Trends & Tastings
Leading your brand through choppy waters
In September, thunder::tech welcomed marketers and community partners to the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo for our latest Trends & Tastings event: Leading Your Brand Through Choppy Waters.
Hosted by Bruce Williams, VP of Market Development at thunder::tech, the event brought together leaders from across industries to discuss executive visibility, audience engagement, leadership and the role marketers play in steering organizations through change.
Attendees learned about the museum's history, regional impact and vision for the future. As a destination dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of the Great Lakes, the museum continues to evolve while staying true to its mission, a challenge many organizations can relate to as they balance growth with authenticity.
Their presentation reminds us that great brands are built on strong stories, stories that remain one of the most important brand-building opportunities.
Executive visibility is the intentional practice of leaders using their personal presence to build trust, share expertise and represent their organization's values, vision and direction. This becomes especially important during periods of uncertainty, when employees, customers and stakeholders are looking for reassurance and guidance.
And the proof is in the data:
The session also challenged attendees to think differently about LinkedIn in particular. Not posting more often for the sake of frequency, but defining your unique positioning and perspective and taking the time to optimize your profile before publishing content.
In order to create a strong post, our social team recommends including: a strong hook, a story or observations, your unique perspective, a clear takeaway for users and a prompt that generates conversation in the comments. Depending on the post, also consider adding a creative asset.
Plus, posting is just the tip of the iceberg—thoughtfully commenting and sharing other users’ posts can earn you the trust that keeps you afloat.
The discussion covered everything from leadership and talent development to audience engagement and emerging marketing challenges. When asked what leaders need to do to foster the next generation of talent, panelists emphasized balancing innovation with fundamentals.
Supporting big ideas matters, but so does helping emerging professionals master foundational skills. The conversation reinforced the value of clear expectations, detailed feedback and creating opportunities for growth rather than simply expecting it to happen on its own.
Another timely discussion centered around audience engagement, especially outside of digital touchpoints. With people consuming content across countless devices and platforms, how do brands motivate audiences to engage in the physical world?
The answer wasn't abandoning digital. It was using digital as a bridge.
The panel discussed the importance of creating experiences where digital content serves as the preview rather than the destination. The most successful organizations use online channels to build anticipation, curiosity and excitement that ultimately lead people to show up in person.
In other words, digital should open the door. The experience should make people walk through it.
One response stood out: culture consciousness.
Understanding people, recognizing shifts in behavior and staying connected to the culture surrounding your brand remains one of the most valuable skills marketers can develop. Trends come and go. Human behavior is what drives them.
Take a second and think about yourself: What is your marketing superpower?
Strong brands don't simply react to changing conditions. Their leaders communicate clearly, remain visible, invest in relationships and give people a reason to believe in where they're headed.
As brands continue navigating economic shifts, changing technologies and evolving audience expectations, the organizations that thrive will be the ones with leaders willing to steer through the murky waters instead of waiting for the storm to pass.
These events bring together marketers who think differently and are willing to paddle against the current in search of answers that lie beyond the horizon. Interested in hopping aboard and joining the next event? Follow thunder::tech on LinkedIn for updates and invitations to future events.
Hosted by Bruce Williams, VP of Market Development at thunder::tech, the event brought together leaders from across industries to discuss executive visibility, audience engagement, leadership and the role marketers play in steering organizations through change.
Navigating brands through the future
We kicked off the event with a presentation from Ashley Streichert Lovejoy, Marketing & Communications Manager, and Kate Fineske, Executive Director, at the National Museum of the Great Lakes.Attendees learned about the museum's history, regional impact and vision for the future. As a destination dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of the Great Lakes, the museum continues to evolve while staying true to its mission, a challenge many organizations can relate to as they balance growth with authenticity.
Their presentation reminds us that great brands are built on strong stories, stories that remain one of the most important brand-building opportunities.
How leaders can guide their brands with LinkedIn
Next, Abi Warrell, Director of Communications, and Emily Lindsay, Senior Strategist, Social Media & Influencer Marketing, took the helm to explore the power of executive visibility on LinkedIn.Executive visibility is the intentional practice of leaders using their personal presence to build trust, share expertise and represent their organization's values, vision and direction. This becomes especially important during periods of uncertainty, when employees, customers and stakeholders are looking for reassurance and guidance.
And the proof is in the data:
- 82% of people trust companies more when senior leadership is active on social media.
- 92% of people trust recommendations from people, even if they don't know them, over brands.
The session also challenged attendees to think differently about LinkedIn in particular. Not posting more often for the sake of frequency, but defining your unique positioning and perspective and taking the time to optimize your profile before publishing content.
In order to create a strong post, our social team recommends including: a strong hook, a story or observations, your unique perspective, a clear takeaway for users and a prompt that generates conversation in the comments. Depending on the post, also consider adding a creative asset.
Plus, posting is just the tip of the iceberg—thoughtfully commenting and sharing other users’ posts can earn you the trust that keeps you afloat.
Captain's Roundtable: Steering through choppy waters
The event concluded with the always-popular leadership panel, featuring:- Andy Makins, Senior Director of Client Services, Bluewater
- Jason Therrien, President & CEO, thunder::tech
- Ashley Streichert Lovejoy, Marketing & Communications Manager, National Museum of the Great Lakes
- Emily Lindsay, Senior Strategist, Social Media & Influencer Marketing, thunder::tech
The discussion covered everything from leadership and talent development to audience engagement and emerging marketing challenges. When asked what leaders need to do to foster the next generation of talent, panelists emphasized balancing innovation with fundamentals.
Supporting big ideas matters, but so does helping emerging professionals master foundational skills. The conversation reinforced the value of clear expectations, detailed feedback and creating opportunities for growth rather than simply expecting it to happen on its own.
Another timely discussion centered around audience engagement, especially outside of digital touchpoints. With people consuming content across countless devices and platforms, how do brands motivate audiences to engage in the physical world?
The answer wasn't abandoning digital. It was using digital as a bridge.
The panel discussed the importance of creating experiences where digital content serves as the preview rather than the destination. The most successful organizations use online channels to build anticipation, curiosity and excitement that ultimately lead people to show up in person.
In other words, digital should open the door. The experience should make people walk through it.
What's your marketing superpower?
To close the discussion, panelists were asked to identify their marketing superpower.One response stood out: culture consciousness.
Understanding people, recognizing shifts in behavior and staying connected to the culture surrounding your brand remains one of the most valuable skills marketers can develop. Trends come and go. Human behavior is what drives them.
Take a second and think about yourself: What is your marketing superpower?
It's time for leaders to take the helm
Whether discussing executive visibility, talent development, audience engagement or destination marketing, a common thread ran throughout the afternoon: leadership matters.Strong brands don't simply react to changing conditions. Their leaders communicate clearly, remain visible, invest in relationships and give people a reason to believe in where they're headed.
As brands continue navigating economic shifts, changing technologies and evolving audience expectations, the organizations that thrive will be the ones with leaders willing to steer through the murky waters instead of waiting for the storm to pass.
Join us at the next Trends & Tastings
A huge thank you to our presenters, panelists, attendees and our hosts at the National Museum of the Great Lakes for helping make this edition of Trends & Tastings a success.These events bring together marketers who think differently and are willing to paddle against the current in search of answers that lie beyond the horizon. Interested in hopping aboard and joining the next event? Follow thunder::tech on LinkedIn for updates and invitations to future events.
About the Author
Lizzie Thornton is a Brand & Content Strategist at thunder::tech. When she's not writing strategic content or crafting brand messaging, she spends her time watching true crime documentaries and saying "hi" to every dog she meets.