Paula Zirinsky is the co-founder and Chief Strategist of Structura Strategy Group, a company that specializes in marketing advice that helps companies build a strategic foundation. Tom Fox welcomes her to this week’s show to discuss the unintended effects of the pandemic within the workplace and how marketing benefits the company when the board takes it seriously.
Mentor and Career Inspiration
Paula calls Harold Dobbs the best boss she ever had. Dobbs was originally her mother’s eccentric boss who was the head of a liquor company, and he was very marketing and promotional oriented. He later opened a cooperative advertising business for liquor stores, where he gave her a job photocopying promotional flyers and putting them into envelopes. At the end of each workday, he thanked her for all the work she put in that day and how the company would not have existed without her help. As he was such an attentive boss who was passionate about his work, he instilled this enthusiasm for marketing and a strong work ethic in Paula and also demonstrated how to show appreciation for your employees.
Unintended Effects of the Pandemic
Tom asked Paula to explain some of the unintended effects of the pandemic. Paula explains due to the pandemic, companies introduced various wellness programs so that they could directly speak to their employees and stay in touch with people; they most likely would not have reached out to pre-pandemic. This simple task helped companies become aware of their employees’ needs, which is a positive effect of the pandemic. Another unintended effect is remote working and how it gave rise to new opportunities never seen before. As a result of the stay-at-home mandate, employees were forced to work from home, which allowed jobs to have access to a geographically dispersed talent base, which created jobs for people on a national and even international scale.
The Benefits of Marketing
Tom asks Paula how marketing impacts the board of directors of a public or private company. Paula explains that there are three main ways how marketing impacts the board. Firstly, “Marketing will enhance how the company, the board, and the executive team are seen and perceived. Marketing works with the branding purpose, vision, and mission of the company.” When the board accepts all marketing strategies designed to help, the company will flourish, as both clients and employees enjoy working with the company. She adds that marketing allows the company to look at their clients and see what they are missing and how to rectify it. Lastly, boards have to take into account the lack of diversity on their committees and the absence of marketing experts. According to a study done in 2019, the majority of Chief Marketing Officers are women. To have a successful company, there must be CMOs on the board, which will increase diversity in the workplace.
Invest in Marketing
Paula urges companies to invest more of their company resources in marketing. She states, “Sales are about today and what you’re getting in marketing is about building for the future – the growth of your company and the future of your company.”
Resources
Paula Zirinsky | LinkedIn | Twitter
Structura Strategy Group
