Ex-GRAMMYs CMO Evan Greene tells us more about his data-backed strategic marketing agency 3 Emerald Marketing
Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there for 3 Emerald Marketing?Evan Greene (EG): Evan Greene, partner at
3 Emerald Marketing. As founders, my partner and I are equally responsible for furthering relationships, generating clients and continually refining our growth strategy to drive the company forward.
SMP: Briefly, tell us about 3 Emerald Marketing, what does agency do?EG: We are a data-backed strategic marketing agency, dedicated to increasing ROI for clients across the three cultural passion verticals of sports, music and entertainment.
SMP: Why did you start the agency and how did you choose the name?EG: 3 Emerald Marketing ? our name ?
1. 3 represents our 3 areas of emphasis - Sports, Music, Entertainment
2. Emerald is a precious stone, and this represents the value we bring to our clients
3. Inspired by the Emerald Isle, Emerald is a ?tip of the hat? to my partner?s Irish heritage.
SMP: You were previously CMO for the GRAMMYs, why the change?EG: My partner, Michael Lynch and I, after a combined five plus decades of high-level brand marketing experience, were at the top of our game, and realized we had a tremendous amount of value to bring to market. And we saw a big opportunity providing solutions across the 3 passion areas driving today?s cultural conversation ? sports, music and entertainment.
SMP: How did you align with Michael Lynch and what makes it a great team?EG: Michael and I have known each other for many years. In the world of sports marketing, there is no one more accomplished and credible than Michael Lynch. Once we decided to combine our collective talents, we realized we had experience and expertise like no other, and together, we are a formidable force to bring unique and valuable perspective to clients, and to drive ROI.
SMP: What services do you offer and for what industries? EG: We are a leading strategy firm that works across sports, music and entertainment, providing the following to brands as well as properties:
- Sponsorship marketing expertise
o Asset recommendations
o Activation best practices, including social/digital engagement
o Measurement and reporting
- Go-to-market storytelling expertise - positioning, message, tone, communication strategy
- Define/identify social purpose
SMP: What differentiates 3 Emerald Marketing and how has the first year panned out for you?
EG: Perhaps our biggest differentiator is the fact that I have 25 plus years on the ?sell side,? and Michael has almost 20 years on the ?buy side?, as well as serving as head of Nielsen?s global sports and entertainment practice. This gives us truly unique perspective and expertise that spans all sides of the sponsorship/partnership transaction, as well as the research/data process.
We saw an opportunity to provide unique value to the industries we know so well, and in our first year, we were encouraged by how broad the market opportunity and the need for our services turned out to be.
SMP: What are the challenges that you?ve encountered and how are you overcoming them in what you have been doing so far at 3 Emerald Marketing?EG: Honestly, pivoting from a corporate W-2 environment to running my own company is the biggest adjustment, and requires a change in mindset. The stakes are far higher now, so it has created a need for a new discipline, and a different way to approach my work and my daily ?to-do list.?
SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?EG: It has been exciting and gratifying to work on so many meaningful assignments with great clients in sports (pro teams, leagues, Olympics), music (artists, events), as well as some of today?s leading brands.
SMP: What do you think is going to be the most interesting aspect regarding marketing for the next 12 to 18-months and why?EG: My answer is different post Covid-19 than it would have been pre-Covid-19. There is a massive cultural shift in how we interact with each other. In my opinion, the most interesting thing to watch is the shifting media environment, and the different ways brands are now seeking to change the traditional model to reach consumers.
SMP: What are your top five predictions for marketing (and the industries you serve) for the next 12 to 18-months and why?EG replies with:
- Sponsorship may look different, but it will be front-and-center as events once again begin to bring people together. Sponsorship marketing will be more important and powerful than ever to meaningfully align music, sports and entertainment fans around their passions.
- Many businesses have been changed in massive ways. And, until a vaccine is found, live entertainment (music, sports) will serve very cautious fans. With constant disinfecting, masks and social distancing, the experience is likely to be quite sanitized, subdued and dramatically different.
- Consumer patterns and sensibilities have shifted. As a result, media spending is rapidly moving away from TV in favor of digital, and as a result, influencers will play a greater role in shaping the cultural conversation.
- Live events will have to be extraordinarily sensitive to the changed fan experience, and far more thoughtful and respectful about how they engage with guests/fans.
SMP: What are your top overall five marketing tips?EG replies with:
- There is a heaviness across the consumer landscape these days, so in order to capture consumers attention, messaging must be more thoughtful and meaningful, rather than pithy and superficial.
- Social responsibility has never been more important, so brands are going to need to introduce purpose and socially conscious efforts into their marketing mix.
- Respect your audience and be authentic. Authenticity always wins!
- Having been quarantined for months, people are desperate to reconnect.
- Therefore, brands that include the idea of coming together as a community will have a powerful, resonant platform to build upon.
SMP: Is there anything else we should know, or is there anything that you?d like to share?
EG replies with:
- We believe that authenticity is vital. With authenticity, you earn trust, which leads to loyalty.
- At 3 Emerald Marketing, we build loyalty!
SMP: Best way to contact you and 3 Emerald Marketing?
EG replies with:
Email
evan@3emerald.comText +1 310 864 2488
Are there any videos you can point us to? Please provide direct and unique URLs to YouTube video et al. If you have images, send those as a separate email. If files are large, please use wetransfer https://wetransfer.com (or similar).
Now some questions for fun
SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?EG: Granola, hard-boiled egg, balance bar.
SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?EG: Bought my parents a house. Donated to various charities.
SMP: If you weren?t working at 3 Emerald Marketing what would you be doing?EG: Writing and producing screenplays. Building furniture (I?m a weekend carpenter).
SMP: How are you celebrating 3 Emerald Marketing?s first birthday?EG: In quarantine! We are positioning ourselves advantageously for when live sports, music and entertainment spending returns.
SMP: When / where did you go on your last holiday and why?EG: Buenos Aires with my family for Christmas and New Year?s (2019/2020). Our family tradition is to travel abroad over the holidays.
SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?EG: When I arrive to my home office (from my bedroom), I drink two cups of coffee to get my day started.
SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?EG: Time travel. I?m fascinated by history!
Got an interesting story to tell? Get in touch.