Guest Blog: Member Spotlight

Name: Stephanie Sammons
Company: Ohio State Bar Association
Job Title: Senior Manager, Marketing & Branding Strategies

• Tell me how you first got involved in Marketing.
  I landed my first job in marketing, as digital marketing manager at Bob Evans, without actually having any formalized marketing experience (my background was primarily in digital content). After two months in the position, I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of marketing and its principles, so I enrolled in Franklin University’s Masters of Communications & Marketing (MCM), graduated 18 months later and have enjoyed the marketing profession ever since!
• What is your Marketing specialty?
  In broad terms, my specialty is in digital marketing although I’d consider my best professional strength to lie in developing purposeful, measurable marketing plans.
• Why did you join the AMA?
  Networking!
• What was your first impression of the Columbus AMA?
  Great, everyone was super friendly at the new member breakfast. BTW, I’m stealing the new member benefits handout and using it as a best-in-class example for what the Ohio State Bar Association should be delivering to itsmembers.
• What do you wish other people knew about the Columbus AMA?
  Its member benefits – these more than cover the cost to join.
• Tell me about someone who has influenced your decision to work in Marketing?
  Colleen Buzza, who was my mentor in college while I interned at NBC. She empowered me and made me feel that this (all aspects of digital – content, advertising, media, strategy, etc.) is where I belong.
• What might someone be surprised to know about you?
  The way I learned how to code html was at a job in college (go Bobcats!): I maintained several dozen Caribbean travel reservation websites. The owner literally told me that I was hired because of my smile. An interesting way to learn by trial and error (and LOTS of backups)!
• What would you tell someone who is thinking about joining or volunteering with the AMA?
  The more you know, the more you grow.
• What do you think will change in Marketing over the next five years?
  Apps will essentially become bookmarks as more and more websites optimize to a responsive or mobile-optimized solution. With this being said, mobile-first will no longer be a thing, it’ll be something that’s engrained in our everyday. Testing and targeting/retargeting will become more sophisticated in allowing brands to be hyper-timely and relevant (even more stalker-ish) than what we have available today (think Amazon on Red Bull, or for my sake, Diet Mountain Dew).
• If there is anything else you would like us to include, please add it here!
  I’m excited to join AMA to gain a more realistic perspective on marketing today in Columbus, Ohio. It’s been a while since I have been actively involved and am looking forward to meeting fellow Columbus AMAs at future events!