Each week on “5 Minutes With,” our host Mike White talks to experts in the marketing industry. Today, he sat down with Paul J Daly from Congruent, a marketing firm that guides clients through transforming sales-speak to human-speak, resulting in measurable business growth. It’s how the best relationships work, and it’s how your brand should work too. To learn more check out https://www.congruentstory.com.
Company: Congruent
Website Address: congruentstory.com
Interviewee: Paul J Daly
How Did Congruent get started?
Congruent is a full service integrated creative branding marketing agency that started back in 2003. It was a business that was in the auto industry, reconditioning cars for used car dealers. I started making content about 10 years in for my own internal team and some marketing for other companies outside. That company got acquired about 18 months ago and since then I decided to take a lot of that, reinvest, and go all in on the agency.
When starting your agency, who is the first person that you would hire that’s gonna make the biggest difference in your firm?
I think that really has to do with which direction you want to take for your agency. One thing I realized is that there are lots of different types of agencies. That first person I think has a lot to do with what specific trajectory you want to take. I know agencies that market primarily with stats, math, algorithms; in that case, you need to hire a brilliant digital marketer. Other types of agencies are largely driven by creative and pop culture and what connects with people. Regardless of what side you’re in. I think you need to hire somebody that complements your skillset.
What do you think the biggest change in advertising over the next two years is going to be?
I think brand is going to become more important and I think that’s already being implemented. Rather than selling the same product over and over and over and over again, instead, companies will understand what it is they sell and why they sell it. Beyond that, how it should connect with people! We’re going to see advertising get more personal both in the advertiser’s understanding of what we’re doing and how we think.