Closing Time podcast featuring Jennifer Zick

Closing Time podcast featuring Jennifer Zick

Random Acts of Marketing: Move Past it to Make Your B2B Marketing Strategy Work FOR You Our founder and CEO, Jennifer Zick, was recently the featured guest on the Closing Time podcast with host Chip House.  (more…)
Read More
How Authentic Fractional CMOs™ build maturity in growing organizations

How Authentic Fractional CMOs™ build maturity in growing organizations

At Authentic, our clients span various industries and business types, and the challenges they face often depend on factors unique to each company. But what all of our clients do have in common is that they are looking to grow their businesses.  To support our clients in their growth, we developed our Authentic Growth™ Methodology. This methodology is our proprietary system that provides each of our Authentic Fractional CMOs™ with a set of tools and processes that they can strategically apply to the unique challenges of our client engagements — ultimately helping clients achieve marketing alignment, accountability, and aptitude. One such…
Read More
Authentic Recognized on the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal’s Fast 50 List 

Authentic Recognized on the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal’s Fast 50 List 

Company debuts on the list at #16 October 26, 2023/ Minneapolis, MN - Authentic™ was recognized by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal at #16 out of 50 fastest growing businesses in Minnesota. The Business Journal stated, "Authentic, which provides fractional chief marketing officers and was previously known as Authentic Brand, debuts on the Fast 50 List at No. 16, with a growth rate of 160.75% from 2020 to 2022. The Edina-based company saw revenue of nearly $3.4 million last year." The company was recognized at a reception for all list makers at U.S. Bank Stadium’s Polaris Club and…
Read More
Empyrean: Client Story 

Empyrean: Client Story 

HR technology and benefits administrator Empyrean hires Authentic to develop a channel strategy and amplify its marketing impact. “He [Authentic Fractional CMO™] was absolutely a key ingredient for us to set up a successful channel marketing effort. The team used to call him our marketing yoda.” James B. Stanton, VP of Go to Market, Empyrean Empyrean at a glance Company size: 900 employeesBusiness type: HR TechnologyCategory: B2B. B2B2CHeadquarters: Houston, TXKey initiatives: Strategic advising, channel marketing, co-marketing, communication strategy, marketing technology The Challenge Empyrean, an HR technology company that helps some of the largest brands build better cultures through benefits, was…
Read More
We are Authentic.

We are Authentic.

A special message from Founder and CEO, Jennifer Zick:  https://youtu.be/18RwESP_Noo Authentic Brand was a pioneer in the Fractional CMO category when it launched in 2017. Today, over six years later, we’ve announced a new name that will carry us into our future: Authentic. Why the change?  Aside from the beautiful simplicity of the word itself, the Authentic name anchors our brand to help us better position our current offering - as the premier national provider of Fractional CMO leadership for growing businesses.  Our unique model has always combined Marketers + Methodology + Mindshare to help growing businesses Overcome Random Acts…
Read More
The Berg Group: Client Story

The Berg Group: Client Story

Specialty contractor The Berg Group hired Authentic to solidify its marketing foundation and refocus its brand. "Our fractional CMO came in and laid a foundation of priorities that we needed to tackle before we could build on the components of marketing. Just like in construction, if you don’t start with a great foundation, anything you do above and beyond that is going to be weak." The Berg Group at a glance Company size: 70 employees + 400-600 field craftspeopleBusiness type: National specialty contractorCategory: B2BHeadquarters: Chaska, MinnesotaKey initiatives: Marketing fundamentals, brand messaging and design, digital strategy, metrics, employee development The Challenge…
Read More
Pillar Bank: Client Story

Pillar Bank: Client Story

Regional community bank Pillar Bank hires Authentic™ to reinvigorate its brand and re-establish it as a powerful community presence. "For an organization our size to have access to a mindshare of fractional CMOs and vetted external resources is super powerful. I don’t know where else we’d get that kind of horsepower." Shane Bauer, President & CEO, Pillar Bank Pillar Bank at a glance Company size: 44 employeesBusiness type: Regional community bankCategory: D2C, B2BHeadquarters: Baldwin, WIKey initiatives: Brand strategy, messaging & design, new market launch, digital strategy, metrics & reporting, marketing resourcing, employee development, and agency management The Challenge Pillar Bank,…
Read More
Channels: From undefined to omnichannel

Channels: From undefined to omnichannel

A company’s first go-to-market channel usually emerges organically as the business finds its footing and tests its idea with the market. But as a company matures, it must thoughtfully choose new channels for growth and develop strategic integrations between them. Using our Authentic Growth™ Marketing Maturity Matrix, we demonstrate the stages a business moves through as its channel strategy matures. Before we dive into the six stages of channel maturity, let’s define what we mean by channels. (more…)
Read More
Authentic Selected as Fast 50 Honoree by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Authentic Selected as Fast 50 Honoree by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Annual List Recognizes the Twin Cities’ Fastest Growing Private Companies August 31, 2023 / Minneapolis, MN - Authentic was named a Fast 50 Honoree by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal.   The annual Fast 50 list recognizes Twin Cities-based privately held companies with the fastest revenue growth for the past three years. This year’s list includes companies with revenue growth between 2020 - 2022.  To be eligible for the Fast 50, companies must be independently owned, privately held, for-profit businesses headquartered in the Twin Cities 24-county metro area. They also must have year-over-year revenue growth for each of the…
Read More
Healthcare marketing tips from experienced fractional CMOs

Healthcare marketing tips from experienced fractional CMOs

Healthcare has always been a challenging industry to market within. Competition is fierce with large investments being made into innovative startups, patient choice is largely based on factors you cannot control, margins are often slim, and regulation presents challenges for how you engage with your patients. Marketers must understand these unique challenges, keep up with developments in the industry, and know how to strategically allocate resources for impact. (more…)
Read More