Experiential marketing is reaching new heights with LFB
Media Group founder Ashley Chejade-Bloom at the helm. Now EVP at BMF Media, she
gave us the scoop on LFB’s recent acquisition by BMF, detailing the barrage of
benefits their clients will reap. Fellow industry insiders will want to take
note of her entrepreneurial advice, including her top four tips for running a
successful business. We’ll take her hotel and restaurant recommendations, too.
What
does your company do?
LFB Media Group is a lifestyle public relations agency
specializing in hospitality, F&B, beauty, spirits, events and entertainment.
We’re powered by a team of highly-inspired strategists and storytellers, with an
advanced understanding of today’s multimedia landscape. Our purpose is to break
through the traditional framework and engineer integrated communications strategies that increase
positive awareness and meaningful engagement in a measurable way, and our programs are designed to be
executable through cross-agency collaboration to solve 360 marketing
challenges. We were
recently acquired by BMF Media, and are now able to offer additional services across the
marketing mix including experiential events, design, production, sponsorship
and partnership marketing, social media and influencer engagement, content
creation, data and analytics and talent procurement.
How did
you start the business? What were you doing at the time?
Before founding LFB Media Group, I worked at a
PR agency in NYC. I saw an
opportunity to work with the hospitality industry from a lifestyle perspective
and decided to branch off on my own.
At
LFB, publicity is only one part of what we do. Developers and ownership groups
can oftentimes be removed from what’s relevant to certain demographics, so we
work with them from concept to completion to ensure that the right programming,
partnerships and events are in place to achieve their goals. Then, we publicize
the project. Every one of our clients, from hotel and restaurant groups to
spirits brands and tourism boards, are driving lifestyle initiatives and
campaigns. It’s the new normal, and we think we’ve been ahead of the curve from
the get-go.
Did you
have any mentors or people who inspired you along the way?
My mother is my biggest mentor. Her work
ethic, energy and positive outlook on life continues to inspire and motivate me
every day.
She is a woman who battled cancer twice and
won, because she decided it was not going to take her down. Even fully bald,
she never felt sorry for herself, or changed her life in any way… she literally
told cancer to “F” off.
If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.
LFB was
recently acquired by BMF Media. What was the impetus for this and what do you foresee
the effects to be?
LFB has been a partner of BMF since 2010, so
the acquisition was a natural evolution of the growth strategy for both
companies. Through this collaboration, we can further deliver a full suite of
services to meet our clients’ core business objectives.
The partnership also reflects the evolution of
experiential marketing becoming the mechanism that drives effective
communications strategies. With an advanced understanding of today’s multimedia
landscape, we employ cross-agency collaboration to help solve 360-degree marketing
challenges, and develop integrated strategies that measurably increase positive
awareness and meaningful engagement for our clients.
My role at BMF is
dedicated to sales strategy and innovation that will continue to advance the
company’s approach and overall development.
How do
you differentiate from other agencies?
BMF
Media is a fully integrated experiential marketing agency,
with offices in NYC, LA, Miami, Austin and London. Our collective of highly
inventive Cultural Engineers designs and produces events and campaigns globally
for an impressive roster of clients, but what sets us apart is the highly
competitive suite of services we offer through our amplification divisions,
including Digital, Talent and PR.
At the core, we ideate innovative ways to tell
a brand's story and align them with relevant cultural movements, transforming
them into palpable and share-worthy experiences. Our goal is to build
interesting experiences that have depth while never losing sight of the
audience and brand message. Through our divisions we are able to amplify these
experiences with social and PR strategies to reach a wider audience and achieve
broader business objectives, and use data and analytics to showcase ROI.
What do
you think are the ‘hot topics’ in the communications/PR/marketing area right
now?
This industry is in a constant state of
evolution and we must be able to identify new trends and adapt to stay
competitive. We’re continuously monitoring the rise of social media, influencer
marketing and new technologies. We’re also adapting to the increased need of showcasing
consumer engagement by using data/analytics to deliver a concrete ROI. The
importance of establishing credibility across social and traditional media is
at an all-time high and continuously top of mind. And, of course, experiential
- we’re going to see more and more brands embracing experiential marketing in
order to stay relevant.
In a
time of huge flux in the industry, where are you focusing your agency’s efforts
in terms of day-to-day work?
At BMF, we’re putting a lot of focus into data
and analytics. Our clients are marketers and CMOs who are continuously looking
for insights, data and analytics to drive their decision making. They realize
that consumers are no longer connecting with traditional advertising, so
they’re looking for more innovative ways to spend across the marketing mix and
are finally giving experiential a seat at the table. In our opinion, this
[experiential] is the most important part of any marketing plan because it’s
the moment that allows consumers to develop a personal connection with the
brand.
Experiential is about more than a pretty event
– it's about creating a digital souvenir and proving how that experience is
meeting specific KPIs that continue to drive decision making for a brand.
You’ve
worked with dozens of leading hospitality brands. Where are some of your
favorite places to drink/dine/stay right now?
To
stay: JW Marriott and The Luxury Collection hotels are my go-tos in any city I
travel to. The service and experience is always incredible. If I’m looking for
a fun staycation, I choose Moxy Times Square.
Some
of my favorite places to drink and dine are The Campbell, Marea, VANDAL, Via
Carota, Llama Inn and The Roof at Viceroy Central Park.
Can you
share a few of your biggest learnings in running a successful business?
#1 - Being a business owner doesn’t come with
the perks of vacation time, normal office hours, a personal life, etc. When you
eat what you kill, and you’re responsible for your employees’ livelihood, you
have to go all in. Regardless of how challenging and competitive the market is,
you must be willing to put your business first if you want it to thrive.
#2 - If you are a sole business owner, you
have to be equipped to make big, and often time-sensitive decisions that will
impact your business (regardless of if you have experience with the topic at
hand or not), so you definitely have to be decisive, rational and cool under
pressure.
#3 - Always, always, always know your numbers
and understand the operations of your business inside and out.
#4 - Don’t have an ego. Put your employees and
your clients/customers first. Remember, without them, there is no company.
af&co.
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