|
 An
Interview with Dale Hutchings
I first started in the
business in 1974 after graduating from a small state college in Upstate
New York with a bachelor’s degree in English. At the time I
knew I wanted to be a professional writer. I just wasn’t sure in
what medium. By late summer I had secured my first job. I was
hired as a copywriter/assistant account executive for a small, but very
successful advertising agency near Syracuse, New York. Working
for a small agency, I did a wide range of job responsibilities
including: broadcast advertising copywriting, public relations
initiatives, developing and coordinating special events for a shopping
mall and various other clients, worked on feasibility studies for
several bank accounts in search of branch opportunities, etc. You
might say I did a little bit of everything. I was there about
five-and-a-half years before my wife and I could no longer take the
long, brutal winters in Upstate New York and moved to Florida in 1980.
Since
living in Florida what has been your experience?
For more than 25
years, I have held a variety of jobs here in Tampa Bay. For a few
years I was the managing editor for a small weekly newspaper that
covered news in several Gulf beach communities. I also worked for
several years with an award-winning advertising firm in St. Petersburg,
during which I was involved in a myriad of agency initiatives on behalf
of various clients and developed a PR department for the company.
My other responsibilities included advertising copywriting, planning
special events for clients, and being involved in the production of TV
and radio advertising campaigns.
In the years that
followed, I worked for a while in higher education marketing, operated
my own professional writing firm and worked for almost a decade in the
non-profit sector, doing all kinds of PR/marketing work for a large
charity in Pinellas County before starting my own business in 2001.
You
promote your business as a company that specializes in “out of the box”
marketing. Can you tell us more about this facet of your
business?
Sure. Too
often business owners have “tunnel vision” when it comes to
marketing. As a marketing consultant, I find creative ways for
businesses to market their products or services beyond or in addition
to traditional advertising methods. That doesn’t mean I have
anything against traditional advertising mediums. In fact, I
often recommend them to clients. But in doing so, what I say to a
client is: “This type of advertising would be a great way to promote
your business, but what we need to do is set your advertising apart
from your competition. What we need to do is make your ads uniquely
different and/or to advertise your product or service where your
competition isn’t. Too often companies decide they want to be in
a particular medium because that is where their competition is also
advertising. For some businesses that makes sense, but for many
others it’s a strategic mistake. They should be advertising their
products or services elsewhere.”
“Furthermore, many
business people often don’t seem to realize there are many other ways
to promote a business beyond traditional advertising. Creatively
done newsletters, public speaking, having a unique Website, and
developing innovative seminars for people to learn more about your
industry are just some of the examples of out-of-the-box marketing
initiatives I recommend for clients. People have complimented and
thanked me time and again for the ideas I have come up with and helped
them implement to market their businesses. So I am definitely doing
something right!”
 What else do you want
people to know about you or your business?
Throughout my adult
life, I have always been an individual who believes in community
service. Toward that end, I continued to devote my time and
expertise when I can to various non-profit organizations. My
community involvement includes:
• Serving on the
advisory board of RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteers Program) and as
chairman of RSVP’s Public Relations Committee
•Serving on the
advisory board of Hi-Five Pinellas – a program of Eckerd Youth
Alternatives that provides early intervention and prevention services to
help younger children (4th and 5th graders)
become healthy, productive and resilient young people
• Being an active
member of BLS (Better Living For Seniors), a coalition of providers of
elder services in Pinellas County administered by the Area Agency on
Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, Inc. and a forum for networking and the
sharing of ideas and services for seniors. My primary involvement is serving on
BLS’s Public Relations/Publications Committee, which focuses in
creating greater awareness for the organization and its initiatives on
behalf of seniors.
I am also a strong
believer in professional development and continue to take classes,
courses and workshops whenever I can to enhance my knowledge and skills
in my field.
In addition, I
speak regularly in the community on public relations, marketing or
advertising, to not only create awareness for my business but also to
help business owners and entrepreneurs better understand how to market
their products and services or better promote the various organizations
in which they serve as members.
(Visitors interested in learning more about
what presentations Dale delivers regularly in the community to business
and various non-profit organizations should contact him directly by
phone or e-mail.)
|
