We have our talented, devoted and genuine team to thank for our success at Red Bamboo Marketing. Here’s some fun and insightful facts about our impressive Brand & Positioning Strategist, Michelle Sassa.
Your favorite company or brand to follow?
I’ve always loved Nike. Their “Just Do It” positioning and empowering brand tone not only made me want to exercise, it made me want to do work like that. Their brand transcends the rational and gets right to your heart. The most powerful branding always does.
Someone you look up to either professionally or in general?
Tina Fey. I’d like to be her in my next life. Or maybe this one!
Do you have a favorite quote or movie line?
“It’s not whether you get knocked down but whether you get back up.”
Do you have a secret talent? Or, what is an ability you wish you had?
I’m a rock gardener. We live on a hill, and my husband and I built a retaining wall out of huge boulders, and I plant flowers all between the cracks. Every summer when the flowers bloom, it’s like a ` firework show on my front yard.
List three hash tags to describe your personality?
#adventurous #RockingMama #MakeItHappen
What makes you genuine? Or, define what it means to be genuine?
I love to give advice and help people solve their problems. It genuinely makes me happy to help make someone’s life better.
Your favorite part about being a Brand and Positioning Strategist?
That A-ha moment. I love uncovering the big idea or hidden truth for a brand. When it’s right, it’s right, and I love getting it right.
Why is having a brand so important to companies of all sizes?
It’s the only way to stand out from the competition, cut through the clutter and connect with people on an emotional level. When you can speak to someone’s heart, there is nothing more powerful.
What is your process to helping a company figure out or determine their brand? Is it the same every time?
First, I have to drown myself in the company, read everything I can get my hands on about them, their industry, competition and audience. Then I let it all marinate and spend an obscene amount of time thinking, figuring out what makes them different and what the truths are that only they can say. A brand purpose or unique selling proposition will emerge, and then this informs every single piece of communication we create for them, from their brand tone and web copy to their logo and advertising.
Have you always been so creative?
Yes! My whole childhood, I felt like the odd girl out, that no one else thought like me. Then if got to my first advertising creative department, and everyone was so quirky and different, I actually felt like a “Plain Jane”! But I was home. I’d found my tribe.
If given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?
A Kardashian or maybe Angelina Jolie. Just so I can jet to Paris for the day, shop and live the high life.
What do you want to try, but never have? Or, What’s on your bucket list?
Bucket list: I’d like to cruise the Galapagos Islands with my family.
What books did you read last, which would you recommend and why?
I just read the Tom Petty biography by Warren Zanes. Petty’s music is among the soundtrack of my life, and I loved to hear how and why his songs came to be. I totally recommend the novel Dietland by Sarai Walker. It’s a game changer that breaks rules and gets you thinking about what the beauty culture is doing to women. But it’s wrapped in a fun, well-written story. And, of course, for anyone in advertising, marketing or a creative field, my own novel, Copygirl.
Have you always wanted to write your own books?
Yes! I started writing poems and short stories in third grade and never stopped. I’d also like to write and direct a movie.
You’re happiest when…
I’m cuddling my family or my ideas are flowing.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
Soccer. Music. Reading.
To learn more about Michelle Sassa, view her bio or contact us today!
