Michael Seay

“Why?” It’s one of Michael’s favorite questions.

He started asking it at the earliest stages of his marketing career. “I was one of those guys who’d read everything about marketing on the Internet to see how other people were doing it and try to understand why they did this or that. Why did they choose that image? Why did they make that their campaign focus? And by challenging every ‘why,’ I learned.”

Just as importantly, his least favorite question is “how?”

“When we’re in the idea phase of a discussion, I don’t want to be limited by wondering how we’re going to get something done. We’ll figure that out or adapt down the road.”

It’s wanting to know “why” - and the desire to communicate the answer to an audience - that fuels Michael’s passion for working with clients.

One example: “We’ve had a huge impact on North Star Bluescope Steel. They don’t have a marketing department; we work with their HR team. But we were able to identify their pains and apply our marketing skill to their needs. For our first campaign with them, we were recruiting female workers. We told the story of why women would want to work with the company through a few of the female team members. And the results were outstanding. We helped grow their female employee numbers by 210%. We’ve worked on many North Star campaigns since. They really embrace the ideas and concepts we bring to them.”

“Good marketing is about being memorable in a sea of noise,” says Michael. “The content needs to be relatable, personable and authentic.” His strong storytelling skills and ability to create excitement about big ideas help our clients see his vision.

“The thing I loved the most about the video is that you helped us tell the real story.” - Ed Caldwell, Scout Executive CEO / Lake Erie Council, Boy Scouts of America

A current member of the American Advertising Federation's Fifth District board, Michael has served as President and board member of the Toledo chapter of the AAF. He launched the organization’s Mosaic Committee on Multi-Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, and is a two-time recipient of AAF Toledo’s President’s Award.

Michael has been recognized by the Lucas County, Ohio Commissioners and others for his volunteerism, and was the winner of the 2009 Junior Achievement Bronze Leadership Award. He was also the Chairman and State Board Member of Prevent Blindness Ohio and has served on many other non-profit boards and committees.