But surprisingly, Thompson's advertising career began outside an actual agency.
"I got into advertising as a byproduct of scrutinizing the sales and marketing strategies of companies from an investment banking and private equity perspective. I found myself wanting to hang around after the deal was done to help really grow the business. So that's when I decided to switch careers."
Thompson graduated from Harvard College in 1988 with a degree in economics, received a Certificate in Executive Leadership from Harvard Business School in 1995, and with her "business development and boardroom skills," she "parlayed those into several major wins for [siteEDGE] within [its] first six months of executing the new plan."
Located in Kansas City, MO, siteEDGE "is a team of dedicated professionals from various industry backgrounds including marketing, advertising, internet strategy, professional acquisitions, and finance," according to its website, which adds, "At siteEDGE agency, we're firmly grounded to offer our clients a comprehensive online marketing, advertising, and public relations offensive."
And services abound at siteEDGE Agency. From lead generation to call technology to online chats to blogs to affiliate marketing to press releases to direct email campaigns and email data management, siteEDGE leaves no online advertising niche untapped. The agency even offers free tools for viewers, such as the W3C validator, SEOmoz page-strength tool, and Search Engine Spider Simulator.
The company has worked with a wide range of talent, focusing its campaigns on "delivering more direct sales or leads for [its] clients," says Thompson, which include large nonprofit clients and Fortune 500 companies as well as middle-market businesses.
"We're snobs when it comes to running campaigns that can be measured in terms of bottom-line results," Thompson says.
Which is why campaigns that help decrease client costs — "campaigns where we've been able to decrease a client's advertising costs by 33% while increasing the results by 34%" — are Thompson's pride and joy.
"I guess it goes back to my financial background," Thompson adds. "I know we're delivering real value for the client."
Beyond siteEDGE, Thompson appreciates advertising tactics that engage the consumer. How? Through brand engagement.
| Q. What do you do for fun? A. Read. Q. Throughout your lifetime, what movie have you watched the most? A. I generally won't watch a movie more than once. The only exceptions have been some Disney or other family movies that I've watched more than once with my kids. Q. What was the last book you read? A. The Tao of Warren Buffett. Q. What music is on your iPod or in your CD player right now? A. Club J: Praise Jams — I like it, my kids like it, and my kids' friends like it. That's important since I also play taxi driver. Q. If you had an extra hour in the day, what would you spend it doing? A. Relaxing, meditating, and praying. |
"[It] delivers a much straighter line to a sale and bottom-line results that can be measured. With brand engagement," she explains, "you can contribute directly to the financial growth of a client…and that's a really good thing."
And Thompson knows a good thing when she sees it. She understands that clients, not awards, are what make an ad agency successful. She recognizes that "interruption advertising is dead" and believes advertising must "become more relevant and entertaining to consumers. If it isn't, they'll just fast-forward."
"Think like an artist and analyze results like a banker," she adds, "because at the end of the day, it's delivering results for your client that will keep you both in business."
