Aug 31, 2020
The Leverage Marketing Group : Tom Marks
Small Business Spotlight
As we move forward in the building of our community, we are excited to continue to uplift the small businesses in our network.
Join us as we continue to celebrate these small business owners in our communities.
Today we are celebrating Tom Marks, CEO & General Manager of The Leverage Marketing Group a crew of our collaborative marketing partners.
Can you tell us a bit more about your company?
The Leverage Marketing Group was founded in 1984 as a boutique creative agency focus on elevating the work of industrial and B2B clients. Over the years, we began working with a number of consumer products brands. From there, we began working with community banks, which are the perfect blend of consumer and business messaging.
What’s something your company has worked on that you’re most proud of? Why does this part of the work resonate with you the most?
I’m very proud of the “All Wallets Welcome Here” campaign that we are current executing for Berkshire Bank. Diversity in the advertising industry is so often reduced to a stock video clip of people of color. It’s as if someone made a checklist, and now we can check of “diversity” by using this stock clip! I’m very proud of how the current commercial approaches diversity and inclusion in an authentic way, and doesn’t hang a “mission accomplished” banner, but instead acknowledges that there is work left to be done. Berkshire Bank deserves a lot of credit for promoting that message.
What was your first job? What did you love most about it?
My first job was working as a “Sports Intern” at my local town newspaper. The position was writing what no one else on staff wanted to do: a lot of little league box scores. Every now and then I would slip the name of one of my friends in the write-up, reporting that they hit two home runs, or something ridiculous like that Writing for print was a great way to develop economical writing skills. That’s so important in the marketing industry, when you have limited time and focus to get your message across. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to hone my communication skills that way at such an early age.
What is the most important piece of advice you have been given about money and/or owning a business?
“Spend your clients’ money as if it were your own.”
The foundation of any relationship is trust, and nowhere is that more important than managing money. Regardless of the size of a project budget, we prioritize stretching each and every dollar as far as possible.
How would you say your company/organization positively impacts the community?
We always aim to take on a number of pro-bono or half-rate accounts. We find those projects provide more creative freedom, and are certainly good for the soul. Being located in Newtown, Connecticut, we’ve worked closely with a lot of the Sandy Hook charities. We are very proud of the work we’ve done for Dylan’s Wings of Change, specifically their Wingman program. The Wingman program is an education and leadership curriculum that promotes inclusion and allyship in from grades K-12.
Can you speak a little about Berkshire Bank Foundation & how you have seen it’s impact in the community?
Having worked with Berkshire Bank for nearly a decade, I’m so impressed at how the Berkshire Bank Foundation has grown by narrowing their focus and remaining faithful to their mission and vision. They have enjoyed disciplined leadership and the results are clear from the impact they’ve had in the communities they serve.
Connect with Mark and the Leverage Team on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Linkedin
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