Marketing campaigns can be a great way of showing what your brand stands for, but it can also be seen as virtue signaling, and have the opposite effect!

This month I am plugging the St. Louis chapter of the AMA. To become a member, you can visit https://amasaintlouis.org/.

Sources:

https://www.adcouncil.org/all-articles/what-is-purpose-driven-marketing

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2022/12/27/7-steps-to-create-a-purpose-driven-marketing-strategy/

https://www.zenogroup.com/insights/2020-zeno-strength-purpose

https://people.com/bud-light-controversy-everything-to-know-7547159

https://leighraeder.com/breast-cancer-charities-the-best-and-worst/

https://web.archive.org/web/20170329130252/http://www.summiticeapparel.com/news/

https://apnews.com/article/target-pride-lgbtq-4bc9de6339f86748bcb8a453d7b9acf0

https://www.fastcompany.com/91346998/why-target-pride-merch-feels-so-bad

https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks//#home/choose-location

https://portermedia.com/blogs/blog-posts/purpose-driven-marketing-campaigns

https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/personal/find-a-card/true-name.html

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

What is people analytics, and how does it relate to marketing? Find out today as we talk with Richmond Addo Danquah!

About Richmond:

With a global lens and a passion for solving business-critical problems, I lead People Analytics for 3 business groups at Thermo Fisher Scientific, impacting over 43,000 employees worldwide. My role bridges data, research and strategy, partnering with senior leaders across HR, & the business (Finance, Commercial, Operations, R&D, etc ) to inform decisions that drive performance, efficiency, and growth. My work spans a broad portfolio of high-impact initiatives, including: Organizational health and retirement risk analyses Accelerated hiring strategies for commercial teams Identifying traits of top-performing sales reps Location & Cost Optimization Strategy Product Management Team Enhancement Identifying and mitigating preventable turnover issues specifically for Early tenures & HIPOs Training 200+ global HR professionals to adopt self-service analytics Spans & layers optimization, leadership pipeline reviews, and more Each project is designed to not just answer questions but to spark action to improve business outcomes. I bring a unique blend of business & financial acumen, data fluency, research skills and a builder’s mindset to every engagement.

Contact Richmond: www.linkedin.com/in/richmond-addo-danquah-sphr-93b58a79

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

Sometimes a marketing campaign can be entirely organic, and sometimes those work better than planned ones!

This month I am plugging the St. Louis chapter of the AMA. To become a member, you can visit https://amasaintlouis.org/.

SOURCES

Example video: https://www.tiktok.com/@blivxx/video/7604214257508617486

https://www.reddit.com/r/Staples/comments/1rck7kf/staples_baddie_on_tiktok_low_key_makes_me_mad/

https://www.fastcompany.com/91495470/staples-baddie-gen-z-employee-what-the-retailer-is-doing-about-internet-fame

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/02/business/staples-baddie-tiktok-sales-nyc-cec

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/has-influencer-marketing-peaked/ar-AA1UTiwF

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/future-influencer-marketing/

https://martechseries.com/social/influencer-marketing/influencer-marketing-in-2025-new-data-reveals-what-works-what-costs-and-whats-next/

https://www.creator-hero.com/blog/who-are-influencers-and-why-do-brands-collaborate-with-them

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

We have a real treat of a guest today! We are talking to Priscilla McKinney!

About Priscilla:

Priscilla McKinney is the CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing, home of SOAR™ and Revenue Sprints, proprietary content processes designed to create sustainable revenue generation for busy leaders so they can have confidence in the growth of their company without losing focus on their other responsibilities. She is a serial entrepreneur, host of two podcasts and author of “Collaboration is the New Competition”. She is a popular speaker and podcast guest, recipient of many design, entrepreneurship and industry awards including the Insights Association’s Laureate designation. Priscilla personifies creativity, entrepreneurship and authentic leadership – inspiring others to carve out their own path of success in her uniquely funny, no-nonsense and slightly irreverent way. Don’t give her caffeine. She doesn’t need it.

Contact Priscilla: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillamckinney/

Priscilla's Book: https://a.co/d/0ckHKdO0

Priscilla's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qbqV6GLDZ0UGWbYp3HiH3?si=6dc14834d54c496a

Priscilla's Plug: https://insightsmarketingday.com/

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

AI has cost plenty of people their jobs already, but there is an easy way for you to not add to that count!

This month I am plugging the St. Louis chapter of the AMA. To become a member, you can visit https://amasaintlouis.org/.

Sources:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVMXFkZFq3F9dipVn2pec1xwTpomWpTnVRoP4a7hg1M/edit?usp=sharing

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

Today we have Zane Creek, an expert on SEO!

About Zane:

Midwest-born and based in St. Louis, Zane is an associate-level, full-stack marketer currently working as an SEO consultant. He returned to St. Louis 2 years ago, following a 2-year stay in Germany, living and working as a junior US ambassador and eCommerce manager/international marketing coordinator. Specializing in traditional, local, and AI SEO with a background in web development, ecommerce advertising, marketing management, and data analysis, he has a strong interest in business process automation and marketing data analysis. Alongside his full-time work, Zane consults independently, building and optimizing websites and producing video projects.

Zane's plug: https://www.wearetg.com/

Resources Zane mentioned and Sent:

Foundational Info:

- Google Search Central

- Great beginner SEO course by Mark Williams-Cook

Ongoing Study:

- Local SEO Newsletter by Joy Hawkins

- News aggregator (RSS feed) from leading industry blogs

Tools:
- Google Search Console / Bing Webmaster Tools

- Google Analytics

- SEO Powersuite

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

Maybe with these new marketing changes Burger King is making, we can truly have it our way!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

SOURCES

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/inside-dominos-first-refresh-in-a-decade-including-its-cravemark/801945/

https://hbr.org/2016/11/how-dominos-pizza-reinvented-itself (Archived: https://archive.ph/oz0B4)

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/business/burger-king-new-whopper

https://news.bk.com/blog-posts/burger-king-r-puts-its-president-on-the-line-giving-guests-direct-access-to-share-feedback

https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/burger-kings-new-whopper-recipe-change-after-customer/story?id=130526679

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/02/26/burger-king-ai-chatbot-patty-employee-friendliness/88879396007/

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

Have you ever noticed a product that has pretty good reviews, but when you get it, it end up not working out? Let's talk about why that may happen in today's episode!

This month I am plugging Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital. To donate, please visit https://rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate/

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amazon-vine-reviews-2025-high-stakes-gamble-most-sellers-steven-pope-lar2c/

https://www.nber.org/papers/w34161

https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/document/2025-08/The%20Market%20for%20Fake%20Reviews.pdf

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2025/01/26/the-dark-side-of-five-star-reviews-why-customers-dont-trust-perfect-ratings/

Example Reddit Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonVine/comments/14xdvq0/are_reviews_really_honest/

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

And here we go with part 2 of my chat with Steve Turner! Honestly, I learned so much in this interview and I'm so glad that we were able to have Steve on as a guest!

About Steve:

Steve Turner is the author of PR THAT WORKS-Real Strategies. Real Campaigns. Real Results and is the co-owner and principal of Solomon Turner PR in Chesterfield (St. Louis) MO. A firm he and his partner, Shelly Solomon, founded in 1990. An award-winning agency, Solomon Turner has been named one of the top PR firms in St. Louis for 17 consecutive years by Small Business Monthly. Mr. Turner has helped corporations, organizations and nonprofits build their brands and reach their marketing objectives for over three decades. Mr. Turner has worked with such brands as Anthony (Tony) Robbins Seminars, Brian Tracy, Coldwell Banker, Northwestern Mutual, and SSM Healthcare. A frequent media contributor, he has been quoted and/or featured in the Associated Press, Forbes, Everything PR, Industry Leaders, Parade, PR Week, Small Business Monthly, and The Wall Street Journal. He was named a Rockstar Publicist by Authority/Medium magazine and has appeared on TV, radio and podcasts. Steve has spoken to several business groups and organizations on public relations and marketing and is a highly-regarded speaker. His blog, PR THAT WORKS, has generated over 60,000 views and continues to grow. He also founded The PR Channel on YouTube to serve as an education tool for young PR professionals, business owners and students. Steve is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Journalism degree. He has written hundreds of columns for blogs, PR journals, and books. His book, PR THAT WORKS, is available in paperback and kindle format on Amazon and other booksellers. For more visit https://solomonturner.com or https://getprthatworks.com.

Contact Steve:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveturnerpr/

https://x.com/steveturnerpr

https://instagram.com/rockstarpublicist

Steve's Plug: https://a.co/d/07ED1v7J

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.

Today is part one of my interview with an expert in PR, Steve Turner! Tune in tomorrow for part 2!

About Steve:

Steve Turner Bio Steve Turner is the author of PR THAT WORKS-Real Strategies. Real Campaigns. Real Results and is the co-owner and principal of Solomon Turner PR in Chesterfield (St. Louis) MO. A firm he and his partner, Shelly Solomon, founded in 1990. An award-winning agency, Solomon Turner has been named one of the top PR firms in St. Louis for 17 consecutive years by Small Business Monthly. Mr. Turner has helped corporations, organizations and nonprofits build their brands and reach their marketing objectives for over three decades. Mr. Turner has worked with such brands as Anthony (Tony) Robbins Seminars, Brian Tracy, Coldwell Banker, Northwestern Mutual, and SSM Healthcare. A frequent media contributor, he has been quoted and/or featured in the Associated Press, Forbes, Everything PR, Industry Leaders, Parade, PR Week, Small Business Monthly, and The Wall Street Journal. He was named a Rockstar Publicist by Authority/Medium magazine and has appeared on TV, radio and podcasts. Steve has spoken to several business groups and organizations on public relations and marketing and is a highly-regarded speaker. His blog, PR THAT WORKS, has generated over 60,000 views and continues to grow. He also founded The PR Channel on YouTube to serve as an education tool for young PR professionals, business owners and students. Steve is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Journalism degree. He has written hundreds of columns for blogs, PR journals, and books. His book, PR THAT WORKS, is available in paperback and kindle format on Amazon and other booksellers. For more visit https://solomonturner.com or https://getprthatworks.com.

The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.

Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!

The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.

And the next best way is to share!

For more episodes: http://themarketinggateway.com/

Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.