Bowen Mendelson

I subscribe to the Apple way of doing things. I think different. It's an exciting time to be a marketer because marketing can literally be anything. I don't do ads. I do meaningful brand interactions. What is that? Book me and find out!

Could you please share with us a little about your background and family?

I grew up in Colorado, learned to ski just shy of my third birthday. I played soccer as a kid and lacrosse in my high school years plus one year in college. I am a father of 2 and my kids keep me active. I have always been an engaged dad. I'm always down for an adventure and i keep my kids laughing, sometimes until they pee their pants. I have been an agency creative for a good portion of my career but have also spent a good amount of time client side.

How do you balance creativity with the business side of things?

Luckily I have spent time in agencies and client-side. This gave my a profound appreciation for the business side of things. I approach creative ideas with the business needs in mind. It's always the goal of the creative idea to help solve problems for the client or mine for opportunities. Creative ideas should help the business grow and thrive.

How do you see the digitalization of art? Apart from convenience, which important feature does technology add to your artwork? Which are your favorite technologies to use for work?

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As creative professionals, a large chunk of our process is finding inspiration for our work. How do you come up with new ideas for your projects?

Life! That's my inspiration. If you take the time to look around you, you'll find a treasure trove of things to ideate from. Life is the best inspiration for all creative ideas. Simple observation is the best way to offer up a relatable creative product.

As a Creative, which project of your professional career, so far, reflects you the most?

It's tough to nail down one project that defines me as a creative so i'll give you two. My role in "Orangetheory At-Home was probably the most rewarding. I love fitness and I love Orangetheory. When the business was facing a crisis during the pandemic myself and some really smart people just started creating ideas to help the business weather the storm. We created Orangetheory At-Home overnight, literally and we refined it as we went. It helped so many members and the company as well. The other project is the "Middle Seat Lounge" for Coke and Delta. It was a labor of love because airport lounges are usually reserved for the highly regarded, frequent flier. This ran contrary to all that. It was an opportunity to create something that the ordinary passenger could benefit from. That felt good.

When creating a brand identity, how important is target audience research?

THE MOST IMPORTANT! It's incredibly important to understand who you are talking to and speak to them like you know them. That can only come with researching who they are.

How can marketers use personalization techniques to create more meaningful connections with their target audience?

Activations. Don't speak at your audience, create meaningful brand interactions that help your target audience feel seen.

Can you discuss your experience working with a team, and how you collaborate with other disciplines?

I would say that my experience at Orangetheory was the best team building experience on the planet. I was consistently working with people who had no idea what marketing people did. It was my job to educate them and learn what they did as well. Knowing what someone does and understanding how you can best work with them is best practice.

What was your very first Creative job? How have you grown since then?

My first creative job was at Deutsch in Los Angeles. I learned so much from that place and continue to use a "human spoken here" approach to my creative product. I have grown in so many ways. I have way more of an understanding of the business side of things. I also realize that marketing can literally be anything and everything. Also, there are no small assignments. Everything deserves you full undivided creativity.