Episode 22: Event Marketing for Brand Activation

00:32
Ashtyn Morris
Welcome to another episode of Marketing Moves. I am your host, Ashton Morris. Today's topic is all about how event marketing is one of the most tried and true marketing tactics for brand activation. Today's guest, Marcus Madison, is the Cleveland Clinic's community relations program manager. In his role, Marcus works to enhance the health and wellbeing of the communities served by the Cleveland Clinic. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, local government and healthcare, his passion for helping transform communities is evident. Additionally, he is president elect of Cleveland's very own 2030 club, the city's largest and longest running young professionals association in northeast Ohio. Needless to say, Marcus knows a thing or two about the value of community outreach and event marketing. To to facilitate more brand awareness and deepen existing connections.

01:25
Ashtyn Morris
We're excited to have him on today to discuss how to effectively utilize event based marketing tactics and your brand activation strategy. Marcus, welcome to marketing Moves.

01:35
Marcus Madison
Thank you for having me today. I'm excited to be here to spend some time with you and also just talk about some different things that's going on here in Cleveland and in our community.

01:44
Ashtyn Morris
I'm so excited. We're all so excited to have you on the podcast today. We've heard so many great things about you and really appreciate you taking the time to come in today. So before we dive into some of the marketing questions, we always like to get to know our guests a little bit better. So let's start with a little bit of your background. Are you originally from Cleveland?

02:02
Marcus Madison
I'm originally from Cleveland, born in Ohio City and raised in Lorain county. That's where my roots are as well. So it's been a nice time, like getting a chance to explore northeast Ohio in a different perspective. Now that I live here in Ohio city, it's like I'm coming back home to the place I was originally born to see and explore things from a different perspective.

02:25
Ashtyn Morris
I love that. Have you ever lived outside of the Cleveland area or has always been Cleveland?

02:30
Marcus Madison
It's always been Cleveland. So on my bucket list, I've got a couple of places that I want to travel to I love that.

02:36
Ashtyn Morris
Me too.

02:36
Marcus Madison
I've got a long travel list of places I want to go and visit, but Cleveland is home. I love it here.

02:42
Ashtyn Morris
Yeah. You have served as the Illyria city council member for over ten years previously. Can you talk a little bit more about that and how you transition from the public to the private sector?

02:52
Marcus Madison
Yeah, absolutely. So serving as an elected official is just a great honor. I mean, being able to have people vote for you is always just a humbling feeling. I entered politics when I was very young, around the age of 21.

03:06
Ashtyn Morris
Wow.

03:07
Marcus Madison
I decided to run for office, but long before that, I was attending city council meetings and trying to learn what's happening and how can I get involved. But I took a trip to Washington, DC, and I was just mesmerized by just politics and action and what it meant and had a chance to meet some truly just incredible people, some that I just was learning about. I only knew Arnold at the time because he was the governor of California, but at that time, George Bush was president. I was there for his inauguration. That was my first inauguration. And I've had the chance to go to couple three total in my lifetime, which has been great. But, yeah, I decided to run, and it's been a great privilege and honor to represent the residents of the fifth ward in the city of Illyria.

03:52
Ashtyn Morris
Wow, that's amazing. So how did you decide to transition from work government focused type of initiatives to your work with the clinic?

04:01
Marcus Madison
Yeah, absolutely. So I feel like, and I tell people my journey to the clinic has just been amazing. From working in the community, we talk a lot about social determinants of health and how can we build, you know, better neighborhoods, healthier neighborhoods. And so I've had a chance to do that in my own community every day. Getting a chance to talk to people, listen to them, hear their stories. You know, I've cried with folks in their living rooms. I've celebrated really amazing moments of people in our neighborhood. After spending ten years on city council, I decided to resign and jump into philanthropy. So I spent two years working for an organization called Community West foundation.

04:41
Marcus Madison
So I had the opportunity to learn about grant making and how to distribute, you know, a little bit over $3.1 million to communities in Lorain county and Cuyahoga county. Eventually, I was excited to get the opportunity to join the Cleveland clinic. And it's been great. I get a chance to blend all of these different things into one. Working with community, getting a chance to go back into my creative aspects. When I worked for a nonprofit organization called Big Brothers Big Sisters. So my original background was in marketing. I was a public guest for today. Then, yes, I'm excited. Public relations and communications, and I worked my way all the way up to become interim director for that organization. My original roots are in marketing and event planning and fundraising, so that was my start.

05:33
Ashtyn Morris
Wow. You're the perfect guest, then, for today's topic. Because a key theme we want to cover in this episode is the role that event marketing plays in facilitating brand awareness and building those deeper connections with your existing audience. Event marketing, as I'm sure you can know, can be incredibly challenging from start to finish. Planning events takes an incredible amount of time, resources, and a sound strategy. We're particularly interested in how you leverage event marketing in your current role. So before diving into some of those other questions, we did want to learn more about your current role at the Cleveland Clinic and what you do. So what's a typical day like for you as the clinic's community relations program manager?

06:12
Marcus Madison
Yeah. So I'm very excited. I get the chance to work with this very dynamic team of professionals who really care about our community, and so we call ourselves our community health equity team. What I get a chance to do is really live out my passion. Every day we get to engage caregivers around how do we connect with the community? I get to work with community leaders to talk about how can we better serve the neighborhoods that we really care about in terms of providing quality care, but then also expanding that to not just the communities we serve, but those who really are interested in receiving care from the Cleveland clinic. So a typical day for me might.

06:53
Ashtyn Morris
Be hard to boil that down.

06:55
Marcus Madison
You know, one day it will be waking up and going through a lot of emails to kind of see, you know, what's happening, you know, not only within the hospital, but in our community. Sometimes we get people that want sponsorship dollars. So we try to figure out, you know, does that align with our mission? How does that align with our priority areas of addressing infant and maternal health, addressing food insecurity, or lead safety here in Cleveland, but then also our regional hospitals? How do we work together to make sure that we have this not only global presence, but we have this hyper focus on the communities that we serve, so that we're listening to the neighbors and we're working with communities to really figure out how do we best serve them. So every day is different.

07:42
Marcus Madison
I could be one day giving student tours to talk about the great work we're doing at the Cleveland Clinic in hopes of inspiring the next generation of caregivers or planning a five k at Avon Hospital to get caregivers involved and our community to come out together. So it's a blast. No day is the same, and that's what I really like about the role.

08:04
Ashtyn Morris
That's amazing, especially because no day is the same, but it's all focused on facilitating and engaging with your community. So that's always at the core of it. But you have so many different opportunities and different events and different things happening on a day to day basis. But it's cool that it all comes back to your goal and your mission. So when it comes down to it, as you know, event marketing works best once you understand your audience. How do these events that the clinic sponsors or you attend on behalf of the clinic help you connect with your audience?

08:39
Marcus Madison
You know, I tell people, if you're going to work in a profession where you are working with people, you got to enjoy it. You've got to love people, and you really have to just love those moments where people light up and they start to tell you their own stories or their backgrounds. And through that exchange, I really think you learn how to listen, but also not only learn how to listen, you learn exactly what they're saying. They're telling you what the things are that they need. They're telling you all of these amazing things about what they expect in terms of their services provided in their communities. And so I love going to events because I love connecting with people, hearing some of those stories, and I can take that information back to the team and say, you know, this is what we're hearing.

09:26
Marcus Madison
How can we build this into our strategy of connecting with the community that we serve, engaging them, and then also connecting our caregivers and their passion to serve the neighborhoods that we really care about.

09:39
Ashtyn Morris
That's great, because you're going right to the source. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know, but when you're out, you're listening to them, you can take that back and have meaningful action and change. So that's great to hear in terms of not only do you enjoy it, but you're taking what you're learning from those events and you're able to connect with your team and to see that come to fruition. So for these events in particular, what marketing touch points do you have in place? Do you guys have different swag, like hoodies, t shirts? Or is it a completely different experience?

10:10
Marcus Madison
So it's funny, because my team members, they said, every time we connect with Marcus, we're walking away with something, whether it's a bag or something I was always brought up in terms of my days of marketing and event planning is you want to make sure that people walk away with something from the moment they step into the door to experience whatever that moment is. What is the takeaway that you want? So sometimes that's swag, sometimes that's a good flyer to talk about some key points, and sometimes it's just something that's sentimental to express the mission that we're trying to serve. So, for example, we just had students come through, high school students. We do these student tours at our hospital and every school district in Lorain county.

10:54
Marcus Madison
They get a chance to come in and learn about what's happening in the hospital, meet with our world class leaders, and really hear about their journeys. But at the end, we make sure that they all get a bag from us, from the clinic, water bottles, things like that. So not only did they have this amazing tour, they've got something to remember that moment. Then they take that back home and they share that with their families, and their friends are saying, oh, you went to this amazing tour when they go back to high school and you've got all of this really cool things and you can follow up. We started to experiment with the QR codes and making sure people can connect from our events to learn more information or how they can get more involved. So that's just one way.

11:36
Marcus Madison
But, you know, I'm a big fan of swag. I'm a big fan of giving something for people just to remember.

11:44
Ashtyn Morris
Especially, too, someone might be wearing a shirt or whatever it may be, and they might not be actively talking about the clinic, but some of walking the by notices, and it's the top of mind. So there's a lot of ways that it has a ripple effect, a positive ripple effect. So that's great to hear, especially those insights, too. I think with your background, you've had so many different jobs and experiences, but it all comes back to marketing in some way. And people might not, off the bat, think your role is pivotal for marketing, but it is.

12:11
Marcus Madison
Yeah. Especially with communication. You know, I think what I've learned as I've gotten older is we're always trying to do this dance of how do I connect with someone? And sometimes you just need some of those moments to start the conversation. So sometimes that is the swag, or sometimes that's the five k sponsors in the back of the shirt that says, oh, I know someone that works for this particular organization. What were you doing running for this event? And those moments are priceless. You can't put an exchange or money or value on those moments.

12:42
Ashtyn Morris
Completely agree. So when it comes to your different events, how does your team evaluate the success of it?

12:49
Marcus Madison
You know, so we look at many different things. So when we're looking at formal events, you know, sometimes we look at metrics in terms of how many people are coming in based on if it's a fundraiser or if it's an event that we're trying to raise funds. You know, so our metrics are based on, you know, how much are we generating. But then also there's some other metrics that, you know, we track. And that's some of the things that you can't, again, put a price on the word of mouth that is generated from events, that's calculated in terms of just how many people are showing up and talking about what's happening. We talk about how many people have been impacted or how many touches that we have in terms of getting the word out.

13:30
Marcus Madison
And so those are just some of the ways that we kind of look at our events and try to calculate our engagement from a marketing standpoint. We have an amazing marketing department, and they kind of work, really to amplify our voice, not only globally, but here in the community. So they're always looking at how can we express our commitment to not only community, but to world class care. They've got amazing metrics that they use from knowing when to use photos to videos to all of those things that you guys probably talk about here in the show on helping people express their message and also track it.

14:07
Ashtyn Morris
There's a lot that goes into things such as social media that people maybe at first glance wouldn't think. But it's great to hear that not only do you have a great team on your end and planning the events, but then you have the marketing resources behind it to help with the strategy as well, because it's really a team effort. Yeah, absolutely.

14:25
Marcus Madison
And then looking at the global perspective, but then hyper focusing on local communities, working with our local newspapers and trying to figure out where should we talk about our mission and our vision to serve the community and provide care.

14:41
Ashtyn Morris
Yeah. Your audience on a hyper local level is Cleveland. So how do you engage with them in those different touch points? So it's great that you guys still look at some of those more traditional mediums, such as print. So that's great. What are some of the biggest challenges that you have experienced experience in the event marketing space? And do you have any advice for people who might be looking to create some engaging events but don't really know where to start.

15:05
Marcus Madison
Anytime you work for a big organization such as the Cleveland Clinic or any Bic organization, you've got a lot of layers and complexities that are involved in terms of how do you express or even what tools you're going to use to get things across to the finish line to have a successful event. You know, we've got a great marketing team that really looks at not only protecting the brand, but how do we amplify the brand. We also have different tools that we use that is approved, and then we've got things that sometimes you're like, you know, I really would like to use this, but can I use this? So, you know, those are always some of the challenges. There's many layers sometimes to kind of do some of the things that you want to do, especially to pilot things. You know, technology is changing.

15:58
Marcus Madison
The way that we're communicating is changing the next generation that's coming out with these amazing ways of just staying connected. So we're learning from them actively, and then we're trying to figure out how can we put that into place. And, you know, as a big organization, sometimes things move slow. Kind of like government. Sometimes government moves slow. And that's a good thing sometimes. Do you want things to move slow so that you can really understand the impact that you're making?

16:29
Ashtyn Morris
No, that's a great point. A funny point you make, because I was thinking how for a larger scale event, how much time does it take for you guys to plan from start to finish so I can use the.

16:43
Marcus Madison
Event that we plan at our Avon hospital, our five k. We do annual event, since we've opened the hospital, to really bring the community together, and we choose a nonprofit to support. So all the money raised goes to support an organization. Last year, we supported children and families with developmental disabilities. And this year we're trying to explore again what are we looking for? But that planning starts the minute the event ends. We have a committee that comes together of caregivers and community members, and we really start to talk about what's our strategy around raising funds, but then also our strategy of supporting the organization, and then what's the need. You know, we want to make sure that we're making an impact. So we're just not here to do events.

17:26
Marcus Madison
We're here to amplify these events, to generate either revenue or to make an impact in the community.

17:33
Ashtyn Morris
Absolutely. To do it right, it takes time, and it seems like you guys have it down to a science. How many events would you say, on average, do you attend or help facilitate whether it be on a monthly or maybe even yearly basis, that's easier to quantify.

17:47
Marcus Madison
Oh, wow. That's a great question. So I would say within a given month, I'm probably attending 2015 to 25 events. Oh, my goodness.

17:59
Ashtyn Morris
That's a lot.

18:00
Marcus Madison
It's a pretty robust schedule. Robust schedule. But, you know, our community's big, and there's so many things that's happening. So for me, this isn't kind of just work. It's a passion. So I like to be a part of the community. I like to show up to events. I like to make sure that not only am I showing up to the events that we're sponsoring, but to support the community organizations that we're working with. And sometimes it's just being in the community. So some of these events might not hit the radar screens of other people's calendars, but it's important because, you know, there's always that one person in the neighborhood that knows, like, this is what's happening. You've got to be here at this meeting to talk about what's going on in our community.

18:44
Marcus Madison
And you go and you, again, hear so much, and those moments are priceless.

18:49
Ashtyn Morris
There's so much value in fostering and nurturing meaningful connections because you never really know where it's going to lead to. And I think all of our listeners, it's evident that your passion for the community is clear, and I know you're making a huge impact. So it's great to hear from you, though, all of the different things that you're doing. Do you have, outside of the five k, any big events coming up that you can share with us?

19:11
Marcus Madison
So, yes, we do have a big event that's coming up that's in support of individuals who have cardiovascular problems. And that's called straight to the heart. And so that's going to be coming up soon. We're raising funds to make sure that we can provide resources to those who come into a our hospitals. So that's a really big event that's taking place. We also have an event called the Lifesavers Ball, which is a partnership with the American Cancer Society. So we've sponsored that event in Lorain county. So we're looking forward to be there to really show our support to those individuals who are cancer survivors. It's a truly just amazing night. They give these awards to individuals who have survived cancer, and they highlight their stories, and, I mean, you gotta be there to just, again, experience the moment.

20:02
Marcus Madison
So those are kind of coming up very soon here, but with the Cleveland Clinic. There's events happening all across the enterprise. We encourage people to visit, you know, our website. You can find so many different ways to get connected. We've got program managers that are also running defense classes.

20:20
Ashtyn Morris
I did see that when I looked online.

20:22
Ashtyn Morris
There's a lot.

20:23
Ashtyn Morris
There's a lot going on with the clinic.

20:25
Ashtyn Morris
Yes.

20:25
Marcus Madison
We've got cooking classes in different neighborhoods taking place, so there's events happening all the time, and we really do those events to connect with the community.

20:36
Ashtyn Morris
That's amazing. We also did want to discuss your position as president elect of the 2030 club, because there's a lot of similarities there between your work with the clinic and the 2030 club when it comes to event marketing. First off, can you tell us a little bit more about the 2030 club and its mission?

20:54
Marcus Madison
Oh, yeah. Our mission, really, at its core, is all about building community and connection. You know, we have so many young professionals that are between the ages of, I would say, 20 and 35, even 40, that are coming back to this community. Some of them are called boomerangs. Some of them have just moved to the city of Cleveland or here in northeast Ohio, and they come wanting and seeking sense of community. And so our club provides that. We host over 120 events a year. My goodness.

21:29
Ashtyn Morris
It's a lot.

21:30
Marcus Madison
Yes, yes. It keeps all the board members very busy. You know, there was a cooking class last night. We got a really big event coming up next month, which is called our movers and shakers. We're going to announce the top 25 under 35 young professionals here in northeast Ohio. Everyone's volunteering. Our mission is really just about building community and connection, and we do that every day.

21:53
Ashtyn Morris
Wow, that's a lot of events. I mean, I recently joined because of you. You had told me, you know, check it out. And I took a look at the website, looked at your social media, and I loved all the events because for me, even though I've been in Cleveland for a while, it's sometimes hard to meet people. And finding events in places that you can foster those meaningful connections, have something to talk about, whether it be an activity or whatever it may be, is great. Really excited to explore it more. But to your point, the events truly are really a main focus of what you guys do. And I have yet to experience one, but I'm excited because I think there's a lot of opportunities there.

22:32
Ashtyn Morris
So I know we touched on the number of events you have, but would you say that is one of the key factors or key drivers of your holistic marketing strategy for the club?

22:41
Marcus Madison
Absolutely. Our events really bring people together. It's a membership based club, so you can either be a social member, which is free for you, to attend free events again, to seek community and connection. We do around towns once a month. That brings over 100 young professionals together throughout here, Cleveland, and sometimes northeast Ohio. And those events are just amazing. Again, you get to hear the stories of, you know, I just moved back home to Cleveland, and I was seeking a new group to be connected with to make friends. And what we also find is people come to our events, and then they start their own groups, and then they go off and do their own things. And for me, I think that's great.

23:20
Marcus Madison
That means we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, and our events are driving that community and connection just by creating those moments. We've got a special hike club. People get together and they just like to hike. We won't see them at any other event, but we'll see them on the trails.

23:37
Ashtyn Morris
You know, that was successful, that successful connection.

23:41
Marcus Madison
Yes. Yes. So I think there's something for everyone, and our events really help generate the buzz of why people should be a part of the club. But then also it helps sustain our club, too, by having them come and pay for events and buy their memberships and help us build this community.

23:58
Ashtyn Morris
And I'm sure all of the local organizations and businesses appreciate it as well, because you're not only connecting Cleveland individuals together, but you're introducing them. Oh, maybe I've never been to this restaurant or never been to this business, and then they're a customer from there. So it's really just a lot of good it's doing for Cleveland in terms of. I know we've touched on this a little bit, but how would you evaluate the success of these events? Is it increase in membership? Is it in retention? How do you guys go about evaluating that?

24:28
Marcus Madison
Oh, that's a great question. And that's something that we one, we look at every time we get together as a board monthly, and it's something that we always challenge ourselves with, too. Is it the retention of members in terms of our membership to sustain the club? Is it the amount of people that we have coming to the events? We look at all those numbers, and our data tells us these are some of the events that people want, and these are the things that they're looking for. So that helps guide our decision making on what events we should offer. But then also our membership is our membership of value to people, and if not, what do we need to do to enhance what we're doing as a club.

25:11
Marcus Madison
So we've got several different metrics that we look at, and retention is one that we focus in on as well as our professional events. You know, we've got some folks that just want to do social events to get together and connect, and then we have professional members who would like to go to a CEO dinner and meet with a community leader and hear about their journey and their story. So we try to balance all of those things to create this very dynamic event calendar for the month, and hopefully that resonates with people and our membership base. And if attendance seems to drop, then we come back to the table and say, we've got to tweak this a little bit and realign that to make sure that we're producing positive outcomes.

25:50
Ashtyn Morris
Awesome. So, last question before I pivot to some rapid fire questions.

25:56
Ashtyn Morris
Putting you on the spot.

25:58
Ashtyn Morris
But what would you say to someone who questions the value of event marketing in today's world?

26:06
Marcus Madison
I would tell them there's no questions about the power of event marketing. Anytime you get the opportunity to bring people together in a space, I would say you're doing something incredible because you're again, building community and you're building connection, and that takes a very special moment and work and time and effort for all of those things to happen. You know, when you think about going to a party, and sometimes you go and you're like, oh, why did I show up to this thing?

26:38
Ashtyn Morris
Right?

26:39
Marcus Madison
You know, you're like, oh, what's happening? But then when you go to an event or a party and you're saying, this was worth my time, not only was it a mentally good moment for me to just get out and connect with people, you know, physically, I'm here in this space, and all those things just amplify not only the event that you're hosting and doing, but people are going to come back and they're going to go tell their friends, and then they're going to be your biggest ambassadors to what you're either trying to sell or services that you're providing.

27:10
Ashtyn Morris
Very well said. So, before we conclude today's episode, we always like to end our segment with a round of rapid fire questions.

27:19
Marcus Madison
All right?

27:19
Ashtyn Morris
Some are a little more marketing focused, while others are more tied to Cleveland. Are you ready, Marcus?

27:25
Marcus Madison
I'm ready.

27:26
Ashtyn Morris
Okay. Most anticipated event of 2024.

27:30
Ashtyn Morris
Ooh.

27:31
Marcus Madison
I don't know if that's the presidential election, or I'm going to say movers and shakers events. That's coming up for the 2030 club. That's an exciting time for us. So I'm very busy.

27:44
Ashtyn Morris
I can imagine.

27:45
Ashtyn Morris
What is your favorite type of swag to receive from an event?

27:49
Marcus Madison
Oh, man. My favorite type of swag. I'm probably going to say bags, because I've got so many bags that I've collected at this point, I'm giving them away as gifts. They're useful. They're useful. They're gym bags or water bottles, too, because I either lose water bottles or I don't know why I lose them, but I do. But I collect them. Yeah. And sunglasses. I like sunglasses, too. Summer comes and it's always nice for the Cleveland heat. Here, have some shades for the guardians game.

28:21
Ashtyn Morris
Yeah, absolutely. Final two questions. Favorite Cleveland coffee shop.

28:26
Marcus Madison
Oh, man. So of course, for me, it's going to be Etta in Ohio city. I spend a lot of time there. Sometimes when I get a chance to work remote, it's a great place to go. Connect the coffee. Tea is great, but also the people you get a chance to meet every day, they come in and they again share their stories. And I like people watching as well. It's great.

28:50
Ashtyn Morris
Great environment to do. So.

28:52
Ashtyn Morris
If you haven't been to Etta, go to ETa.

28:55
Marcus Madison
Yes. In Ohio city, right across from the west side market. So you can hang out there and then just pop one over.

29:00
Ashtyn Morris
Yeah, make a day of it. This one might even be harder. But favorite Cleveland restaurant.

29:07
Marcus Madison
Oh, my favorite Cleveland restaurant. Man, there's so many. I really do like, I like tacos a lot. I like mexican food. There's a nice place in Gordon Square district called Habanero. So whenever I get a chance, I sneak over there and I'll grab some food. So right now, that's where I've been sneaking off to.

29:30
Ashtyn Morris
Love that. I'll have to try it.

29:32
Marcus Madison
Great place. You won't go wrong.

29:34
Ashtyn Morris
Love it. Marcus, thank you so much for joining us today. You are truly a trailblazer in the Cleveland community, and we appreciate your insights on the event marketing space. Where can listeners find you if they want to connect?

29:47
Marcus Madison
LinkedIn. You know, Marcus Madison, that's my name. You can find me there and connect. I try to stay active there, and I look forward to connecting with not only your audience, but staying connected to the work that you all are doing here. This is a great podcast. I'm glad that you guys are really representing Cleveland, but also showing people there's another way to connect and build community.

30:09
Ashtyn Morris
Well, thank you. That was so nice. I didn't tell him to say that.

30:11
Ashtyn Morris
I promise, guys.

30:13
Ashtyn Morris
Well, thank you so much for joining us and we appreciate all the time.

30:17
Marcus Madison
Thank you for having me.

30:18
Lisa Perry Kovacs
Of course, we hope you enjoyed this episode. Now it's time to start making moves. Head to vividfront.com marketing moves for exclusive marketing materials. Every episode, we add more of our greatest insider secrets to help you move towards success. See you next time.