We discuss today with Christina Brown. Christina is the Founder and Marketing Director of Savy Agency.
Christina, tell us about your journey as a marketing director. What led you into the industry?
My undergraduate and graduate studies were in business management, but I started in the marketing department of a computer software company in the nineties. While there, I named products, designed packaging, and helped move the company to unicorn status. After a few years there, I traveled overseas to work with Fortune 500 companies. As a creative director with a business mindset, I love when all the elements come together and make sense.
What was your inspiration for starting Savy Agency?
After working on the client side before, during, and after the dot com boom, I realized how successful I could be on the agency-side marketing for a diverse client range. Today I bring my 30 years of experience to Savy.
How does Savy Agency differentiate itself from other marketing companies?
Savy is an agile, driven team of digital marketing professionals with an average of 20 years of experience in their respective fields. We work with thought leaders, product innovators, industry disruptors, and entrepreneurs. We help established brands reimagine themselves and build new brands from the ground up.
What are some of the challenges of digital marketing today?
The digital marketing landscape changes rapidly and often, affecting a brand’s ability to market. We know that what we do is both art and science. It’s about showing up and buckling down. And it’s also about starting with a deep understanding of the customer’s needs, how the brand and its products and services can meet those needs, and using the tools to connect the two.
How does Savy Agency stay on the cutting edge and deliver for its clients?
Savy has been a brand-first integrated marketing agency operating under one roof for 16 years. Our collective team brings all aspects to the table to position, design, and market brands of sizes and industries. With a careful mix of strategy, design, development, and marketing, we can keep our clients at the forefront of their industries and consistently meet their customers’ needs.
Can you share some of your tips for success in digital marketing?
I always say that the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.
What is the future of digital marketing, and how is the industry changing?
The seemingly impossible future is only a few decades away. The technology we have today, fueled by 5G, AI, and edge computing, opens us up to opportunities that are transforming digital. As we learn to harness these technologies, customer-centricity will come more to the forefront. Brands that succeed will see things from the end user’s viewpoint to reach and connect with them.
What is your advice to women entrepreneurs who want to open their own businesses?
Be powerful, use your strengths, put in the time, and make things happen.
Tell us about life outside of work. How do you get the work-life balance right?
Well, to be the best at something, you have to work hard at it. And that can affect work-life balance. I hustled my entire career without much balance to speak of. But at this point in my career, I find the most balance if I tackle my most important tasks first thing in the morning. This frees me up creativity-wise to get to my real work. I also work out once a day for stress relief and to keep my mind clear – and I drink a gallon of water daily.
Please share with us one of your favorite projects you worked on.
That’s a hard one over a 30-year career. A few notable clients are Playboy, Cirrus, Skanska, Cessna and Linked-In firms, and Le Parfait. My favorite marketing tech stack today is data analytics, advertising technology, and content.
Christina, how is a day in your life?
At 7 am, I feed the animals on my ranch and get a workout – usually a HIIT sauna, free weights, and Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) to stay conditioned. I then shovel the ranch and turn out the horses. Around 9 am, I knock out emails. At 10 am, meetings and client kickoffs are typically scheduled. The afternoons are for creative work, such as project reviews and campaign management. Usually, around 5–6 pm, I try to slow down and feed all the mouths. I believe the key to a successful work-life is allowing plenty of space – for reflection, learning, resting, family, and being.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I’m more of an introvert than I let on. I’ve eaten tomatoes whole since I was little.
Choose two of your favorite quotes and write them here.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled, and that has made all the difference.
Find happiness in what you do every day.
If you had the power to change just one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would change the trajectory of cancer.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Share your ideas, make others better, and do the things that make you happy. You might enjoy life more and produce rewarding and amazing work.
To learn more about Christina Brown and Savy Agency, please visit https://savyagency.com
