Our Ask the Experts series feature interviews with people on the other side of the PR and digital marketing world. In this installment, we’re shining the spotlight on brand marketers and the important work they do on a day-to-day basis.
Good brand marketing stirs emotions. Great brand marketing taps into our identity and creates a sense of belonging. Brand marketers are the architects behind it all– building consumer trust and loyalty through compelling storytelling that appeals to our values, interests, and aspirations.
At Darby, we collaborate with fantastic brand marketers and two of them have joined us for this installment of Ask the Experts.
Meet the Brand Marketers
Alex Sherbinow
Alex is a father, proud Yooper, hunter, and angler based in Racine, Wisconsin. As the Marketing Manager for Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, he has grown the Old Town brand with a focus on relationship marketing. Alex’s leadership has been instrumental in maintaining Sportsman Line’s momentum in the kayak fishing marketplace while positioning the brand for future success.
Robyn Howard
Robyn is a mother, outdoorswoman, and Front Range explorer based in Denver, Colorado. As the Director of Brand and Marketing for Exxel Outdoors, Robyn runs point on the brand portfolio’s strategic marketing efforts. She’s been instrumental in orchestrating Ultimate Direction’s most recent in-person athlete summit and is the architect behind Exxel Outdoors’ DEI programs.
How did you end up in the outdoor industry as a marketer?
Sherbinow: I landed in the outdoors industry purely because of the support from my family. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where my dad worked in an iron ore mine. He’s one of the hardest working people that I’ve ever met, regularly working 12-hour, midnight shifts (7 pm-7 am). When he dropped me off at Michigan Tech for my freshman year, the last thing he said to me was, “I don’t care what you do, just find something you enjoy and make it a job.” I took that to heart and chased my passion for the outdoors.
Howard: I have been working in the outdoor industry for the last 10 years. I also have a product development background and naturally got integrated into marketing and brand development. I have always had a passion for the outdoors and in 2016 moved from IL to OR (and now CO) to have a better active outdoor lifestyle. I feel that being in a place that fosters the outdoors makes my job in understanding the industry and consumer mindset more authentic.
“Find something you enjoy and make it a job.”
I took that to heart and chased my passion for the outdoors.
Alex Sherbinow
How would you describe your job to someone with relatively little knowledge of what a marketer does?
Sherbinow: Most of my family think I sell kayaks or take pictures for a living, so it’s always an interesting conversation with people who may not be marketing savvy. At the end of the day, my job is to get people excited about outdoor adventures. Once they’re excited, it’s my job to keep them excited by positioning our canoes and kayaks as something that will enhance their experiences on the water.
Howard: The short version is, I help grow and manage a team of skillful and passionate marketers that seek to elevate brands for customers in all media aspects. Marketers are responsible for knowing and understanding their brand, consumers, and market to bring to life a brand’s mission and product offerings. A Brand Marketer’s job is to help create a connection to a brand through various media forms (social, email, e-commerce, events, etc).
A marketer’s job is to help create a connection to a brand through various media forms.
Robyn Howard
What are the key responsibilities and objectives you have in your role?
Sherbinow: My role is to drive and ensure the execution of our yearly marketing plan. I get to work with really talented marketers who provide inputs into these tasks, but some of my responsibilities are overseeing paid marketing such as paid media and paid partnerships, managing agency relationships, spearheading all trade marketing, event management, and product launch management. Again, many of these are team efforts, we have very loose role definitions and focus more on working as a team to accomplish our goals.
Howard: My number one objective is always to help support and foster a positive and productive team environment. Other key responsibilities are strategic growth development, market planning, budget allocation, market research, and working with leaders in sales, product, and e-commerce to create efficiencies in processes to help launch and sustain a growing brand presence.
What are some common misconceptions about the role of a Brand Marketer that don’t accurately represent the realities of your job?
Howard: I think that some people may think marketing is all making pitches and flashy presentations (think Mad Men), or going on photoshoots and helping to direct the vision of a brand in compelling ads, and while there is an element of that, there is so much more. Our Brand Marketers are continually working on all aspects of emailing, ads, strategy, social, and campaigns, amongst many more. So yes, there are many fun aspects to it, but really it’s focusing on how we create the most ROI for any given marketing approach.
What brand(s) do you look to for inspiration on marketing philosophy?
Sherbinow: I have a long list of brands that are crushing it in their marketing; JetBoil, Duckworth, FirstLite, Decked, and Tethrd are some of my favorites.
What is the most underrated skill in marketing?
Sherbinow: I think the best marketers have sales skills. You have to be able to sell yourself as the right product to consumers, the right brand for media partners, the right partners to agencies, and even sell your boss on hiring and training you…the list goes on. If you can’t convince someone to believe in you, you’re going to be incredibly limited in your growth potential.
Howard: The ability to think about the big picture. And close second, is the ability to project management in terms of prioritization.
Check out our most recent Ask the Expert series on Substack Publishers. Have something you’d like us to highlight on the Ask the Expert series? Send us a message.