1. Tell me about yourself. Your educational background, current job title(s), and your background in marketing.
This might be a good place to look – http://www.linkedin.com/in/cortinajcaldwell. Anything I could say, I’ve already typed out on there (: Please let me know if you need things more specific to just marketing rather than my entire background.
From LinkedIn: “What I know for sure is that when the authentic self – who we really are what we consider valuable to our identity – aligns with our work, we have an opportunity to practice magic in the form of a fulfilling life. If you currently work in an environment that resonates with your authentic self, you know first-hand how
intentional and meaningful your contribution feels. Regardless of corporate structure, you might even feel empowered to make decisions because you have autonomy to do so. Yet, this is not the story for all of us. For the entrepreneur, innovator, educator, change maker and artist – every decision counts. The way you live your life matters and more importantly, the impact of your work on the community matters. How we spend our working life and earn a living…MATTERS. The most effective method for being an asset to the greater community is to intentionally align your authentic self with an authentic business/organization.
That’s where I can help.
I provide training and development at the personal, professional and programmatic levels on authenticity and creative life design. I will directly impact the happiness and productivity of the planet one connection at a time. Armed with compassion, I challenge each of my clients to deepen their awareness of their gifts in order to develop a measurable strategy on how skills might be most beneficial to themselves and the greater collective.
I value weaving storytelling, love, creativity and balance in all that I do.” {Photo: Cortina Caldwell (left) and Schree Chavdarov (right)}
2. What sparked your interest in marketing?
I realized that I was interested in marketing when I had an ‘ah-ha!’ moment and saw marketing as: storytelling; relationship-building; creating sustainable businesses and organizations; as well as a creative medium for visual messaging and design. Once I understood marketing to be all of these things, things that I feel called to help with I knew I wanted to learn as much as I could to help as many people as I could. Now it’s become the thing that I would do in my sleep if I could!
3. What challenges have you faced in the marketing/communications field?
In my opinion, I believe that collectively we are facing the following challenges:
– Finding and understanding how to reach your target audience
– Navigating technological advancements in the advertising realm
– Measuring effectiveness of advertising platforms
– Knowing how and when to sustain relationships rather than simply creating an impersonal ad
For me as a marketing professional, I have found it difficult to manage an account or client once a marketing campaign or strategy is successful. I have spent many years as a freelance contributor/contractor and as a one-woman show getting massive amounts of emails, phone calls, media requests in the midst of ad deadlines and radio interviews is hard to juggle when – if like me – you thrive in one-on-one relationships and enjoy knowing people personally.
4. Has technology ever been a barrier for you?
Technology has not been a barrier for me, because I grew up with the internet and around computers. In my adult life, I spent a lot of time getting comfortable on computers and understanding applications due to requirements of my undergraduate and graduate programs. I love to analyze and understand things so typically, picking up on systems or new innovations is exciting rather than challenging.
5. What is the most important detail to remember as a marketing professional?
I believe the most important detail to remember as a marketing professional is to embrace change as a constant and remain open to new ideas. Marketing in my opinion, is the marriage of the creative and the logical which is what makes it such a driving force in business development for companies and organizations. Well executed marketing requires the research and data of the target audience as well as the creativity and abstract concepts of design and language. To do this job well, you have to be both certain and uncertain equally.
6. How do you stay up to date with all of the marketing tools and software in today’s workplace?
In order to stay up to date with all of the marketing tools and software in today’s workplace, I often read blogs and magazines as well as stay in the know with others in my field that have discovered things that work for them. My best measurement of a successful tool is based on the user-experience, so when I can’t ask someone I know, I usually make decisions based on ratings.
7. What are your goals and aspirations in life? Do you see marketing in your long term visioning?
My goal is life is to reach my highest potential and to fulfill my life’s purpose. I do see marketing in that long-term vision because reaching my highest potential is about telling my story and being creative – both of which are at the core essence of marketing.
8. Who are some of the influential people in your life? How have they helped you through challenges and opportunities?
Personally, I recognize that everyone is a potential influencer and the impact they have on my life is based on my own perceptions and experiences surrounding my relationship with them. In particular, I would cite my genetic family (that I was born into) as influencers in my life. Specifically, my mother, grandmother and three younger brothers that I am really close to. They support me by grounding me and remind me that no matter how busy life gets or how bogged down I might be getting with a challenge or project to stay present and remember what matters most. My mother is always wanting me to have more fun and not take life so seriously. So, I’ve begun to take her advice by letting that show up in my work. My chosen family – the close friendships and relationships in my life – allow me to think outside of the box and explore who I am. I get to push the envelope, which also shows up in my work.
9. What advice do you have for up and coming marketing professionals?
My advice to up and coming marketing professionals would be to inquire with yourself about what marketing means to you and why you believe it matters. I believe the best way to set yourself up for success in anything you do is to discover why you’re doing it and commit to that. That way, when you have a challenging moment or you’re feeling bored, you can reconnect with your “Why?” again and reignite the passion to move forward. The reality is that we all have a unique purpose, but our passions are what unite us and give us the fuel to move forward. Once you find your passion within your purpose, you have an opportunity to create community, work hard and have fun all at the same time. That’s a happy, fulfilled life!
Interview by Schree Chavdarov
