5 Questions with Carey Earle, VP, Association Solutions Creative Services
1. As one of our newer talents, what attracted you to work at MCI?
I really liked the idea that MCI was servicing associations and non-profits, because I want to do work that is mission-based after spending a good chunk of my career working in the corporate world and serving corporations. Also, sustainability is important to me personally, so I was looking at companies that were producing sustainability reports, and who were making a commitment to sustainability – which MCI is doing globally.
As I continue to learn more about MCI, I welcome the opportunity to help grow our creative team, not just in size, but being able to cultivate skill growth. We’re looking at all the skills our team has in marketing and design, and seeing where we have gaps and how our talents can grow. The world is constantly changing, especially with the introduction of AI, and I want to continue to experiment and develop our skillsets to best serve associations.
2. What has your career path looked like?
I have had one of those careers that has given me a 360-degree view of marketing and advertising. I started in New York city on Madison Avenue working for two global agencies, first as a copywriter, and then as an account supervisor. When I started my career, we produced presentations on overhead projectors, and that’s how we would pitch $10 million dollar campaigns! Now everything is completely digital. This is part of what I love about marketing; everything is constantly evolving.
I’ve worked for three different startups, and as a marketing and branding leader in an insurance company. I also had my own marketing firm in NYC for five years, working for financial companies such as JP Morgan and American Express. I’ve had a lot of different perspectives, which I like, because it’s helped me to grow and evolve in my career. Marketing doesn’t have a choice, it has to keep changing to be successful, because the world around us is changing, and you have to adapt to thrive and grow.
3. Do you think there are any misconceptions that others have about marketing?
The biggest one is that there is a magic bullet. For example, if an association’s membership is declining, the client wants marketing to be able to turn that around instantly, but one social media campaign can’t do that. You have to really dig down in the membership journey and find out how marketing can help, which takes time and effort.
Or sometimes a client thinks that something going viral will solve all of their problems, but one viral post doesn’t equate to sales and longevity. You have to do the hard work to completely understand the customer and how to engage to be relevant. It’s a lot of work to move the needle, especially because strategy has to keep evolving. Strategy doesn’t stay relevant forever, and that’s something that a lot of people don’t like to think about. They want a one-time investment of time and effort, but you can’t stop if you want to meet your goals.
4. What are you looking forward to in the fall?
I love the fall. It’s my favorite season. I live in Vermont, where we’re famous for foliage, so I always have a lot of visitors during that time. I usually host people during the weekends, and it’s fun because you get to be a tourist in your own town doing foliage rides and going into the mountains. I love sharing the beauty of Vermont with people. One of the perks of living here is getting to spend time outdoors in every season. I’m really far north, so for us the leaves start changing anywhere from late September to early October, but it really depends on when we get the first frost!
5. After spending so many years in NYC, what do you like about living in remote Vermont?
I loved living in New York, it was a really energizing time in my life, but I wanted the second part of my career to be closer to my family, unplugging and spending more time outside away from screens. I live in my grandparents’ 200-year-old farmhouse, so I’m always working on projects and renovations, which is hard work, but I really enjoy it!
I feel like I have a great balance because I’m only a 45-minute flight to New York, so I can easily go there to get my urban fix and see friends or live music. I’m also close to Montreal, so sometimes I’ll shoot up there for a weekend. My perfect world is getting to plug into the city, and then come back to the country to relax.
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