Strands of Genius: Inga Rundquist + Barriers to ROI Measurement
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
The ROI of Insights is about making real and measurable impact on business performance using insights.
It's All About The Business Impact of Insights.
Many Insights functions are measured by budget efficiency:
How many more projects are conducted for the same or less budget/headcount?
How much budget has been saved by in-sourcing?
But, the Business Impact of Insights is not about "cheaper, faster."
It's about effectiveness, not efficiency.
It's easier to measure budget efficiency than budget effectiveness.
But don't allow complexity to be the cause of your failure to measure the true value of Insights
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
INGA RUNDQUIST, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & SHAREHOLDER AT MINDFIRE COMMUNICATIONS
>> Inga Rundquist, guest curated Strands on November 14th 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
I grew up in Germany and England and moved to the US when I was 16. My dad’s German and my mom is American, so I’ve had the privilege of being able to experience both cultures during my formative years. That – coupled with 9 moves before I turned 18 – allowed me to experience lots of different environments in a very short time frame, something that has set me up well for a career in branding and communications. I started out as a journalist, specializing in business. But after three years of the daily grind, I decided a career in PR and social might be a better fit. Joke’s on me – not a whole lot of things that are relaxing about social these days!
What excites you most about what you do?
Making complicated things simple. So much of what we do as marketers starts out as a bunch of mumbo jumbo that feels convoluted and confusing. We’ve all been in briefing sessions where you walk out of the room and things just feel *complicated*. It’s exciting being on a team that’s be able to sift through all the stuff and synthesize it down to what’s most important. Whether it’s a tagline, a campaign concept, or just an easier way of thinking about the problem. When we can help a client overcome that kind of hurdle, that’s when I feel most excited about my work.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Do the right thing. If something feels wrong, it probably is! Also – be curious. It’s a huge turn off for me if someone just goes through the motions without questioning or even thinking about their actions. When people show up with curiosity, it fuels a more dynamic, engaged team, and that energy really reflects in the work we produce.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
One of my favorite projects of the year was organizing MindFire’s Inspiration Expedition. I don’t get to do that type of work in my day-to-day work life, and it was rewarding pulling everything together. Our trip was all about connecting and collaborating in real life, reigniting the creative spark that is at the center of all of our work. To continually push out creative you have to take time to seek inspiration. It makes me proud that MindFire is a place where we prioritize these types of out-of-office get togethers to seek inspiration. Inspired employees inspire employees. And shared experiences re-energize us and bring renewed focus to our work.
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
I couldn’t agree more – to me, diversity is at the heart of a truly innovative business. In my experience, teams with a diverse set of voices consistently bring stronger, more relevant solutions to the table. As an agency that’s headquartered in Iowa this is something we grapple with all the time. It’s something we’ve been working on a lot, but there is no doubt much more work to be done. At the end of the day, it’s a commitment to both respect and results - creating a culture where everyone feels valued and able to contribute in unique ways that drive us all forward.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
Yes, I do believe work/life balance is possible. We work in marketing for heaven’s sake. It’s not life or death! For me, it’s all about making it a priority to set those personal boundaries and sticking to them. Those were some of the lessons I was able to take out of COVID: Asking for what I want, and prioritizing what was right for my mental health and my family. The world will go on if the email doesn’t go out by 5, or if the deadline is missed by a day. We will live to see another day!
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
The nightly news is usually on when I’m cooking dinner for my family. And I’m a big fan of podcasts – especially news and tech shows. And of course social – in my current role I spend an inordinate amount of time on social channels, so sadly that is probably the majority of my media diet at the moment.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
The Co-Founder of MindFire would always tell me: cut the copy by 50%. Pretty solid advice for anyone, even if you’re not a copy writer.
You can keep in touch with Inga on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)