We recently connected with Jack Westerheide and have shared our conversation below.

Jack, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Working in the outdoor media and marketing world, there’s a trend for brands (especially new brands and up and coming agencies) to get caught up in the total size of the market, throwing around billion-dollar spending figures and chasing broad demographics like “people who like to be outside.” I’m a firm believer that building a marketing strategy that tries to go after the masses will always miss the mark when it comes to truly providing value to the passionate individuals who actually fuel the industry.

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of success in returning to the hyper-local, niche marketing strategies that allow you to genuinely build communities and attract customers based on their connection to your mission rather than your products. Understanding their motivations, challenges, and preferences is the key to unlocking authentic engagement that usually leads to sales and revenue.

The outdoor industry also loves throwing around the word “content.” But when you look around, it feels like everyone is creating the same stuff and telling the same stories just in different locations. We’re facing a content fatigue right now as customers are getting served the same storylines from different brands. To truly spark engagement, we need to shift our focus from the what to the why. Showcase the real stories, the failures, the missed opportunities, and the vulnerabilities of your brand and its ambassadors. Sharing genuine experiences lets your audience see the human aspect of your organization behind just a logo. This transparency and rawness foster genuine connection and make your brand relatable, not just aspirational.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Jack Westerheide, and I’m a marketing strategist and brand builder based outside Columbus, Ohio. My career path to this point has taken a couple twists and turns but has been fueled by a curiosity to connect the dots between media, consumers and brands.

I started taking photos back in 2010, a hobby that quickly became a passion as I entered college at The Ohio State University. My freshman year I started working for Ohio State’s student newspaper, The Lantern. It was the first time I was able to explore the world of photography in a structured setting with deadlines, goals and specific guidelines. I held a couple different roles while at The Lantern, ultimately ending as a Managing Editor during my senior year. Some of my favorite college memories were traveling with the Ohio State football and basketball teams capturing content throughout the season in addition to getting the best behind-the-scenes access to all facets of the university from campus operations to arts & life in the Columbus community.

My career in marketing brought me first through Abercrombie & Fitch, working at the global Home Office in a variety of roles focusing mainly in ecommerce and omnichannel operations. I learned a lot from some excellent mentors about how to manage large scale projects and connect everything back to providing an excellent customer experience across all channels. I took many of those skills when I joined the team at Muddy Shutter Media as a Marketing Director, helping to shepherd marketing strategies for a diverse portfolio of brands spanning consumer goods, technology, spirits, and lifestyle. With experience in media production, social media, website development and email marketing, I specialize specifically in strategy development, helping brands connect the dots between their product and services and their customers.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Build strong personal relationships with the people you work with. When you offer a helping hand when people need it, they’ll return the favor when you’re looking for new business. Word of mouth and personal recommendations are the best way to grow your network and expand your portfolio.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think people overlook business development and strategic thinking as a creative medium. Obviously it’s harder to showcase a final product compared to classic creative formats like photography, video and traditional art expression, but the thought process required to overcome a complex business challenge or strategic marketing initiative puts me in the same mindset as when I’m trying to capture or tell a story creatively through photography or video.

There’t nothing quite like problem solving, and being able to look back on successful strategies that required a roundabout way of thinking to find a solution that worked.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jvckwest
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-westerheide-1410a6106/

Image Credits
Photo of Jack in Arkansas Flooded Timber: Credit to Keith Ailes Photo of Jack on Production Set: Credit to Colin Conley Jr. All Other Photos were taken by Jack Westerheide (@jvckwest)