful.

Tell us about a recent project you’ve worked on that you’re proud of. What particularly brought out the best in you?

We recently completed two acquisitions within a three-month period. The first was Eight Oh Two, which is a performance marketing firm focused on organic and paid search. Their clients include Orvis, Goal Zero, and other large national brands. I felt that we needed to dramatically upgrade our skills in search marketing and now we have an agency that specializes almost exclusively in search. We have successfully integrated Eight Oh Two into our operations and it has been great. The next acquisition was Cineloco, a full-service video production company. With content having such a critical role in marketing today, I felt that we needed to have full-service video production in-house. I think that these acquisitions brought out the best in me because, at 58, you would think I would be thinking of slowing down. The agency is rocking and we are doing great. It would be the perfect time to rest on our laurels. Instead, we are looking out over the marketing landscape for 3-5-10 years and planning for what’s next. I think that it forces me to be progressive, on-trend and hones my negotiating and financial skills.

The smart team drives agency growth. What’s your approach to hiring?

Great question. Our approach to hiring has definitely evolved over these past 2 years. We have definitely lost some good people to other companies and we in turn have successfully recruited new team members who are helping us step up. We have a hybrid work environment so now we can recruit anywhere in the world for certain positions, so our main approach is to hire people who fit our culture. That means hiring people who have a roll up their sleeves – get it done work ethic and do not need a lot of hand-holding. We want people who push us versus us pushing them. So, this all comes down to intensive interviewing and really getting to know what makes them tick. In the final stages of the process, we usually assign an exercise to the potential prospect. That’s where the rubber meets the road. If they put in the extra effort to go above ours and the client’s expectations, then we know that they will be a good fit.

How can leadership create and then cultivate an inclusive workplace?

It starts at the top. If leadership is not 100% committed to providing an inclusive and safe workplace for all, then it’s just lip service, and team members can sense that. Our entire executive team recently completed the 4ª’s Workplace Enlightenment program and we have a very active Diversity & Inclusion Committee of which I am a member. This committee works hard to proactively elevate discussions on diversity and inclusion on a consistent basis. We have monthly roundtable discussions where we have a lot of open and honest dialogue. It has been great.

The perfect client brief: Does it exist? What recommendations would you give to clients to help streamline the process between their vision and your process?

This is a difficult question because all clients are different. In some cases, you wish your client was more forthcoming with their opinions and thoughts. In other cases, you wish your client did not have so many opinions that you can’t pin them down. I agree that the perfect client brief does not exist. But, I think the key to a great brief is the consumer insights and the overall insight that informs the work. It all starts with what business issues marketing is trying to resolve and from there we dive deep into consumer behavior looking for insights. We have a regimented process that we follow that helps us get here and, in the end, leads to great work that aligns with our client’s vision.

When looking at the technological landscape today, what makes you think “wow”?

Artificial Intelligence. I recently experimented with an AI engine that will write social posts and blogs. While it wasn’t perfect, it was really close. The more it learned about me and the brand I was working on, the better it got. It has me excited about other ways to use AI in our agency.

How would you describe the creative industry in Charleston?

I think it’s great. Charleston is a lot like Austin. Creative people want to live and work here. The city is so full of inspiration from the architecture to art and to history, you can live several lifetimes here and be inspired every day by something different.

Three things I wish I knew when I left school:

• Learning is a lifelong pursuit – I wish that I had been as hungry for knowledge in my 20s as I am in my 50s. I wasted a lot of years.
• Networking is important – My network of friends and business colleagues is amazing but it could be even more amazing had I been more purposeful earlier in life.
• Time is something you will never get back so manage it wisely – I wasted so much of my time early in my career and was not intentional about how I invested my time. I focus now on how I can manage my time to be the most productive person I can be.

From your personal standpoint, what global issues are you most passionate about and why?

I am passionate about the environment and protecting it for future generations. We have a responsibility to leave this world better than we found it. We as a species are not doing that. I am particularly interested in the future of our oceans and eliminating plastic waste. To that end, our offices are plastic waste-free and we support initiatives by our clients to preserve the world’s oceans like the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.

Please share a fun fact that not many people know about you.

I was a painting major in college until my junior year. I paint large format abstracts with acrylic and pumice. I have not been active for a while but hope to get back to it soon.

Thanks Scott!

Learn more about The Brandon Agency at https://www.thebrandonagency.com/

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