14:31 with Preston Fay

This month, we’re interviewing Preston Fay, chief marketing officer and a founder of Technekes. 14:31 is the time allotted and also a reference to our street address — 1431 W. Morehead Street.

How long have you been with Technekes and what brought you here?

Seventeen years — is that possible? Jack and I had been working for another company on several European-based accounts, and it was clear that we had the same point of view about how clients could leverage existing data to market and sell. We were two peas in a pod. Jack was the technical half, and I was the account guy. This was well before marketing automation and cross-channel marketing — so after many late night conversations, we decided to strike out our own to see what could be done. Sure enough, everything we suspected — that more touchpoints translated into more sales, and more engagement increased volume — worked. And we had the results to prove it. It’s a recipe that works — if you can get it right. (And, from what I’ve seen over these past 17 years, outside of Technekes, not many people get it right.)

What is your primary responsibility at Technekes?

My job is to help account teams — offering marketing strategy, analytics, and then, translating that into bottom line results. Most people know that I still get a lot of joy spending time with clients — but even more, I appreciate spending time and learning from the smart people who work here at Technekes.

What does Technekes do?

We create demand. I could give you the hour-and-a-half dog-and-pony, but put succinctly, we create demand for our clients’ goods and services, which requires a symphony of capabilities. We orchestrate all that.

What is one thing you’d want prospective clients to know about Technekes?

I’d want them to know that most of our customers have been with us a long time and stay with us a long time, because we add value and deliver solid ROI. That, and we’re nice to work with.

What is one thing you’d want current clients to know about Technekes?

I’d want them to realize that we can bring a lot more to the table. You think we look good now? Take full advantage of our capabilities. Unleash us — and then see what kind of ROI you can get.

What is the biggest problem facing current and prospective clients in 2016?

The biggest problem now is the same one as 17 years ago, only with bigger implications: Data. Data is the elephant in the room. Sometimes, clients don’t realize their data’s bad. More often, they realize it, but they don’t know what to do about it, so they ignore it. But data is the soil — it’s the air — it’s what everything else depends on.

Where do you see Technekes five years from now?

I see us continuing on this path of growth, refining our abilities and skills. We’ll keep doing what we do so well. We’ll keep creating demand for our clients’ goods and services and making a real bottom line difference.

If we had a billboard outside our headquarters’ building, what would you want it to say?

That’s easy: We create demand.