I have a love/hate relationship with Thursday. On the one hand, I hate Thursday because it means the week is almost over and since I’m a workaholic, I only have two more days to squeeze in everything I wanted to get done before the official business week ends.
On the other hand, Thursday is Test Drive My Job Day on Mopwater PR + Media Notes. I get to take your jobs out for a spin to see how they fit. I love this!
Today, I’m featuring two TDMJs because, well, I just want to. First up: Matthew Fenton, Founder and President of Three Deuce Branding.
Matthew Fenton
38 years old
Founder and President: Three Deuce Branding
Cincinnati, Ohio
Web: Three Deuce Branding
Blog: That Branding Thing
1 employee (me)
12 years in this role
Mopwater: Describe your path to PR and marketing. What aspects of the industry are you currently most excited about?
MF: I entered the University of Cincinnati as a quantitative analysis major. While the problem-solving aspect was fascinating, I didn’t want to grow up to be an actuary. I was very interested in psychology, motivation and human behavior, so marketing was a natural choice.
Through UC’s strong co-op program, I was able to spend a full year in market research, in both supplier and client jobs, prior to graduation. That background allowed me to get into brand management, my ultimate goal, immediately upon graduation.
I joined Van Melle USA (now Perfetti Van Melle) in 1992, when the company had just two brands – Mentos and AirHeads. The Mentos “Freshmaker” campaign had just launched and the buzz was beginning. I managed marketing for AirHeads for 5 years, during which time we took the brand from partial to full US distribution, tripled total sales, and earned the top sales spot in the non-chocolate category. In addition, it was a great environment in which to learn truly consumer-centric branding, which was not widely practiced at the time.
In 1997, I made the decision to found my branding consultancy. The mission of Three Deuce Branding is the same now as it was then: “To help good people build great brands.” Every day is a new opportunity to make branding clear and actionable for those who practice it.
What I like best about branding is that, when properly practiced, it makes the world a better place. You simply can’t build a long-term consumer relationship without serving. Lately, I’m most excited about the ability of consumers to connect and to have their voices heard; brands have always belonged to consumers, but now that fact is becoming impossible to ignore. I’m also excited about the opportunities for brands to live their stories and values in a manner that involves consumers and employees alike.
Mopwater: Describe a typical work day including your typical work hours.
MF: No such thing as a typical work day! A given day might find me doing public speaking, leading an inventing session, building a positioning statement or strategic plan, interviewing clients and their customers, writing my column and blog, reading relevant books and newsletters, and staying in touch with the talented people with whom I’m fortunate to work.
I tend to work unusual hours – I may work as early as 6 a.m. or as late as 3 a.m. I usually break up the work day with non-work activities, as I find I’m more productive and creative that way. Read the full story
