OUTdrive

Did you know St. Louis claims the fourth largest sewer district in the country, only behind New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago? The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) is responsible for servicing nearly 10,000 miles of pipeline and over a million customers. So, you may be wondering what all this has to do with rural America. Geographically speaking, St. Louis sits in the middle of the heartland and is known as the gateway to the west. There are also a number of world-class agriculture companies located there, like Monsanto, Purina and Anheuser Busch (yes, beer is made using grains grown in rural America). And, if you think about rural America as a mindset and a lifestyle, there are thousands of rural Americans who live there. So, in this episode, Sean Hadley from St. Louis joins the podcast to talk about their approach to mass communications for a major city utility system.

Tune in to hear from Sean as he shares valuable insight on crisis communications, the importance of telling your own story, and some interesting facts about the fourth-largest sewer system in the country.

What you'll learn:

• Details on the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD), the public affairs team, and Sean's role with MSD
• How Sean's initial career path in news media and broadcast communications led him to the role that he serves today
• A recent crisis management situation regarding storms and flooding that impacted MSD
• Insight into the construction of the wastewater tunnels and details on the consent decree St. Louis is under due to the Clean Water Act
• What Sean thinks it takes to be successful in a media career
• How organizations can tell their own stories without relying on media outlets
• Sean's thoughts on the diversity of rural America, from St. Louis and Warrensburg, Missouri

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year! We hope you had a safe and fun weekend celebrating the start of the new year. Now that 2023 is officially here, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look back at our top downloaded episodes from 2022. In this edition of OUTdrive, we revisit our top five most popular podcasts of the year.

Join us as we countdown our most-listened-to episodes and uncover the takeaways they all have in common.

What you'll learn:

• Details on OUTdrive's top five podcasts of 2022
• Key takeaways and common themes from our top downloaded episodes

Culture is intangible, but you can feel it when you walk in a room. How would you describe the culture at your company? Whether it is clearly defined or not, every organization has a certain feel - or a "vibe" as the cool kids call it these days. At Callis, we walk the line between hard work and good fun. We have a group of the right people who really care. We strive to make smart decisions and accept that change is inevitable. And, we do all this to maintain our clients' trust.

Check out this mini episode to learn more about the Callis core values and take a peek inside our work culture.

What you'll learn:

• An inside look at the company culture at Callis
• How the Callis team lives out their core values
• Why culture is an important piece of any organization

Those of us who live, work and play in rural America know how important farmers are to our society. But, not everyone lives in a region surrounded by farms and farmland, which is why Missouri Farmers Care was established to promote the growth of Missouri agriculture and rural communities through communication, education and advocacy. In this episode, Executive Director Ashley McCarty explains why education is the primary pillar in executing a successful marketing strategy.

Tune in to hear from a Missouri family farm owner and executive director as we discuss all the pieces Missouri Farmers Care has in play throughout the agriculture industry.

What you'll learn:

• What Missouri Farmers Care is and their primary initiatives
• Details on Ashley's experience studying agriculture abroad in the Czech Republic
• How the Stand for Ag podcast came to fruition
• The content MFC is pushing on their social media channels that is garnering solid engagement
• Information on the "Drive to Feed Kids" and how MFC partners with other organizations to fight food insecurity in the state
• Ashley's definition of the rural lifestyle and what it means to work in agriculture
• How Ashley markets the McCarty Cattle Company and the importance of off-farm marketing
• More about Ashley's family and their farm operation, McCarty Cattle, in Northeast Missouri

There are no less than a million things you can be doing digitally to reach your audience, and it's easy to fall into the idea that you need to have a presence on every new media channel out there. Sometimes, you just need to get back to grassroots marketing. Politicians refer to it as "shaking hands and kissing babies," but we like to think of it as staying connected to your fan base. In this episode, I visit with Mizzou Associate Athletic Director Brad Loos on the ways the Tiger Scholarship Fund is speaking to its stakeholders.

Our podcast typically highlights industry trends, new technologies, and improved communication tools. Join us as we dive back into the basics of face-to-face and personalized marketing.

What you'll learn:

• Brad's background and career journey through coaching college basketball and his life lessons from growing up as a "gym rat"
• Brad's perspective on winning the 2014 National Championship at the University of Central Missouri
• What the transition from athletics to administration was like and some of the things Brad learned within the process
• Marketing strategies that Brad and the Tiger Scholarship Fund and the University are using to reach local donors and supporters
• How the NIL impacts the fundraising efforts of the college athletics programs
• The importance of social media in athletics and how it fits into a bigger communications plan
• An update on Brad's daughter Rhyan, how the annual #RallyforRhyan game came to fruition, and information on this year's fundraising game

There is no denying that healthcare is complex. Terminology, technology, and insurance just scratch the surface of understanding the system. This impacts the way hospitals and healthcare systems communicate with stakeholders, from the messaging they use to the media platform they use to get it out there. In this episode, Missouri Hospital Association CEO Jon Doolittle and I discuss successful communications strategies, approaches to recruitment challenges, and the intangible benefits rural healthcare systems provide in their communities.

Despite the complexity of the industry, marketers are tasked with sharing their stories in a clear, simple, and compelling way. Tune into this episode to learn how MHA is helping hospitals approach communication plans for their communities, patients, and employees.

What you'll learn:

• Jon's rural American background and career journey to his current role with the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA)
• Details on some of the major initiatives happening at the Missouri Hospital Association
• The similar challenges that urban and rural hospitals are currently facing
• The "intangibles" that hospitals provide to the communities they serve
• Impactful communication strategies Jon is seeing in healthcare and what MHA is doing from a marketing standpoint to communicate with members
• Jon's perspective on the use of social media for healthcare organizations
• Strategies hospitals are using to attract healthcare workers into the industry
• What Jon values in rural American communities

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas can feel like sprinting through a marathon, especially for those in the marketing industry. We know many of our listeners are back at it, too, grinding away to catch up on emails and tasks following the Thanksgiving holiday. That's why we made today's episode "bite-size," so you can make the most of your time during a busy week. In this episode, I'm joined by Callis President Megan Hartman to discuss key takeaways from our recent agency peer meetings in Boston.

At Callis, we prioritize professional development and continuing education, which makes peer groups and an agency network so valuable. Tune in to hear what we learned and why joining a peer network makes sense for you - no matter your industry.

What you'll learn:

• What Agency Management Institute (AMI) is and the benefits of being part of a peer group for support and best practices
• Details on Megan and Cliff's visit to Boston and their favorite parts of the trip
• A brief state of the marketplace from Cliff
• Megan's key takeaways on new practices and trends
• Cliff's takeaways and perspective on changes in agency life
• Megan and Cliff share what changes and growth they see in the 2023 Callis plan

Every loyalty program should be designed to do one primary function: connect people; connect people to the things they want, to the rewards they can earn, or the status they want to attain. For example, we see commercials all the time for companies emphasizing their points, miles, and perks for frequent flyers. In this episode, airline loyalty thought leader Mark Ross-Smith joins OUTdrive from across the world in Malaysia for an introspective on building a successful loyalty program.

Mark is the CEO and co-founder at StatusMatch, a global status management firm that works with some of the world's largest airline brands. His company enables individuals to maintain their status level when they switch to a new airline or hotel chain. Mark has 20 years of experience leading loyalty programs in travel and telecommunications, most recently at Malaysian Airlines. Mark is also the founder and editor of the industry blog, TravelDataDaily.com. He is a globally recognized, award-winning thought leader and known as one of the "brightest minds in loyalty."

Tune in for a dynamic conversation with Mark on the marketing behind loyalty campaigns, the impact of big tech on airlines, and an international perspective on rural America.

What you'll learn:

• Mark's background and how his career journey through telco and startups eventually led to a niche in the airline loyalty industry
• Details behind Mark's industry blog, TravelDataDaily.com
• Marketing and industry insights from Mark's time running the Malaysia Airlines loyalty program
• Details behind Mark's company, StatusMatch.com, which helps consumers maintain loyalty status when they switch their business to a new airline or hotel
• The audience that StatusMatch is trying to reach and how audience behavior impacts the strategy used to reach them
• What it's like living in Malaysia and the positive perceptions of rural America from around the world

"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." There are very few things you can do throughout your whole life, but fishing is one of them. And, there is hardly a better place to do it than here in Missouri. In this episode of OUTdrive, I had the chance to visit with Brian Sowers to talk about all the things Crappie Masters is doing to reach youth, amateur, and professional anglers, alike.

This is one honey hole of an episode you don't want to miss. Tune in to hear Brian share his best fishing stories, details on Crappie Masters and fishing tournament trails, and ways to get involved in the sport's educational pieces.

What you'll learn:

• How Brian got to where he is today in his role with Crappie Masters, including his background in radio and how he got started
• An overview of the Crappie Masters organization and tournament trail, with details on membership and other information available on crappiemasters.net
• The difference between recreational fishing and tournament fishing
• The strong educational components and the investment of ag commodity groups into the Crappie Masters organization
• Multimedia marketing strategies Crappie Masters uses to get their message out to anglers, potential members, and sponsors
• Details on Brian's role as emcee for the Missouri State Fair parade and flag retreat
• What Brian loves about Missouri, plus his top fishing stories

When a consumer comes across your online presence, can they tell who you are? Or, maybe more importantly, can they tell what you are not? In our second episode with Steve Kroll, we discuss why businesses located in the Midwest should be leaning into what they know and asking for support in delivering the message. As Steve puts it, we want our client's consumers to feel like they are "running their fingers through the wheat." To achieve that, you need authentic representation and a digital-savvy team that can get you found.

Check out Part 2 of this mini-series to learn what Midwest businesses can do to reach rural American consumers and the best ways to approach a digital marketing strategy.

What you'll learn:

• Industry insights Steve and the Granular team are seeing happening right now that they are incorporating into client programs
• Details on the latest tool in Google's tool belt - performance max campaigns
• The skills marketers should invest in learning outside of high-level digital expertise
• Insights on Midwest-based business marketing tactics and how they can improve
• How to approach building a foundation for a digital marketing program
• Why Granular puts an emphasis on philanthropy in their business
• Where marketers can go to find more relevant content on digital strategy and tactics