December 9, 2024
December 10, 2024
This fall, communications industry veteran Tom Blim joined Mission North as Executive Vice President of Digital and Content. Tom has decades of experience in creative leadership – including as a founder of the content marketing firm Group SJR, and as the former President and CEO of Sawyer Miller (a division of Weber Shandwick). He has led strategic communications and crisis management for iconic global brands such as General Electric, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft.
Tom’s visionary approach to integrated comms will be invaluable as Mission North evolves and as we expand our digital and content offerings – from branded content and social media strategy to creative services and integrated thought leadership. I caught up with him to discuss his new role, his propensity for deep, strategic thinking, some industry trends and his passion for bike parts. What follows is an edited version of our discussion.
To kick us off, can you tell me a bit about your career journey and what drew you to Mission North?
My roots are in advertising. I started at CPG agencies in Chicago and then transitioned to more corporate work later in my career. I joined some friends at a startup called SJR that grew into a pioneering content marketing shop. Around 2008-09, we had a critical meeting with Beth Comstock, the legendary CMO and then Vice Chairman of GE. Her lament at the time – in the midst of the financial crisis – was that no one would write anything positive about them, so they needed to do it themselves. She assigned us to ‘GE Reports,’ a blog they had created that we ultimately supercharged. I’d argue it later became the best-in-class corporate content site. This helped us build a model agency with a full-blown multimedia studio with journalists, designers, illustrators, animators, photographers and videographers. After building that, I felt the hunger to try and do something new. Enter Mission North. When I met this team, it was clear to me that the agency uses a deeply intellectual approach to creating client narratives, and that’s something I haven't found terribly much in my career. This is an agency that has a deep desire to continually evolve and grow, which is what I love to do.
Today, journalism has evolved – given the escalation (and appeal) of negative news. That said, what’s your approach to storytelling and how has that changed in this new media landscape?
What I’ve found and still deeply believe is that stories need to be anchored in knowledge. Many organizations have deep subject matter expertise and knowledge to share. In the past, we tended to underestimate our audiences – assuming that they weren't interested. But in reality, they are. So, to create a compelling narrative, you have to share that knowledge in a transparent fashion. And that’s been my storytelling philosophy; ultimately, it should be a mirror that you hold up to the organization – showcasing the innovation, values and incredible people that differentiate a brand or a company.
<split-lines>"[Your storytelling approach] should be a mirror that you hold up to the organization – showcasing the innovation, values and incredible people that differentiate a brand or a company."<split-lines>
How have you seen B2B comms evolve? There are certainly brands that ‘get it.’ For those that don't, what do you wish they would better understand?
To quote Beth Comstock again, she said, ‘B2B doesn't need to be boring-to-boring,’ and I’ve taken that to heart. I mean, how do you make industrial machinery fascinating to people? You find creative ways to share imagery and stories that you can’t get elsewhere. It’s truly evolved: it used to be that mailed annual reports were the deepest level of transparency you’d get from a corporation. Then, we witnessed the more liberating aspects of social media – which allows companies to easily tell their authentic stories. While this has been amazing, there are still so many companies that don't get it, or that push back because they assume it's too expensive, or too difficult. Or, they assume that they don't have the credibility to tell their stories creatively. Frankly, they're wrong. Everyone does. B2B has evolved, but it has a long way to go.
<split-lines>"[We've now] witnessed the more liberating aspects of social media – which allows companies to easily tell their authentic stories."<split-lines>
Can you name a specific leadership lesson that you've carried throughout your career?
There are three ideas that I think have driven my focus: listening, building strong relationships, and relentlessly ‘creating.’ I found that developing direct and very human relationships with my team was the best way for us to create, produce and deliver campaigns on time. As an introvert, I forced myself to build real relationships. It was part of my job, but it was new to me. I was able to bring my authentic self into those relationships. Then finally, I’d say that I relentlessly puzzle over ideas and how to shape them. I trust my gut instinct – and my initial feeling is typically pretty spot on. But then I shape the concept, and mold it all the way up until it’s time to present or launch it. I can never let it go until it's perfectly polished.
That shows great discipline – truly letting things marinate, drift and evolve. I'm very excited to have that here. That said, are there specific ‘results’ you are most proud of?
In many ways, our team helped shape the way companies and entire industries communicate today. That pioneering work in content allowed us to shift from a world I was very familiar with in advertising – which was reliant on hype and spin – into a world that was much more focused on sharing knowledge and being transparent. I’d also say that what many brands failed to recognize early on is that they had a visual brand that lived outside of their package, logo, or traditional identity. The ‘visual brand’ is everything that they create – all of their employees, customers and stakeholders. Finding ways to bring that to life, especially via social channels, has allowed us to explore and reimagine entire brands.
There’s so much opportunity with visual storytelling. And speaking of opportunities, do you have any keen observations or predictions for the comms industry moving forward?
‘AI production backlash’ will gain some steam. My recommendation to brands that embrace AI as a means of producing content – whether it’s for advertising or social channels – is to use it and be brave about it, but to acknowledge that you're using it. Don’t try to slip one underneath the nose of your customers or your consumers, because they're going to pick it up right away and they'll happily voice their concerns. That’s especially true if they feel like you're doing it to reduce costs or for some other means of convenience – and it’s not about creative expression. This backlash is coming.
<split-lines>"[When using AI] don’t try to slip one underneath the nose of your customers or your consumers, because they're going to pick it up right away and they'll happily voice their concerns."<split-lines>
One final question and it’s a fun one: If you could do anything other than your current job, what would it be?
Simple. I would have my own bicycle component and apparel company. And it would be wildly successful!
