Q: When did you create the firm and why?
A: I created Cohn Marketing in the spring of 2000 after having been the VP of marketing for a small agency in Atlanta. My desire was to return to Colorado and build a company of my own.
I relocated to Denver in the fall of 2000 and began working on the company’s first two clients — Denver-based Mont Blanc Gourmet (a manufacturer of syrups and beverage solutions) that remains a client today and the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District.
Q: What does it mean to be “chief brand strategist?”
A: About four years ago, I realized that many of our clients needed a higher level of brand development and strategy.
I wanted to create additional credibility for our brand-development process. At that time, I discovered The Brand Establishment. The Brand Establishment is the only training and certification program (of its kind) in the U.S. As a part of The Brand Establishment, I was mentored through an 18-month program of seminars, coursework, mentoring and testing.
Q: In this difficult economic time, how has your business changed or evolved to remain relevant?
A: The biggest change in today’s environment is the migration to online marketing and PR strategies. These online efforts are merging the various marketing disciplines.
A company may have a PR program designed to build visibility in the traditional media and integrate the offline PR methods such as social networking and blogs. These online and offline PR efforts then drive search-engine visibility. To address the change of integrating a print ad to drive people online and a special event to promote a website or microsite launch, we have taken the step of creating an interactive Cohn Marketing team to support the marketing and PR teams in the implementation of programs.
I believe that our capability in building brands through traditional and new-media tactics, along with strength in creativity and multicultural markets, will be the driver of our success in these challenging times and in the next economy.
Edited for length and clarity by staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera.
