Coworking with Erin Grant

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Erin Grant is US EVP at Sling & Stone, a PR and communications agency. Earlier in her career, she worked at companies including Bonobos and Freshly.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? Two come to mind: Walmart’s acquisition of Bonobos and Kicks Crew’s partnership announcement with NBA star Damian Lillard.

Being able to be at Bonobos during their acquisition was so instrumental in my career as we had to figure out across partners, vendors, consumers, and our team, “How and where is the best way to get this information across?” Being able to help shepherd that helped me really understand the power of strategic communications and how it can make or break pivotal moments.

Kicks Crew was a favorite as it combined two things I love: sports and sneakers. Being able to work with talent like Damian Lillard is always incredible, as you see how hardworking people are the best at what they do. Being able to see that play out in tandem with our client Kicks Crew having the same hustle and tenacity was really incredible. We also loved getting to work with the GQ video team on a three-part exclusive, which was also very cool.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? I will always love the Dr. Rick commercials that Progressive does. They’re so witty and smart, but beyond that, so relatable. I would have loved to have been in that brainstorm when they were coming up with it.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? I wouldn’t call it a trend, but I am thrilled to see companies looking to reinvest in top-of-funnel brand activity again. We’ve seen an overproliferation of paid marketing that, while incredibly necessary for growth, feels void of what really connects people to brands and keeps them coming back—a story that feels relatable, seen, or solves an inherent need. That emotive part is what I think has been missing from the game lately, and I’m stoked to see there’s more of a desire to get back to that again.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? HubSpot’s social accounts are great for marketers who need bite-sized inspo and helpful data. They really hit the nail on the head when it comes to interesting yet usable content. I love PR Girl Manifesto; they always have exceptional content on the latest in the PR world and tips and tricks. Lastly, I love The Consumer VC podcast from Mike Gelb. I’ve had the pleasure of working with him on it over the last couple years, and I always love hearing what founders are thinking about when it comes to marketing, business expansion, and brand.