Sean O'Brien - Mott Corporation

03/20/24 • 27 min

Sean O'Brien is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with a rich background in both B2C and B2B sectors. Sean currently holds the position of Global Head of Marketing and Communication at Mott Corporation, a company specializing in precision filtration technologies.

With a career spanning various industries, including sporting goods, safety equipment, and technology innovation, Sean brings a wealth of experience to his role. His journey began in the realm of sporting goods, working with brands like New Balance, and evolved through significant roles at Honeywell and Stanley Black & Decker, before joining Mott Corporation.
In this episode...

Sean's approach to marketing is distinguished by his ability to blend B2C storytelling techniques with B2B marketing strategies, a methodology he's passionately applied across different industries. This unique approach has enabled him to rejuvenate and enhance brand and product strategies, making complex, technical products more relatable and engaging to a broader audience. Sean emphasizes the importance of storytelling and brand building in creating compelling marketing narratives that resonate with both consumers and business clients.

In his current role at Mott Corporation, Sean is involved in multi-channel marketing strategies, including digital marketing, live events, and the development of a customer enablement platform. This platform is designed as an interactive tool to showcase the company's technologies in various applications, enhancing customer engagement and sales processes.

Sean's efforts aim to amplify Mott Corporation's visibility globally and solidify its position in key industries like green hydrogen production, healthcare, and semiconductors. A significant part of Sean's strategy involves account-based marketing (ABM), targeting and personalizing marketing efforts for major Fortune 100 companies. This approach focuses on delivering tailored messages and solutions to potential clients within these organizations, highlighting Mott Corporation's capabilities and success stories. The objective is to penetrate these large companies more deeply by addressing specific needs and projects, thereby fostering closer partnerships and driving sales.

Lastly, Sean touches on the evolving landscape of marketing, emphasizing the critical role of AI in enhancing marketing strategies without overshadowing the need for personalized, human-centric content. He advocates for a balance between leveraging AI for efficiency and maintaining authentic, engaging storytelling that connects with the audience on a personal level. Through his leadership and innovative approaches, Sean continues to drive Mott Corporation's marketing forward, adapting to the changing market dynamics and embracing new technologies to stay competitive.

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Cheryl Caudill - Greif

Cheryl Caudill is the Vice President of Global Marketing Communications for Greif, a leading supplier of industrial packaging products.

In this episode, she shares her extensive marketing experience, including how her journey in marketing began with a major in journalism and advertising.
In this episode:
Cheryl emphasizes the evolution of marketing over the years, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced companies to embrace digital strategies, tech talks, webinars, and other digital marketing initiatives. She highlights the increasing importance of AI and chatbots in the sales funnel, facilitating quicker customer interactions and engagement.

Cheryl also acknowledges the significance of mentorship in her career. She expresses her pride in her team's accomplishments, particularly their successful management of a massive event at Interpack in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Regarding B2B marketing, Cheryl emphasizes the value of trade shows and exhibitions in fostering personal connections. She shares her excitement about Greif's upcoming 150th anniversary and its plans for celebrating this milestone.

Cheryl also touches on the challenges and opportunities of marketing in a B2B context, where the focus is on customer service and execution. She emphasizes that even in industries that may not seem inherently exciting, success comes from delivering on promises and executing marketing tactics effectively.

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Andy Smith - StrategiQ

Andy Smith is the founder and CEO of StrategiQ.

Andy is a hugely driven and insightful marketer with an interesting professional background and journey to becoming the founder and leader of an award-winning agency.

Throughout the conversation, Andy comes across as a logical and analytical thinker with an obvious enthusiasm and vision. He speaks with a lot of objectivity and clearly values accountability within the working environment he has created.

StrategiQ is a UK-based, strategy-first marketing agency founded in 2013. Andy and his team offer clients a truly personalized experience based on their ability to uncover valuable insights and competitor-beating opportunities, defining, and delivering impactful marketing strategies.

In this episode:

Andy chats about his background in retail and sales and the corporate grounding he developed during his early career. His introduction to marketing and advertising sales came from the 12 years he spent at Yellow Pages, the majority of which was working face-to-face with businesses of all sizes.

He talks about maintaining a passion for business challenges, a belief in robust business planning, and developing marketing strategies and tactics that are directly aligned with the business plan.

We discuss leadership in an agency environment and how Andy interprets his role as CEO. We also look at the career progression of his team and the importance of providing opportunities for growth and leadership.

Andy highlights the importance of achieving a balance between brand, technology, and customer experience, and how this has influenced how StrategiQ positions itself as a business.