The Full Service Proposition
Agency work has changed mightily in only a few years. How you adapt spells the difference between success and failure.
Tim Brandt has been in the firearm industry for more than 20 years. He spent the first decade of his professional career at ATK (which became Vista Outdoor and has now split into The Kinetic Group and Revelyst, respectively). As director of communications he was responsible for internal and external communications and government relations for all sporting brands. Brandt then spent two years as the director of marketing for Taurus. Immediately following Taurus, he started Murray Road Agency, eventually combining efforts with CMG Marketing and Events (run by his mother-in-law Cathy Williams and sister-in-law Kelsey Puryear). Brandt and Puryear now lead Murray Road as a full services agency with about 15 other employees. It has offices in Charleston, South Carolina, and Anoka, Minnesota. Clients include Savage Arms, Moultrie, and Safariland, among others.
SHOT Business: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the industry in the next five years?
Tim Brandt: I think the change in consumer demographics, how we reach our customers, and the economy are three major factors that will dictate the level of growth (or constriction) in this space. Obviously politics, legislation, and world events also play a large factor in how and what drives consumer behavior in our segments as well.
SB: What opportunities do you see?
TB: Opportunities and challenges are almost endless. Some of the emerging and defined opportunities right now are how brands, companies, and marketers reach consumers with efficiency and scale—but also and, arguably most importantly, resonance. Hitting someone with a message, offer, or “push” message isn’t enough these days. It’s actually just the tip of the iceberg. We get hit with hundreds of marketing messages a day. So how do you cut through the clutter?
As a brand, company, marketer, or sales leader, you could take that in a few different directions. One strategy could focus on technology, one could focus on new product innovation, one could focus on messaging, and one could really drill down on sales campaigns. Sound familiar as general opportunities? Yes, probably the same “buckets” as 20 years ago. But what fills those buckets and how you “win” looks and feels a whole lot different today, thanks to technology, new products, new platforms, and new buying habits—to name just a few.
SB: When you get up in the morning, what gets you excited about working in the industry?
TB: I don’t know anything different—I framed houses for a week after college and then started as a paid intern at ATK. Despite 20-plus years in this space, I know every day can be rewarding, humbling, terrifying, challenging, exciting—and/or all of the above. But if you don’t wake up every day ready to learn, you won’t be successful.
So, for me, I love the challenge of finding success in both known and unknown spaces. But what probably most excites me is both the power and capability of our extensive team—and also the challenge of facilitating success through that team.
SB: How will you meet the expectations of your customers?
TB: That’s a challenge every day! Thankfully, our talented and dynamic team answers the bell for clients daily (and hourly at times). Emerging technologies, special strategies, experience, and knowledge are also in the space, but our relationships with our clients remain a key factor and really carry the day.
SB: In a very competitive world, how does Murray Road Agency stay ahead of the pack?
TB: Competitiveness is what drives us. Not for fame or reputation, but for sustainability and growth. And whether you’re an individual, a company, and/or especially an agency, you need a certain level of competitiveness. And these days you need even more of it. We don’t ever forget that we’re going up against the many talented and capable individuals, small teams, and giant agencies that populate this industry.
SB: What was the impetus that led you to create Murray Road Agency?
TB: It really boils down to the fact that I loved the corporate environment and was lucky enough to have a great run. That was thanks, in equal parts, to amazing leaders and teams that buoyed me and were the direct reasons for my personal success. I also worked with some amazing agencies who I still call friends and rely on and thank to this day.
So, I wanted to take everything that I learned and everything that I gained and try to create that same value while transferring that to others as well. Selfishly, I needed to succeed and gain revenue through clients. Which thankfully has happened. But I always started out with the mission to build our own team that we could develop, learn from, and succeed with. Anyone who has done that either on their own or within an organization knows how hard, challenging, and rewarding it is to build a team.
SB: You mentioned your time in the corporate arena. How has that experience enhanced your ability to lead your agency?
TB: “Corporate” gets shunned, chastised, and put down a lot. Sometimes for very good reasons. However, there is no way we could do what we did today without my corporate experience. It taught me so many things and gave me so many opportunities. Growing up in that environment was infectious and rewarding.
As an individual and as a team member, you learned to win, learned to lose, learned your role, learned how to grow, learned how to develop, and so much more. I can’t say enough good things about the first dozen years of my career. Was it all rainbows and butterflies? No. But I tell people all the time I was beyond lucky to get the experience I did. I also think one of the biggest things corporate taught me was to bring lasting value and not be afraid to scale. These are things I hope current and former clients of Murray Road can validate.
SB: What qualities of your agency are most important to new clients when they consider partnering with you?
TB: I think our specialization and focus in this space is something that can pipeline a lot of traction, knowledge, and experience into their company very fast. I also think our ability to communicate, evaluate, and be present is welcomed when working together.
SB: The media world is vastly different than it was only a few years ago. How does your team meet the challenges this evolving landscape poses?
TB: You can say that again. And it changes every day. I think our biggest advantage is our ability to deliver value in so many areas: social, influencer, earned media, paid media, digital, web, affiliate, etc. When you have this experience and knowledge, navigating the media landscape is a little easier. We don’t have all the answers, but we certainly have some great perspectives, and I think our team has done a great job of staying on the leading edge in this area of our industry.
SB: You recently attended the NSSF Marketing and Leadership Summit. You also were a member of the Marketing Roundtable Sessions where you led the session on “Working with Influencers.” How would you sum up your experiences working with influencers?
TB: That was a great event, one we look forward to every year. This year was definitely fun and impactful—thanks in large part to the schedule, speakers, and overall event the NSSF Team put together. But also we get so much more from the attendees in the room—as people from all sides of our space come together. And that’s what was fun about hosting that breakout session. We had brands, influencers themselves, agencies, internal marketers, and retailers all sharing their insights and perspectives. We got to hear some great success stories and eye-opening ideas—and also talked through some struggles and case studies on what not to do. Overall, I thought it was a great session—but I could be biased because even though I “led” it, I probably learned just as much (or more) than fellow “attendees”.
