Finding the Right Marketing Team with Rob Simone

Rob Simone is Partner and President of Summer Friday, a boutique agency sitting at the intersection of ideas and execution. This week on the On Brand podcast, Rob joined me for a discussion on the agency business today, founding a business during a global pandemic (!), and how to build a high-performance marketing team in one of the more challenging times to be doing that.

About Rob Simone

Rob Simone, based on Long Island, is Partner and President at Summer Friday, a strategy, creative, and content boutique that thrives at the intersection of big ideas and nimble execution. Simone co-founded Summer Friday in April 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. His clients include major brands such as E*TRADE, National Grid, Cigna, and JP Morgan. Since its founding, the agency hasn’t lost a single client, has retained its talent base, and has expanded business on every level.

Episode Highlights

Only Robs on the Podcast. Rob opened by highlighting that my own podcast of late has been heavy on Robs with Rob Meyerson’s recent appearance on brand naming. Speaking of brand names …

Why Summer Friday? I had to ask Rob about his agency’s quirky name (which, yes, I mistook for another guest that was going to be on the podcast!). As it turns out, this inventive name provides a glimpse into the organization’s passion and culture, “Who doesn’t love a summer Friday?”

Defining an agency today. “We are a boutique agency and want to stay a boutique agency,” said Rob of their 35-member team. “When you get to a certain size, it’s hard to focus and be nimble.”

Building the right marketing team for the job. Among Rob’s many accomplishments has been both founding an agency and keeping his talent in one of the more challenging times to accomplish either task. “We think of our team as family. Our UVP is culture above all.”

Specialists vs. generalists. We also discussed the ongoing debate of specialists vs. generalists. What’s most important in marketing today? You’ll have to listen to find out the answer to this big question!

What brand has made Rob smile recently? Rob went with a personal brand—José Andrés. Chef Andrés was in the news recently by showing up in Ukraine to help by doing what he does best, “feeding people who need food.”

To learn more, go to heysummerfriday.com.

As We Wrap …

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• On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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