President’s Club Spotlight: Kristen Chouinard on the Power of Partnership

June 11, 2024

School may be out for the summer but out of home advertising class is now in session! Our President’s Club Spotlight series is back.

Today in the showcase is Kristen Rock Chouinard, a Senior Account Executive who has been with OUTFRONT since 2021. Born and raised in Kansas City, Kristen loves momming her two boys Calvin and Freddy and hitting the golf course with her husband Mike any chance she can get. She’s passionate about the psychology behind the purchase, entrepreneurial thinking, and our ability to forge our own paths in the world – as long as we leave it better than we found it. 

 

When you think about your clients’ most successful campaigns, what made them work?

The most successful campaigns have also been the most successful partnership and client relationships I’ve been a part of. These results aren’t a coincidence. Successful campaigns happen when you have a solid, diverse team of people working together who aren’t afraid to pitch ideas, lean on each other for their expertise, and dare to enjoy each other’s company while doing it. There are so many critical elements that make a campaign successful: the right creative, timing for the marketplace, the strategic tactics we select, optimization after the campaign is launched, on and on. When you are working towards something with a partner, in a solid professional relationship, your odds of pulling off success go way up. 

What are some brands that are really crushing it right now with their OOH campaigns?

Professional Bull Riders absolutely crushed a multi-faceted, multi-market out of home campaign they launched with us around the March Madness tournament in spring 2023. Their team’s out-of-the-box thinking, contesting, and ability to pique the interest of new audiences has helped them grow their fan base and get folks excited about their PBR Teams Championship series that tours around the country in the summertime. 

Do you have a personal favorite OUTFRONT asset? What is it and why do you love it?

My favorites are our wrapped subways in New York. The full-train size and scale of creative drives photo-ops that stretch campaign dollars further. Their social shareability and impressions are a marketer’s dream. Paired with ads from the same campaign on the interior of the subway, brands have the ability to talk to potential customers on their way to and from work, home, and play – when they actually have time and capacity to scan your QR code or digest your ad! Fish in a barrel. 

How do you approach your relationships with clients, particularly in terms of delivering value?

I don’t believe you can truly deliver any value or consultation for any client/prospect relationship until you zoom out from your own goals and objectives and zoom in on who’s in front of you. To listen, question, understand and fully comprehend where the organization is trying to go and what they are trying to accomplish is paramount in putting together the most effective strategy.

There’s a shift in mindset that needs to happen in order to begin building partnerships that are truly mutually beneficial. Your book of business and potential partners become part of your flock. Their needs become your needs. Their opportunities become your opportunities. Your goal is to assist them however you can to help them progress toward achieving their goals.

What advice would you give to an established national brand with regard to out of home?

I lend the perspective of the biggest consumer category out there – a 34-year-old woman with children who does most of the grocery shopping and consuming on behalf of her family. Advertisers with the budgets to be anywhere and everywhere their customers are, need to be. The only time I have a truly free moment to consider ads or to check off my to-do list (schedule home improvement, doctor’s appointments, plan outings for our family, etc.) is when I’ve dropped off my kids at daycare and I’m commuting on my way to and from work, where the majority of our out of home assets are in Kansas City.

We need to be talking to potential customers on the streets, and we need to be retargeting those passersby with ads on their screens at night when they are finally able to scroll and set some of their planning in motion. OUTFRONT’s capabilities as your one-stop shop for a comprehensive campaign have changed the game for my larger clients, whose to-do lists continue to grow. Having one point of contact for campaign planning, creative, invoicing, and your collaborative/consultative strategy has streamlined campaigns and undoubtedly reflected in the successes we’ve shared together.

Let us put our expertise to work for you! Contact us to get started.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT
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