We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtney Malengo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Anytime you say the word marketing, branding or public relations, it conjures up lots of definitions, but those definitions are different depending on the individual and their experiences. Before launching Spark + Buzz Communications, I spent 16+ years as a strategic communications professional, serving in a variety of roles from journalism, marketing, branding, public relations and more. Because of that experience, it has given me a unique perspective as to how all of these disciplines can be leveraged for maximum success.

When companies learn how to thread a consistent narrative throughout the organization and intentionally curate a cohesive brand experience for both customers and employees, it results in raving fans, repeat customers and engaged employees.

The most pervasive challenge is that whatever discipline you are referring to, whether that is marketing or public relations, the focus is almost solely on external-facing audiences and goals. Companies only view marketing as a way to generate leads; rarely do they consider that marketing should be a part of their internal culture too, because employees are a major audience. Since marketing metrics are tied to ROI and lead generation, most companies don’t want to spend anything internally when that isn’t their “customer.” The same goes for public relations–the predominate form of public relations is media pitching and coverage. Although there are more disciplines within public relations than garnering earned media coverage, this is what dominates the discussion.

These approaches are short-sighted and singularly focused on one tree. This myopathy contributes to every department, every campaign and every communication utilizing conflicting messaging. All too often marketing or public relations (or frankly any other department) is only looking at their tree. When that happens, that department’s voice dominates the organization.

Is marketing the only voice in the organization? No, but it often controls the conversation. This is because everyone is looking at their respective tree and no one is looking at the forest collectively. The organization’s interests can often be competing and that plays out at the department level. Who becomes the referee? Who ensures it isn’t just a free-for-all? I believe you need a strategic communications professional to look at the forest collectively, as well as the individual trees, and create a plan that balances all the departments’ needs while tying those goals back into a cohesive narrative that each team can strategically and uniquely amplify.

This approach has the greatest impact and results, and one that Spark + Buzz utilizes with our clients. Once you know the strategy and goals, then it becomes a matter of what methods and mediums are going to garner you the results you want, while nuancing that narrative both internally and externally.

Courtney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I knew that I wanted to be my own boss someday; I just wasn’t sure how I was going to get there. I’ve always had a strong entrepreneurial streak that manifested in childhood hobbies and later side hustles, from lemonade stands and babysitting services to cupcakes and bespoke stationery. After 16 years in a variety of marketing and communications leadership roles, always on deadline and serving as a company spokesperson, I didn’t exactly have the best work-life balance.

My most recent stint prior to launching Spark + Buzz Communications was a decade spent in senior living and healthcare. In that timeframe, there were many significant life events that led up to my decision to ultimately leave, but the most profound one was the birth of my son. I became a mom, and it changed the way I looked at everything. And while I loved my career and the organization I worked for, I didn’t want to choose between my career or my son. I wanted both but realized I’d have to do something different to make that happen. That reevaluation of what I wanted was the impetus for me leaving my previous job and starting my own venture.

In January 2019, I launched Spark + Buzz Communications, a strategic communications consultancy that helps businesses tell their story to inspire audiences and galvanize growth through a variety of integrated branding, marketing, and public relations solutions. While we work with clients in all industries, we are known for our work in senior living, healthcare, non-profits, faith-based, real estate, and women-owned, as well as other entrepreneurs/startups.

It is hard to believe, but my once-infant son turned five and Spark + Buzz recently celebrated its fourth business birthday; I’m excited about many more years of telling stories that drive action, engagement, and growth for my clients.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I’ve always believed that the little things matter and details are important, and ultimately those details, when handled well, are a major part of cultivating a memorable experience. From my perspective, branding isn’t your logo or tagline, rather those are part of your visual brand identity. Branding is the culmination of touchpoints that every individual has with your organization (client, vendor, customer, employee, volunteer, etc.). Think about that for a second–every interaction. That means every meeting, appointment, sale, phone call, correspondence, social media interaction, website experience and more, equate to what defines your brand.

One of the things I’m known for is sending gift boxes and notes throughout the year to clients. I try to commemorate special occasions and certain holidays, as well as random days just for fun. This is one way that I aim to make my clients feel special and appreciated. Since most people only receive junk mail and bills, a handwritten note or surprise package can go a long way.

I’ve personally always loved giving gifts and this has become a natural extension of Spark + Buzz’s brand experience. I am always thrilled and amused with the reactions I get. Someone once told me that they wanted to become a client just so they could receive one of our infamous blue boxes.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Life experience and learning from others’ mistakes has influenced how I led in my professional career, as well as starting Spark + Buzz Communications. While I’ve been fortunate to experience some good leaders who mentored me, in most workplaces I often took away those tidbits of what not to do.

I have always believed that the role of a leader is to help others grow and create an environment, professionally or personally, where they can thrive in their work and become the best version of themselves. Because of that, I subscribe to the servant-leadership model, a term coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 essay “The Servant as Leader.” This was reinforced for me when I obtained my master’s in communication and organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, and studying servant-leadership was a core part of the curriculum.

According to the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, “servant-leadership is a non-traditional leadership philosophy, embedded in a set of behaviors and practices that place the primary emphasis on the well-being of those served.” Servant-leadership creates leaders who are focused on positively impacting others. It becomes less about the traditional trappings of leadership (power, status, money, authority, etc.) and more about serving the needs of others.

As an avid reader, I also appreciate the articles and insights from Inc., Forbes, and Fast Company magazines.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sparkandbuzz.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sparkandbuzz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneydarbymalengo/

Image Credits
Spark and Buzz Communications