IAM1080- Client Brand Strategist Connects Brands with Consumers

Sue Reninger, Managing Partner and Client Brand Strategist at RMD Advertising founded RMD Advertising in 1992. Since that time, Sue has been responsible for the strategy and direction of RMD’s clients. Today, she works closely with brands such as ParmCrisps, THINSTERS, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Southern Recipe Small Batch, Buckeye Vodka, and more to develop new strategies that better connect the brand to consumers, and consumers to the brand.

• CEO Hack: Developing relationships with entrepreneurs who are performing at a higher level
• CEO Nugget: Be brave, be bold but take calculated risks (ii) Always be growing (iii) Find a niche
• CEO Defined: Creating something out of a servant's heart

Website: https://www.rmdadvertising.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reninger

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Transcription

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00:17 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:44 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Sue Ringinger of RMD Advertising. Sue, it's great to have you on the show.

00:53 – Sue Reninger
Oh, so cool to be here. Thanks for inviting me.

00:56 – Gresham Harkless

Definitely super excited to have you on and hear about all the awesome work that you're doing. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Sue so you can hear about some of that awesome work. Sue is the managing partner and client brand strategist at RMD Advertising. She founded RMD Advertising in nineteen ninety-two. Since that time, Sue has been responsible for the strategy and direction of RMD's clients. Today, she works closely with brands such as Parm Crisps, Thinsters, Grater's Ice Cream, Southern Recipe Small Batch, Buckeye Vodka, and more to develop new strategies that better connect the brand to consumers and consumers to the brand. Sue, great to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM community?

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01:34 – Sue Reninger

Oh, I'm so excited.

01:35 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kinda kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit and hear a little bit more about how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

01:43 – Sue Reninger

Yeah. So, you know, I feel like I was always drawn to be, an entrepreneur, honestly. And, this will age me for sure, but being in the advertising agency business, I've learned it's a peculiar business to select as an entrepreneur. It's it's got long hours. It's very stressful. It's, your product, that goes home every night and comes back in the morning because it's only what's in our heads and what's in our hearts. Right? So, I remember being a little girl and sitting on my grandmother's floor watching Bewitched. And, if anybody remembers that episode or that show, at each episode, Darren, who is the husband, worked in an advertising agency, and he and Samantha, his wife would always end the show by coming up with this advertising strategy for a client.

I can remember being a very, very little girl and even at that age thinking, that wasn't a very good campaign. And so, I just sort of grew up with that. And then I fell in love in college with a man called, named David Ogilvy who was sort of like the founder of advertising agencies, in Manhattan. And he's one man that I really wish I would have had an opportunity to meet because I just followed his work forever. And so I just knew I was supposed to be in this industry. So, I begged my way, into an agency, worked there for a while, and started, an agency with a graphic designer from agency, that was wildly successful from day one.

And, that lasted for about a whole year. And, we were good friends, but it was a turbulent relationship. And I don't think I knew back then that owning a business was so stressful. And also I didn't I didn't know back then about a concept called emotional intelligence. So, and I'm certain that he didn't either. And so, you know, two good people working really hard with a big dream and just really not knowing what we were doing. So there I was five months pregnant with my first child, separating from my first business and wondering now what?

Here I have half the client list and, a baby growing in my body. And so I just thought, well, I'll just serve these clients and, take care of the clients. One client led to another and a project led to a retainer and here we are twenty-nine years later.

04:16 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, happy twenty-nine years. It's great to kinda hear, you know, all the success you've been able to have. And I think I'm I'm a big believer in a lot of times, sometimes, you know, when we're not sure what we wanna do or where we wanna go in our lives if you can rewind the clock back to sometimes when you're a kid, you have some of those seeds that are planted that often you get passionate about things before it becomes popular, be before it becomes because you wanna be, you know, successful. It's just something that's innately in us. So I love that story in the very beginning and how you were critiquing and and and giving them your card, it sounds like, so to speak, so that they can hire you before you even have the business.

04:52 – Sue Reninger

Oh, the times were different back then. I had to beg my way into an internship too. I'll tell you one more quick story. So when I was in college, I paid my way through college. And my last semester I took my first student loan and I said I just want to work in an agency. I just want to I'll make their coffee. I'll do whatever. I didn't want to pay, I just wanted to be in the environment. And I took my resume to every single ad agency in the city, every single agency, and I couldn't get anybody to take me up on it. No one. And, but I did get a guy that said, come on in and I'll give you an informational interview. So I thought, well, I'll take it. And so I went and chatted with him and the whole time he was trying to talk me out of it.

And he's like, why would you wanna be in this business? Don't you know that you get yelled at all the time? Don't you know that the days are rough? Days are long. Deadlines are brutal. And I remember thinking, why is this guy so cynical? Why, why is he trying to talk me out of my lifelong dream? But now that I've been in the agency business for a while, it's kind of what we do because those people that are in this industry have a love for it, and, such an honor for this profession. And, there are lots of people because it looks very sexy on the outside. I always say it looks gooey and gooey, and it really is tough, but it's very rewarding.

06:09 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That makes so much sense. I appreciate you sharing that, and I think so many times, especially things, whether it be positions or businesses or even people around us that we love, a lot of times, push back because you're protective of it, and you know how precious it is to you. So I appreciate you, you know, for sharing that story and how you have come to that same kind of realization because I think anytime you love something, you protect it, and you wanna make sure the people that are getting into it are getting into it for the right reasons as well.

06:36 – Sue Reninger

That's right. That's right.

06:37 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I know we touched on the twenty-nine years, so I wanted to drill down a little bit more and hear a little bit more about what you've been doing, how you work with your clients, and what that looks like.

06:46 – Sue Reninger

Yeah. So when we started out, lots of agencies started out the way we did. You you pretty much pick up work where you can. And, so we did work with healthcare technology, manufacturing, like, and, and some really, really fabulous brands, and companies. And I've always been fascinated and naturally curious about business, like, how you do what you do. And even when we started our conversation before the podcast, I was asking you how you got into this. And I'm just naturally curious. And what I learned along the way is that, you know, once, in our early days, we served even an industrial trash pump manufacturer and it, was astounding to me how similar our businesses were.

As an advertising agency, it is that type of manufacturer and, but business really is, has some basics that are very very similar. So, then we picked up a food account and it was the one account of the agency that everybody loved. They just loved it. Everybody wanted to play on the food account and then we lost the account after about three years the president had just changed and the new president had a a different direction. And so I remember coming back to the office and dreading, like, how am I gonna tell my team this? It was it was just brutal. And then, but, yeah, I called everybody into the conference room and I told them what happened.

And I said that's okay. We're going we're gonna keep moving forward. We're gonna pick up another food brand to replace it. And then a hand went up and said, I only wanna work for food brands. And then another hand came up and said, me too. And so I was so proud of the team because we walked away from that meeting seventeen years ago, deciding right then we were only gonna work with food brands. And so then, the next day, one of my account managers came in and said, you know, I was talking to my mom about what, our conversation was, and she said, why are you only gonna work with the smaller brands? Why not work with large brands like Betty Crocker?

And I said I'm not sure. Let me think about that. And I went home that night and I really thought long and hard about this. Right? Because entrepreneurs have to do this. We have to do a lot of self-reflection and, ask ourselves really, really hard questions. Always call this, like, sitting myself down and having a firm talking to myself. So, I asked myself, you know, is this me playing small? Is this me being afraid? Is this me, lacking confidence? And, at the end of the day, I'm like, no. It's none of those. It's really about this is where I feel we can serve. And, you know, very few of our clients are startups. Very, very few. Some of our clients are a hundred and fifty years old as a brand.

But what I love about what we do now, because today we only work with food and beverage brands, ninety percent of them are still owned by real people, families, and that's something that America doesn't really know is that most of the food that you see in the grocery aisle is still owned by a family and I think that's kind of cool. And so when we get out of bed every morning, we get to come to work for families. Personally, I don't think it ever gets any better than that.

09:58 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And so what would you consider to be what I like to call your secret sauce? This could be for yourself personally or the business or a combination of both, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

10:08 – Sue Reninger

So I've thought about this because I know what it is, and we talk about this quite a bit within the category in the industry. Every industry has its own kind of dialogue. Right? But, for us, it really is the challenger food brand niche. And most agencies, as I mentioned earlier, just have a broad spectrum. Some specialize in food and other things with an emphasis on food. on food, but really focusing on those challenger food brands is our secret sauce is that niche is really important.

10:39 – Gresham Harkless

And so, I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:49 – Sue Reninger

I wish I would have learned this. We're in our twenty-ninth year. I wish I would have learned it twenty-five years ago. So my hack is, and I would never do without it, to develop, relationships with, entrepreneurs who are performing at a higher level than you and to to connect with them at least weekly.

11:13 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. It's a huge hack. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you hopped into a time machine, you might also tell your younger business self this.

11:25 – Sue Reninger

You know, I was I've been thinking about this quite a bit. If sort of akin to, if I could tell my younger the younger version of me something, what would I tell myself? And I most definitely would tell myself, be brave and be bold. When I started the business, I thought about it for a while and eventually I decided I was just gonna go for it. And the reason I went for it is because it boiled down to this. I have too many people that love me that would let me fall. And so that gave me enough courage to be brave and bold. So I would say be brave and bold and take calculated risks. The second thing that I would tell myself is, to always be growing, always.

Because if you're not moving forward, you're going backward. Between. There really is no in-between. And if you think you're, you're kind of like, I'm just gonna tread water for a little bit, you're going backward. And, so I would tell myself always, always, always find a way to be growing. And then the third thing I would tell my younger self is to be courageous enough to find a niche. Don't be, don't, don't fool yourself by believing that there's comfort and security in knowing a lot of things. Know one thing and know it really, really well and get better at it every single day because we really did as an agency take off when we did when we started to focus only on food and beverage.

12:44 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quotes, unquote CEOs on their show. So, Sue, what does being a CEO mean to you?

12:55 – Sue Reninger

Honestly, for me, being a CEO is about, creating something out of a servant's heart. And, lots of people think that being a CEO is being at the top, being the one that everybody serves, being the one that gets all the fame and the fortune. And for me, that's actually upside down. For me, it's about serving people. It's about serving my team. When I hire somebody, I take a great deal of responsibility for them. I think that they're whether they're learning, they're growing, they're prospering, they're happy, that's on me. That really is. It's on me. And, and also our clients, when, we sign a client, I take a great deal of responsibility to make sure we're succeeding so that they succeed. So, really, it's got when people think that it's about fame and fortune and prestige, Awesome.

13:46 – Gresham Harkless

Well, Sue, truly appreciate truly appreciate truly appreciate truly appreciate that definition, and I appreciate your time even more.

13:48 – Gresham Harkless
What and I appreciate your time even more. wanted to do is I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find about all those things you and your team are working on.

14:03 – Sue Reninger

You know, I guess I was if there's one thing that I could suggest is to make sure that other CEOs, no matter if you've been in business for quite a while or you're just starting out make sure that you really understand your purpose and define your purpose. Talk about your purpose daily and hourly with your team and with your clients, know what it is emphatically, and then let that kind of guide every single decision. And then the other thing that I would, recommend is that other CEOs really think through what are they about, what what will guide their behavior, and what are their nonnegotiables.

We call them six words, the brand words, and, then share those with your team on an ongoing basis and use those words not only as guidance for positive behavior but negative behavior. So when we fall down, usually I'll say help me to understand how that's demonstrating your passion for serving these food brands. And so if you can use those sort of as a pivotal point, it really does, it makes everything better. People really understand that you care. They join your mission and, it's sort of like a big, fill-up in your gas tank. And, if people wanna reach me, they can reach me anywhere on social media through RMD Advertising, or you can reach me through Sue Reninger, rmdadvertising.com Or you can reach me via the contact us on my website at r m d advertising dot com.

15:32 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Sue. We will have the links and information, in the show notes as well too. I love, you know, those last, you know, final part parts about the purpose and understanding your values, and I almost feel like, for lack of a better term, could hear it as like a DNA for your company. And when you have that DNA and not just you as a CEO, but or a leader, so many people and everybody in the organization understands that it allows you to really have that familiar kinda atmosphere and also your clients that you serve as well too get to tap into that. So I love, you know, that last piece. I think it's absolutely huge for, any business and organization. So thank you so much for sharing, and, of course, thank you for your time, I hope you have a great rest of the day.

16:12 -Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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