And The Winner Is...

In this, the 10th episode of Misadventures in Marketing, Peter Farago and Steve Haney welcome Melissa Grimshaw-Vargas to the podcast. Melissa heads up Launchwise, a brand consulting practice in San Francisco that conducts brand launches and leads in-house executive brand initiatives for both consumer and B2B companies. She’s also VP of Partnerships for the American Marketing Association San Francisco chapter. The trio discusses awards as part of a company’s marketing strategy. They explore how awards can enhance credibility, build brand recognition, and serve as a validation tool for businesses, especially startups who don’t have the financial stability or track record of established firms. The hosts also share personal anecdotes and insights on the strategic value of applying for awards and how they can drive revenue generation. There is also the benefit of winning awards for internal team morale and recruitment. We are excited to announce the re-launch of the Excellence in Marketing Awards, presented by AMA San Francisco chapter! We discuss the historical context of this storied San Francisco marketing event and notable past winners and their iconic advertising campaigns, like Levi's and Old Navy. Applications are being accepted now and we encourage all comers to submit their entries at: https://www.amasf.org/eima/ About Misadventures In Marketing: The American Marketing Association San Francisco Chapter presents Misadventures in Marketing, a podcast about high tech marketing in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on marketing challenges in early stage technology startups. Hosts Peter Farago, a career high tech marketer and Steve Haney, a fractional CMO, chat weekly about marketing practices in high tech, the latest martech product news, their experiences from the front lines and interviews with their CMO friends and marketing colleagues. Listen: https://mim.captivate.fm/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMASanFrancisco/ X: https://x.com/AMASanFrancisco Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amasanfrancisco Hosts: Peter Farago and Steve Haney Marketing: Ian Robinson Lambert Editing: Lorenzo Fernandez-Kopec, Marisa Gabriela Ramos (Peakbound Studios) Production: JulieAnn Bornales