From Coal Miner’s Daughter to Walking the Red Carpet Five Branding Lessons from a National Marketing Leader
Suzanne Palmisciano, COO and Co-Founder, Diesel Jack Media
The soot got everywhere. I remember it most how it clung to his beard. My dad instilled a persistent work ethic in me, a sense that you pursue tasks to their proper conclusion, a drive to provide for your family, to take pride in your work, and carry that mentality into everything I do. Years ago, when I became a single parent, it was important that I was able to stay home with the kids, so I taught myself to build websites and excel at graphic design. I landed a role at a boutique marketing firm that managed multinational brands, and that began my marketing journey. I also valued self development and I chiseled myself into an athlete to compete in jiu jitsu. I continue to develop new skills like archery, art, and, yes, even plumbing. I liken my abilities to a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet, and I’m constantly leveling up.
My drive for goal setting and achieving (or as I like to call it, ‘conquering’) has been with me for as long as I can remember. It has very little to do with the mindset of proving people wrong, and very much a desire to challenge myself and a secret thrill of finding obstacles and overcoming them (that’s plumbing for sure!) This natural tendency molds with the entrepreneurial and marketing mindset perfectly.
Over the pond and starting up
After making the leap of a lifetime, I quickly asserted myself as the Branding and eCommerce Manager for Ranger Up, the first lifestyle brand for the military and veteran community. My husband and I were on the Content train before it was cool, we made a Hollywood movie, and two powerful documentaries. We followed the fun, and created Diesel Jack Media from our love of making content and storytelling. We had made the journey as a start up with Ranger Up and now was the time for us to help businesses make their mark. We began Diesel Jack at the start of the pandemic, and we proudly aided many businesses through their darkest year to incredible success.
From the Village to the Board Room: Lessons Learned
My journey from a quiet little English village to the entrepreneurial world in the US continues to enlighten me with lessons applicable to the marketing world:
Be genuine – Let the You shine Through (™ pending.. Did I just write that? Wow I’m good! ) Be proud of who you are and where you have come from. I hold no degrees, I sometimes wear odd socks, I drink tea on hot days. I am also the COO of a multi-million-dollar startup. You are the best champion for your product, service, or business. Convincing people to be a part of your community comes from an infectious need to want people to love it as much as you do.
Find your Vibe Tribe – I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and at Diesel Jack we have a phrase “We make people hate you” and that might sound aggressive and counterproductive, but it gets our point across that you can’t please everyone. When you realize that notion, you focus more on who your demographic is, and how best to resonate with them.
Pivot! Pivot! Pivot! – The challenges always come. Always. Revel in them, look for them before they find you. Understand who you are in difficult times. Do you hide under a table? Do you need some time out to collect yourself? Or do you charge like a bull ,eyes blazing into it? (Secret – they can all be right) As
long as you learn to recognise how you deal with obstacles you can have pivot plans. Have back up evergreen campaigns ready to go if you’re not generating sales, get feedback from customers as to why they don’t like the puse-colored beret you just launched. Be prepared, not scared.
Matching luggage – Don’t you just love matching luggage? And the small one always looks really cute? This is a phrase my team is likely tired of hearing me talk about at this point, but this should be a no brainer for branding. The Facebook ad, the marketing email, the landing page. Keeping your ‘look and feel’ consistent is key to being memorable when you are seen again by a potential customer. From the messaging down to the color palette.
It’s time to go viral – Getting in front of faces is becoming harder and harder. You can have the best product, message, or sweet looking website and it’s going to be a slow climb if people don’t even know you exist. Brand awareness reaches new and current customers and should be a constant priority. It’s time to get down with the kids and make content. How-to videos, funny skits, and origin stories: we’ve made them all for our clients because we know the value of telling the story of your brand and getting it circulating.
Red Carpet Reverie
My adventures have led me to unexpected places, none so surreal as walking the red carpet. My parents continue to proudly update Janet at the village shop, or Derek down at the pub about their overachieving daughter. However, I often like to remind them of their role in all of this, seeing my Dad’s soot covered face, and the pride that gave to me a real understanding of what work really is. Remember your roots, and thank those that got you there.
About the Expert: Suzanne Palmisciano, COO, Diesel Jack Media
Suzanne Palmisciano is the COO of Diesel Jack Media, a full-service marketing agency that specializes in helping brands not suck at marketing.
Suzanne has devoted her career to digital marketing and brand-building, working in her native Leicester, England, and then London, England for boutique marketing firms focused on expanding multinational brands to the various European markets. In 2011, she became the Marketing Director for Ranger Up, a military lifestyle brand based in Durham, NC. In 2020, she co-founded Diesel Jack Media, which grew to a $2M firm in its first 10 months of operation with no signs of slowing down.