Today we’d like to introduce you to David Meyer.
David, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my career at agencies working on big brands (Kellogg’s, AllState, Anheuser-Busch) and while it was fun, it wasn’t personally rewarding. A lot of the best ideas/concepts/campaigns were killed by someone up the corporate food chain who had no skin in the game – and version 43 of anything isn’t very good. I was working with incredibly talented people who weren’t able to deliver their best work.
I started Spoke to create the kind of place I’d want to work at. Somewhere we could deliver a positive impact for clients we like and respect with people we love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well. We started about five minutes before the ‘Great Recession’ so timing wasn’t great, but we survived.
Our biggest struggles were self-inflicted. We’ve fallen into the ‘client concentration’ trap a couple of times. When those clients get acquired (which was the case both times), it’s left a big hole in our bucket.
We’ve also veered from our core purpose a couple of times and tried to expand in different areas with limited success, but we’ve been able to cut losses and redirect when we’ve needed to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’re a brand and revenue first marketing agency for clients facing significant change. That includes new products, mergers & acquisitions, leadership changes, operational changes, and shifts in the marketplace.
Brand defines what must be believed, and sales defines how that belief converts. We make sure they’re positioned optimally and work in tandem.
Part of our branding strength is our ability to think deeply and communicate clearly, concisely, and compellingly. We know that emotion drives human behavior and understand the pains and emotions our clients’ prospects (and customers) are feeling, create messaging tailored to their customer journey, and work with sales teams to increase market share and conversion while reducing sales cycles.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Simply starting Spoke was a risk. 17 years ago, there weren’t a lot of agencies doing what we do. When we have risks that aren’t part of our core purpose/vision (which we have), they haven’t worked out.
That doesn’t mean we don’t evolve. We do. Constantly. But when we stick to doing what we do best, it’s better for our clients and for Spoke.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.SpokeMarketing.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spoke-marketing/
