Spotlight on...
Michael Westafer
CEO
Roger West Creative & Code.
Tampa, Florida
Years in this position: 3
Years in marketing: 15
What inspired you to pursue a career in marketing?
I'm an entrepreneur at heart. It’s thrilling to watch a business grow, so it only makes sense that I would build my career in an industry focused on helping others build their business. Strategic marketing in itself is an entrepreneur. What I mean is that, even if you are a large corporation, your marketing plan must operate as an entrepreneur. Its primary objective must be to grow the business while maintaining efficiency, agility, flexibility, portability and efficacy.
It's challenging, but I really enjoy using my entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and technical skills to solve business problems and deliver marketing solutions.
What do you like most about marketing?
I really enjoy the fast-paced environment and ever-changing landscape. New technologies, new challenges and new ideas keep the marketing industry fresh and exciting. It’s never the same and it never gets boring.
What is the first advertising or marketing campaign you remember? Why? One of the most memorable projects that I have worked on was Gulfstream Aerospace's first web site in the late 90s. I worked for an interactive agency based out of Hilton Head Island and Gulfstream was one of our biggest clients. Before starting the project, I participated in a weeklong introduction tour and training program at Gulfstream where we were able to tour the facility and see how the planes are built. Afterwards, we actually got to take a test ride on a GV (their flagship plane of the time). The flight was amazing! We flew approximately 500mph at an altitude of about 45,000 feet ... I saw the curvature of the earth!
With all this information and research we were able to build an amazing web site that truly captured the essence of Gulfstream. As a side note, this web site is also in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest ecommerce purchase*. Of course, this had less to do with our design and more to do with Mr. Cuban's desire to be in the book of records (it was real hard to make that large of a transaction happen electronically in 1999).
* Largest single e-commerce transaction: Mark Cuban, the American internet tycoon from Dallas, Texas, bought a Gulfstream V business jet over the internet in October 1999. The jet changed hands for $40 million.
How do you measure your success?
There are three things that I evaluate when I think of success (not in order of importance): the expectations of my clients, the satisfaction and loyalty of my employees, and my ability to provide a loving home for my wife and family. If I can keep those three people satisfied (my family, my employees and my clients) then I consider myself extremely successful.
What has been your greatest marketing accomplishment?
Convincing my wife to marry me…Just kidding! :)
In seriousness, I believe my greatest marketing accomplishment is Roger West Creative & Code. Building a successful interactive marketing agency in Tampa isn’t a walk in the park. Have you Googled the word "web design Tampa" lately? There are more than 3 million results! I have had to really work pretty hard to differentiate our brand from the competition and so far I have been pretty successful.
What do you think is the biggest mistake companies make when marketing?
I think there are a lot of common mistakes companies make when marketing, but I think the most critical mistake is putting tools before strategy. There is a lot of hype around marketing technologies like flash, social media, web 2.0, mobile websites, augmented reality, etc. and a lot of companies are just jumping in without a plan. I talk to a lot of companies who want to implement specific "tools" without understanding how those tools fit within their marketing plan. For example, some will ask for flash on their website, but they can't tell me why they want it. Same goes with social media. A lot of businesses are creating Facebook fan pages yet they have no plan for using them.
In the end these tools just distract companies from the real purpose of marketing – and that is to generate sales and leads to grow a business. You first have to understand your strategy, and then decide on the right tools to implement your strategy – it's not the other way around. Knowing your message is more important than knowing the right tools to distribute your message.
What is the most interesting trend you see in marketing?
I'm not really a trendy guy. I never really got into the parachute pants when I was in high school, and to this day I still avoid the hype. Think about it. If you were standing in a line at Sam's Club you wouldn’t jump into the longest line. You'd avoid the crowd and find the fastest way out of that mess. So, for the most part I pretend I'm at Sam's Club. I look out for swarming trends and then head in the opposite direction.
Last time I checked, marketing isn't a game of follow the leader – it's about being the leader.
How do you stay on top of your field?
Every couple of years I go back to school as an instructor to teach in my field. Young designers keep me fresh. Plus, the act of teaching keeps me sharp and forces me to truly master my skills.
On an everyday basis the solutions my company provides are completely custom and vary from client to client, so each project requires a lot of research and creative thinking. We're always hunting for the latest and best solutions for each client and project, and the hunt keeps me on my toes. My clients force me to stay current, and I get a lot of new ideas from listening to their challenges and triumphs.
I also read a lot of forward-thinking books and blogs and for creative inspiration I browse through online portfolio sites and check out big industry websites.
What marketing resources do you recommend?
Seth Godin – Blog and Books - I just read Linchpin and I really enjoyed it.
There is a copy of Rework by Jason Fried at 37 Signals floating around the office. I’m almost done with that and it's pretty great!
I also regularly read articles in:
Advertising Age
HOW magazine
Communication Arts
Hubspot
Mashable
Smashing Magazine
Everyday life – just open your eyes. Marketing is everywhere.
If you could give one piece of marketing advice to Tampa Bay companies, what would it be?
It is sooo easy to get distracted in today's "connected" world. I'd be surprised if you actually made it through this entire article without checking an email, answering a phone call or bouncing to another page. There are so many media technologies grabbing for your attention that real life conversation with the people around you seems extraordinary. Yet, that is exactly what marketing must be to break through the noise. So, put down the smart phone and enjoy the people around you. Be extraordinary and see what happens.
Do you know a marketing professional or entrepreneur who should be in the spotlight? Email me with his or her contact information!
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