Thank you for reading my blog at The Marketing Sage.
I’m honored that you would spend some time with my ideas and observations. I focus on topics that unravel the mysteries of marketing.
My blog focuses on practical, thought-provoking information to help you market your business, product, or personal brand.
I have more than 30 years of business experience as both an entrepreneur and in the corporate world. Often counterintuitive, I strive to find a new way to view marketing issues. Sharing what I have learned is both a privilege and an honor. If you are looking for a fractional CMO or someone to consult on brand or marketing issues, reach out to me here to schedule time to talk.
Background
In 1975, my wife started a nationally recognized wholesale bakery business called Rachel’s Brownies. I joined her in 1977, and together we built it into a national success. We achieved significant publicity, including articles in The New York Times, USA Today, and Philadelphia Magazine.
We also appeared on CNN, The Phil Donahue Show, Charlie Rose, and many other national and syndicated talk shows. We even made INC Magazine’s list of the top 500 fastest-growing businesses in 1985 and had lunch with President Reagan.
Who knew you could make a living selling brownies?
The company was successfully sold in 1989 to GoodMark Foods in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I initially managed all of their bakery businesses. Over time, I rose to the position of Executive Vice President of Marketing for their $400 million snack food company, with $100 million brands including Slim Jims and David’s Sunflower Seeds. I had the great joy of creating commercials with the late Macho Man Randy Savage and even taught him how to use email! Oh yeah!
I was responsible for GoodMark’s $20 million marketing, advertising, and promotion budgets, including the highly successful “Snap into a Slim Jim” campaign from the late 1990s. (Credit for the creative work goes to Hal Rosen and The Steves from our advertising agency.) The extraordinary team I managed worked on sponsorship and event marketing like The X Games, national music tours with George Strait, Tim McGraw, and The Dixie Chicks, and even created a unique event for teens called Rebelliache. It was a never-ending learning experience for me, and I got to work with some of the most skilled professional marketing agencies and colleagues. GoodMark was sold to ConAgra in 2003. Every moment was a chance to learn from the best in the business, and I look back fondly at those memories.
The MomentSlater Blog
This blog was started in August 2010 as a place to share some of my professional marketing experiences.
You may be able to enjoy reading about what I learned from my 1985 lunch with President Reagan.
Or you may find some valuable insights in how I connected with Ben Cohen (from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream) and, together, we created Rachel’s Brownies Ice Cream. Our meeting with them was the first time either my wife or I had eaten sushi.
On this blog, I offer practical tips on how to focus your marketing to maximize your return on investment. I share ideas on positioning, business models, the power of focus, creating a brand promise, developing spectacular product names, the importance of content marketing, successful selling strategies, and so much more. Marketing is about getting noticed. My posts are centered on supporting this critical goal for your brand.
Personal Life
I earned a BA with Honors from The University of Pennsylvania in Communications, an MA from The Annenberg School of Communications, and took advanced communications classes at Harvard University. During my career, I have been honored to be a guest lecturer at The University of Pennsylvania, N.C. State, University of Dijon Business School in Burgundy, France, and U.C. Davis, along with countless other appearances at symposiums, conferences, and marketing panel discussions.
I am an avid cook with a passion for fresh ingredients and rich flavors. Julia Child is in my pantheon of teachers. I also spent many years as a commercial photographer and still love to take pictures. I write about early entrepreneurs like my grandfather, George Ginsberg, who would have invented the Original Facebook 50 years ago had the technology existed. Jazz is the soundtrack for my life, and Ella Fitzgerald is another one of my personal guides through the universe.
My wife Ra Elohim is an accomplished artist, writer, and healer who is the most courageous person I have ever known. Her galactic wisdom vibrates on frequencies that few have experienced. Those who know her well recognize the depth of her compassion and ever-present love that emanates from her soul. We have been married since 1977 and are blessed with two exceptional daughters, Sarah and Fanny.
Our daughters are both remarkable women, too. Our older daughter, Sarah, lives on Oahu near Honolulu, teaches AP Psychology at The Punahou School, and was co-chair of the Psych/Social department. She is also a trained yoga instructor and teaches young girls to stretch toward their dreams. Check out Sarah’s work with women at Abounding Circles, where she offers counseling, seminars, elite embodiment coaching, and much more. Today, she is a clinical therapist and lives with her husband Adam and our grandson Bodhi Kai.
Our younger daughter, Fanny, runs a new venture called Fanfare in Wilmington, North Carolina. She won the Rachael Ray Great American Cookbook Competition. She offers dazzling videos and photography as a brand influencer and manages social media marketing for clients. She is also coming up on five years sober and writes about her sobriety journey @fannyslater on Instagram. Check out her TV show appearances on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Food Network, The Kitchen, and more here. Fanny lives with her wife, Kenzie, and her zoo – Walter, Bentley, and Olive. (two dogs and a cat).
Finally, my late mom, Bea Slater, continues to inspire me.
How many of your elder family members would text in their 90s and post updates on Facebook? You can read about Being Bea if you are interested in some inspiration or want to read about jello molds, ice cream cakes at the beach, and memories of West Philadelphia.
Check out my new book on Amazon. At $2.99, it is a great value. 21 valuable lessons based on my marketing experiences. You can also pick up the paperback version at Amazon for $9.99
I appreciate your interest. If I can be of help to you, please email me at jeffreylynnslater@gmail.com. I answer every email personally and will do my best to help you. To schedule an appointment, click here or the button below.
And please take a second to remember to enjoy each moment.
