Endeavor Business Media has grown to manage close to 95 brands in 16 markets, from commercial vehicles to healthcare to vehicle service and repair. That’s a big challenge for a chief marketing officer, but it is one that Amanda Landsaw has embraced.
”Since coming into this role, it’s been a focus of mine to break down any silos so that we have solid communication as an organization,” Landsaw told SIIA Media Alert in a recent Zoom interview. (CRO Paul Andrews told us about similar goals in an interview last year.)
“Are we making sure that we’re hitting or reaching the right audiences and then bringing them in?” she asked. “Are we creating content on a regular cadence that’s going to keep attracting and engaging [our audiences]—and then obviously get to a point where there’s an opportunity to monetize. The relationships between audience and content, and marketing and content are huge, because at the end of the day—especially in the industry that we’re in—content is what brings our audiences back to us day in and day out.”
As for the intricacies of marketing today, Landsaw said that it “definitely has gotten more complicated. There’s a lot more pressure on it, too, no matter what industry you’re in. Everybody wants that ROI. Gone are the days of the billboard marketing where you can just say, ‘I know I’ve got 100,000 impressions, and I spent $5,000 on it.’”
She points to the building of the pipeline and its different phases “and then being able to hand that off to the necessary people at the right time. Then the whole AI component adds a different level of complexity. But it also makes it more fun because it gives you more opportunities. Our pool went from this big to now it’s just massive. One of the fun things is navigating the best use for each of the different opportunities that we have.”
Speaking of that AI component, Landsaw said Endeavor has “acceptable-use policies in place. Internally, we have a task force that’s dedicated to AI, so that we are staying on top of what’s going on. Then we have as an organization, a this-is-how-you-can-use-it [guide]. ‘Here’s a running list of some of the tools that you could use.’ We’re just trying to leverage it in the best way that’s responsible for Endeavor.”
Asked what has been most successful revenue-wise of late, Landsaw quickly said events.
“I think you see that in the data across the board within the industry,” she said. “It gives us an opportunity to engage people in different ways and get people away from the computer screen and actually out there. It’s finding that quality audience to get people there and tying that to the quality of the speakers and letting that connection come into play for you. It’s an opportunity that somebody might not get anywhere else.”
At the end of the day, events are all about the experience, she said. Not just at the event, but what is that pre-, during, and post-event experience like? “We’re in a good position because we have that opportunity to continue to engage with them through our brands. Now you’re looking at things from a holistic perspective for that audience member, looking at that entire audience journey versus just that you attended this event and it’s, ‘See you next year.’”
Landsaw sees content as the key to that engagement. She meets every month with the VP of content to talk through some of the areas that they need to focus on. And while she tries to keep her staff “market-specific” to maintain the industry knowledge that builds up, some markets might have 35 brands and need to be divvied up.
The atmosphere is collaborative, especially between her and Andrews. They’ll go over the sales and marketing strategies and then “go back to the broader group on a leadership call.”
Landsaw’s capabilities enabled her to contribute at the executive level and secure speaking engagements at key industry conferences. She credits one of her mentors for pushing her out there at a young age—“terrified of public speaking”—to do a presentation to their C-suite.
“So I got a trial by fire in a good way. I have been very intentional of putting myself in those positions, watching how I speak. Because if it’s something that scares me, then there’s an opportunity for me to improve and do better, and to represent Endeavor in the best way possible.”
For Landsaw, that ability has also translated into the confidence to sit at the C-suite table.
“I think oftentimes people don’t necessarily give marketing a seat at the strategic partner table,” she said. “They look at it like, ‘This is what we want to do versus having that collaborative conversation.’ And that’s why I feel very privileged to have this opportunity as a CMO, because I have that seat at the table. And then just change how marketing is being viewed, whether that’s at Endeavor, across the industry, or wherever that may be.”
It all comes back, she said, to the strong leadership of CEO Chris Ferrell and the transparent and collaborative tone that he sets.
“I like the leadership group we have in place,” Landsaw said. “We have a lot of strong personalities which is great because we come to the table with our ideas, and we’re able to talk through them in a respectful manner. We’re not always just agreeing with everybody. We’re able to look at things from our own lenses but also bring other insights into it, too. We can make decisions that benefit the broader organization versus just marketing or just sales, or whatever that may be.”
