We’re in Regina this month for our next Meet the Team feature: Director of Strategic Marketing, Jennifer Fabrik. From leading in-house teams, to running her own boutique marketing agency, Jenn brings a wealth of expertise, and fabulousness, to our team.
How long have you been at the agency for?
Just under two years.
You’re a part of our remote team, tell us about what’s going on in Regina?
Well, I grew up in small town in Saskatchewan, so for me Regina is the perfect mix of small town feel, with “big” city amenities.
I love being a remote team member. I am a huge homebody, and home is where I feel the most focused, creative and thoughtful. Especially as a Strategist, having a quiet, comfortable space to think lets me bring my best self to work.
While home is certainly where my heart is, I do really enjoy coming to our Winnipeg office a few times a year to spend time with our amazing team in person.
You recently got a new role – what is it and what does it entail?
Yes, recently I became the Director of Strategic Marketing for Show and Tell. This expands my role to include leading our agency's Strategic Marketing team - a powerhouse crew responsible for digital marketing, direct media and agile content services.
This expanded role means that I now lead digital marketing, media research, strategy, planning and booking for our agency.
Follow up: Our agency is media agnostic, what does that mean?
Being a media agnostic agency means that we are not preferential towards direct (historically called traditional) or digital media - we believe in exploring all opportunities and tactics across all mediums to find the best fit.
Having an experienced team that can seamlessly research, plan, develop and execute in both direct and digital media is one of the biggest strengths we bring to our clients.
What is your favourite medium? (traditional media, social, print, etc.)
That's like asking me to pick my favourite child (editors note: Jenn has one child).
I had to pick just one, I'd say static billboards. They aren't right for every campaign, but billboards are one of my favourite things to see come to life, from planning and concept, all the way to fruition.
The creative can make or break a billboard’s effectiveness. Billboards are much less forgiving than other mediums in that you MUST master brevity in order to convey your message effectively, paired with captivating visuals that capture attention.
There is something powerful about a well-executed billboard.
What’s been your favourite ad campaign in recent years, why?
My favorite ad campaign in recent years has been the Michael Cera campaign for CeraVe. It was a standout concept with an exceptional media strategy. Launching during the Super Bowl, the campaign leveraged organic, experiential, and paid efforts to maximize impact. They truly capitalized on the moment’s virality. It’s definitely one for the books!
My all-time favourite brand is Volkswagen. Their advertising dating back to the late 1950’s through to today is iconic (chef’s kiss). They’ve always celebrated what sets them apart, starting with the Beetle, and have excelled at standing out in a hyper competitive market. Their ability to say what others can’t (or won’t), makes the brand truly remarkable.
You used to run your own boutique agency – what are the three most valuable lessons you learned?
1. Take the time to hire exceptional people. Believe in their expertise, get out of the way and let people do their damn job.
2. Think before you act. I know this sounds simple, but it’s easy to go-go-go when you’re working under pressure. That’s when mistakes happen, and I’m not about that life.
3. Running a business is challenging. After running my own small business, I now have such a deep appreciation for founders, owners and CEOs. In those positions, you’re responsible for the livelihood and wellness of the people who work for you, and that pressure is real. Even visiting a coffee shop now, I'm thinking about the staffing challenges they might have. This appreciation is something I’ve brought with me to this role and influences how I work with our clients now.
What are your Regina restaurant recommendations?
Editor’s note: In true Jenn fashion, she gave us an organized list by category.
I’m a HUGE foodie. Here are my favs in Regina:
Coffee and donuts: The Everyday Kitchen
Ice-cream: Dandy’s
Lunch: Bone and Broth OR Italian Star Deli
Supper: Dojo Ramen OR Avenue (great cocktails at both too!)
We know you love to thrift – what’s been your best find?
Oh my gosh. I recently thrifted the cutest little vintage Burberry purse, do you want to see??? I’ll go get it.
*shows us*
I love to thrift. I love a good estate sale. I also used to have my own vintage boutique and I also love to restore pieces.
As the “mother” of our Agile Content Department – take us through the process of building that team?
The need for our Agile Content offering was identified by our Digital and Business Development teams, who recognized a demand for content creation that aligns with the authentic, ephemeral nature of today’s social media landscape.
With my background in organic and paid social media, I was well-prepared to build a team for this purpose. When our CEO, Marty Fisher, asked me to lead the development of this product, I was thrilled to take on the challenge.
Our goal was to offer content capture, production and delivery all while balancing expert execution with budget efficiency. We knew we needed a small but mighty, multi-talented team—a 'pod'—to achieve the level of “agility” needed. We started by looking to our internal talent first and asked Chloe Snaith (now our Agile Content Specialist) to become our first pod member. We then looked to external talent to find the perfect person to lead our Agile Content practice moving forward. This brought Emily Clarke to our team, bringing her unique skill set and the leadership needed to keep the momentum going.
In the last couple of months, I've been getting ready to pass that torch and now the fire continues to burn.
If you could only use one social platform, which would it be?
TikTok.
Follow up: What’s on your for you page right now?
Very demure, very mindful.
And oh my gosh. Chappell Roan. I always have a lot of dog content. “@weratedogs” is one of my favs. I love a good 'get ready with me'.
What’s your remote office ick?
When my dog barks when I’m in a meeting…like please - be quiet.
Culprit 1: Rupert
Culprit 2: Louis
You balance multiple different roles and responsibilities at the agency and always deliver at a high level – what’s your secret for staying organized?
I write everything down. Don’t assume you’ll remember (because you won’t), record everything. I do weekly planning at the beginning of each week, prioritizing my tasks before I jump in, so I make sure all deadlines are met. I look at my capacity for the week (considering meeting time) and then I prioritize my tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix.
I’ve always worn many hats, but I also recognize that you can’t accomplish (or know) everything, so I lean on the experts on our team a lot as well.
What advice would you give to someone new at the agency?
My first thing would be to talk to as many people as you can. Get to know them and their expertise. All our departments have amazing, highly specialized teams where you can go if you're interested in learning something.
The second would be to embrace the mentorship opportunities here. We have some of the most experienced, innovative and amazing group of leaders and I subscribe to being growth minded. It's important to take mentorship opportunities and let others contribute to your work and make it better.
I’ve come from work environments where I didn’t always have mentors and now that I’m here, I’ve grown more as a professional in the last two years than I did in the eight prior.
Any closing thoughts?
I want to give people book or podcast recommendations! Here are my first three industry-related ones:
Podcast - Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly
Book - Brand Seduction: How Neuroscience Can Help Marketers Build Memorable Brands
Video Essay - The Genius Marketing of Barbenheimer
If you want to see my non-industry related recs email me! jennifer.fabrik@theshowandtellagency.com
Now you know a little more about Jenn! So, who’s next?