Nov 13, 2020
We’ve seen a lot of change lately—and more is coming. I mean this in regards to both TopRight itself, where I recently became CEO, and also the culture at large. The world of 2020, it must be admitted, seems far removed from what we were used to even a year ago, never mind five or ten years ago. Now, it seems, is a time to assess our place in the stream of history.
But in times of broad and disruptive change the question arises as to your own role in the renewal—do you double down on the old way, or totally reinvent yourself?
As CEO, I’ve chosen to take a more nuanced approach. In TopRight’s 14 years of operation, we’ve had plenty of success, and it’s important that we not abandon our past in pursuit of a better future, but continue to honor the firm’s values and our achievements during this time under the leadership of TopRight Founder and Chairman, Dave Sutton. We will continue to be a source for world-class storytelling, in-depth research, and creative uniqueness, using this rich history as a launching pad to project ourselves into what I believe will be an exceptionally bright future.
In the coming months, TopRight will be doing for ourselves what we do every day for clients, renewing and refocusing our brand story, presentation and style, revisiting our market position, updating our website, in addition to a number of important changes already made.
On a deeper level, however, there are three critical differentiators and areas of focus that are going to become ever more central to TopRight’s purpose and mission.
Storytelling
I believe that the power and art of story has never been more important. And not just in business. We see it every day in politics, marketing, media, interpersonal relationships, and much else.
That’s why TopRight is going to highlight it’s focus on the transformative power of story. I’ve always believed that the only way to change human behavior is by offering a new perspective and inspiring audiences authentically. That’s why simplicity, clarity, and alignment will remain central for us. Essential decisions, such as your operational marketing strategy or what MarTech platforms you use, while critical, are tactics and tools for getting an excellent story before the eyes of an audience. But creating and writing that story superbly, in a way that connects deeply with your audience, is where your marketing must start. This is where marketing and communications will ultimately succeed or fail, and this is an area where the TopRight team shines.
Audience
I believe that understanding and pursuing a clearly defined audience will always be essential to making real impact. The right story has to be told within the context of the right audience at the right time through the right channels. The Fortune 100 companies of the world for the most part already have their audience and know their role within their brand strategies and story. At TopRight, we want to bring the highest level of brand story, narrative and execution to mid-cap and emerging companies, non-profit organizations, and to government entities in order to elevate their position in the market and their ability to connect with and define their audience through the right channels in the right context.
This is good news in all directions, because TopRight has always appealed to exciting nonprofits, government agencies and municipalities who want to build their brand and communicate more effectively with their audiences, and to emerging mid-cap companies for whom getting this right is so critical to their success.
People
I believe that hiring and working alongside great people who are magnetic, creative, experienced, hardworking, sophisticated, and fun makes all the difference in an organization’s internal culture and success. Our goal as a firm is to be and to have the kind of people who always add value when we open our mouths.
Without hesitation, I can say that TopRight has some of the best and most skilled and experienced practitioners in our industry. Our people come out of the tech sector, government, consumer packaged goods marketing, consulting, creative, advertising, PR and communications—just an extraordinary combination of skills, intelligence, experience and quite a few battle scars from lessons learned. We’re not just a set of great resumes and brain power—we’re skilled crafters of brands who love to work together and are genuinely privileged to work with every one of our clients. Our goal is to offer you a team with deep experience to give you the added and transformative benefit of truly creating a unified force, not just an agency client, but establishing a team that adds value to your business.
I know we’re all tired of hearing yet again about the “challenging and uncertain” ahead. It’s why I’m excited to focus instead on what we can do in these times to communicate our stories in a way that enables us to connect deeper with our audiences, customers, and constituents. We want to use the art and power of story to show how you make a difference for your customers every day, how you create an outcome and impact that changes their perspective, that changes their world for the better.
This has never been more important, and it’s what we’re committed to doing with you, your story, your people and your audience.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me or TopRight anytime. Sign up for our blog, follow me @bill_fasig, or say hello on LinkedIn.
