Making Your Own Brand Ambassadors
August 24, 2018
Hosted by Merritt Hamilton Allen and Gary Potterfield
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Guest Information
Episode Description
“Communication works for those who work at it.” ~ John Powell Most experts will tell you that there are no better cheerleaders for your brand than the people who help make and keep it a reality. But the question is how do you turn employees into “brand ambassadors”? The answer lies in solid internal communication and what Use Conflict author and this week’s guest, Dave Gerber, calls “positive conflict.” Dave talks with Merritt and Gary about the issues of conflict and communication within an organization. The discussion explores Dave’s concepts of positive and negative conflict, communication tactics for clarity and employee buy-in, and other approaches to building a healthy, harmonious workforce. Dave also explains the importance of key factors such as trust from and in the workforce. Join Merritt, Gary and Dave as they tell you how strong, focused communication and positive conflict management can turn the company workforce into one of the brand’s loudest megaphones.
The Brand Ambassadors
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Business Channel
PR and communication have bad raps as being frivolous ways for businesses to burn overhead dollars. The Brand Ambassadors will show listeners the best way to incorporate PR into their operations, whether a startup or a Fortune 500 firm.
Host Merritt Hamilton Allen is an economist by training and a PR executive by accident. She will give listeners expert advice on focusing their PR energy and money. She will be joined by co-host Gary Potterfield, who is an expert in integrating business goals into compelling creative campaigns.
Every firm has a compelling narrative that sets them apart from the crowd. Everyone, whether an intern or the CEO, can advance their career and their business by blending their own background into their firm’s narrative through strategic storytelling.
Merritt Hamilton Allen and Gary Potterfield
Merritt Hamilton Allen believes that every employee in every business can help promote that business. Merritt has leveraged unique stories and perspectives to persuade and inform those around her. She turned this personal brand into the company Vox Optima in 2005, and has since been awarded over $25 million in PR contracts. Vox Optima’s public relations clients include multi-billion-dollar organizations, start-ups, and everyone in between.
Merritt grew up in Silver City, New Mexico, where she got her first job in radio at age 13. She attended the University of Notre Dame on NROTC and National Merit scholarships. After graduation she served as a Navy public affairs officer for eight years, and led the Navy’s communication strategy for environmental, personnel, medical, and acquisition issues. Merritt is a disabled veteran.
Vox Optima closed its first year with a $1 million task order from the U.S. Navy. Vox Optima currently has 15 employees, offices in Albuquerque and the DC Metro area and its client roster includes NATO, the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, BAE Systems, the Census Bureau and several national trade associations
Merritt was honored as a Woman of Influence by NM Business Weekly in 2012. She was named the top-performing media and marketing CEO in New Mexico in 2013 by Albuquerque Business First. Vox Optima has been listed in the top five PR firms by revenue in the state for the last four years.
