The Pennock Knockdown EP 21 | Avery West on Compassionate Branding for Female Owned Businesses

Watch or Listen to Episode 21 of The Pennock Knockdown.

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Welcome back to The Pennock Knockdown, the podcast where we dissect the strategies and tactics that truly matter in the dynamic world of marketing. Today, we're diving into a fascinating conversation with Avery West, the insightful founder of My Name is Avery Marketing Agency. Avery specializes in guiding female-owned brands and small firms through the crucial stages of development and launch. Join us as we unpack her journey, her perspectives on the evolving marketing landscape, and the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way.

From Burnout to Branding: Avery's Entrepreneurial Journey

Avery's path to founding her marketing agency wasn't a straight line, and that's precisely what makes her insights so relatable and valuable. After a decade immersed in the demanding agency world and the fast-paced environment of healthcare startups, Avery experienced the all-too-common phenomenon of burnout. Recognizing the need for a change, she intentionally stepped back from her full-time role to reassess her passions and priorities.

This period of reflection wasn't just about rest; it sparked an unexpected entrepreneurial venture. Living in the perpetually sunny climate of Los Angeles, a keen swimmer, Avery found herself volunteering as a swim instructor. This initial act of giving back unexpectedly blossomed into a private swim lesson business. Suddenly, Avery, who was questioning her future in marketing, was immersed in the very process of building a brand from the ground up. She meticulously considered her niche, crafted her brand identity, designed her logo, and developed her website – experiencing firsthand the challenges and triumphs of launching a small business.

This immersive experience proved to be a pivotal moment. Avery realized that her passion for marketing and branding hadn't vanished; it had simply been yearning for a different context. She discovered a deep satisfaction in being involved in the entire brand-building process, from the initial spark of an idea to a fully realized launch. Moreover, she found a particular joy in supporting and empowering fellow women entrepreneurs. This realization became the foundation of My Name is Avery Marketing Agency, a firm dedicated to helping female-owned startups and small businesses grow and confidently present themselves to the world with a strong and authentic brand.

Navigating the Healthcare Horizon: AI and the Human Touch

Drawing on her extensive background in the healthcare industry, Avery offers a compelling perspective on emerging trends and technologies. One area she's particularly excited about is the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, her vision isn't solely focused on AI as a tool for treatment; instead, she envisions a powerful and secure partnership between healthcare practitioners and AI tools that proactively focus on prevention.

Specifically within women's healthcare, Avery believes AI has the potential to revolutionize early detection and prevention of conditions like cervical and breast cancers – areas that are often underserved or overlooked. In a healthcare landscape where women may feel unheard, AI tools can provide an objective and consistent layer of analysis.

Furthermore, Avery posits an insightful "armchair theory" that AI can effectively offload tasks that humans aren't inherently adept at, such as the meticulous examination of medical images. This partnership would then free up healthcare professionals to focus on what truly sets them apart: compassionate care. Studies have consistently demonstrated that compassionate care significantly improves patient outcomes. By entrusting certain analytical tasks to AI, caregivers can dedicate more time and energy to providing empathetic and human-centered support, ultimately leading to better patient experiences and improved health outcomes.

The Anatomy of a Successful Brand Launch: Beyond Aesthetics

When asked to recount a particularly proud moment in her career, Avery immediately highlights her recent work with MitoCon, an all-female-owned healthcare consulting firm specializing in transformative solutions. This project was a comprehensive "soup to nuts" undertaking, where Avery's team spearheaded the entire brand development and launch process.

While a visually appealing website and well-crafted messaging are undoubtedly crucial components of a successful brand, Avery emphasizes a deeper, often overlooked metric: the ease and flow of subsequent content creation. She astutely points out that after establishing a strong brand foundation – encompassing a clear mission, compelling vision, defined core values, and comprehensive brand guidelines – the often-arduous task of copywriting for website content and various marketing materials should become significantly smoother.

Avery expresses immense pride in the fact that all content created for MitoCon since its brand launch has flowed seamlessly, a testament to the strength and clarity of the initial brand work. This ease of ongoing communication and content creation, she argues, is a profound indicator of a truly successful brand launch, where the foundational elements are so well-defined that they effortlessly inform all subsequent messaging and creative endeavors.

This point resonates deeply, particularly in a marketing landscape where brands often struggle with inconsistent messaging and disjointed communication across various platforms. A well-defined brand acts as a central nervous system, ensuring that all outward-facing communication is aligned, authentic, and effectively conveys the brand's core values and unique value proposition.

Navigating Client Preferences: The Art of Gentle Guidance

In the collaborative process of brand building, agencies often encounter situations where a client becomes fixated on a particular element – a color palette, a logo concept, a tagline – that the agency, based on their expertise, believes isn't the optimal choice. Avery shares her approach to navigating these potentially delicate situations.

Rather than simply acquiescing to the client's preference, Avery emphasizes the importance of gentle but firm guidance. Drawing on her experience and the successful outcomes she's witnessed, she articulates the value of trusting the expertise they were hired and are being paid for. She believes that a degree of respectful pushback, grounded in professional knowledge and a genuine desire for the client's success, ultimately earns the agency favor and strengthens the client relationship. Clients recognize that they are paying for informed recommendations, not just order-taking.

Avery also highlights the importance of pausing and thoughtful consideration when faced with client suggestions. If an idea arises that the agency team isn't immediately confident about, there's significant value in acknowledging the suggestion and requesting time to discuss it internally before providing a well-considered recommendation. This collaborative yet expert-driven approach ensures that decisions are made strategically and in the best interest of the brand's long-term success.

The Collaborative Ecosystem: Who Belongs in the Branding Room?

The composition of the team involved in branding and launch strategy conversations is a crucial factor in ensuring a smooth and effective process. Avery shares her agency's lean approach, where the core team typically involves herself, leading client communications and brand strategy, and her partner, a seasoned designer with extensive branding experience.

For Avery, the initial brand development phase benefits from a focused and streamlined approach. The goal is to create a clear, in-depth, and concise brand deck that serves as the foundational guide for all subsequent team members. While copywriters and developers are essential to the overall process, they don't necessarily need to be involved from the very beginning. The comprehensive brand deck acts as their North Star, providing the necessary direction and context for their specific areas of expertise. This lean approach ensures efficiency and allows specialists to focus on their core strengths.

From the client side, Avery has a non-negotiable requirement: the active involvement of the owners, CEOs, or founders. She recounts numerous instances, both in agency and in-house settings, where significant brand decisions were made without the early buy-in of top leadership, often leading to costly rework and frustration down the line. Ensuring the CEO or founder is involved from the outset is paramount for securing their vision, aligning expectations, and ultimately achieving a successful and well-supported brand launch.

The Evolving Brand Landscape: Compassion, Authenticity, and the Human Element

Reflecting on the broader trends shaping brand positioning and visual identity, Avery observes a significant shift towards greater realism and authenticity. Drawing a parallel to the increasing emphasis on compassion in healthcare, she believes this trend is permeating all industries. In an era where AI can readily generate logos and copy, Avery sees immense value in the "beautiful human error" of branding – the imperfections and authentic touches that resonate with audiences on a deeper level.

She advocates for less rigid, less overtly polished logos and designs, and instead champions a more natural flow and a return to human creativity. This trend, she notes, is evident locally in Los Angeles across various sectors, including B2B brands. Avery even playfully considered taglines for her own agency that embraced this human element, highlighting the desire to bring genuine compassion and authenticity back into design and messaging.

This shift away from sterile perfection aligns with a broader consumer fatigue with overly curated and unattainable brand aesthetics, particularly those prevalent in the earlier days of platforms like Instagram. For emerging brands, embracing their authentic voice and visual identity can be a refreshing and powerful differentiator. Even larger brands with established reach are finding success in injecting more humanity and genuine connection into their communications.

Understanding Client Needs: Beyond Deliverables to True Partnership

When discussing what clients are currently seeking from service providers, particularly within the realm of small firms, Avery identifies a key desire for a true extension of their own team. Clients aren't just looking for someone to execute tasks; they seek a partner who is deeply invested in their vision, understands their unique challenges, aligns with their goals, and is willing to be in the trenches with them.

While pricing remains a constant point of discussion and evolution, the overarching trend Avery observes is a yearning for a genuine partnership that goes beyond transactional service delivery. Clients want a provider who truly understands their brand's DNA and is committed to their long-term growth, not just a fleeting engagement focused on specific deliverables. This desire for a collaborative and invested partner resonates deeply in a business landscape where trust and shared vision are paramount for achieving sustainable success.

Lessons Learned: Advice for the Aspiring Professional

As the conversation nears its conclusion, Avery offers invaluable advice to her younger self, fresh out of college and navigating the complexities of the professional

The insights shared by Avery West underscore the critical importance of authenticity, expertise, and genuine connection in building successful brands, a philosophy that deeply resonates with our approach here at Pennock. If you've enjoyed this deep dive into brand building and launch strategies and have a compelling story or expertise to share within the marketing lanes, we'd love to feature you on a future episode of The Pennock Knockdown. Please reach out to Cassandra@Pennock.Co to explore potential collaboration opportunities and join the conversation.