Sam Tuttle
Director of Client Service, Mascola Advertising
Sam was living on a sailboat in the Bahamas when he decided to fly back to Connecticut, interview for a job at Mascola and never look back. And while he occasionally longs for his days in the Caribbean, he truly enjoys solving day-to-day problems for clients and working to make their brands consistent and strong.
A conversation with Sam
What attracted you to Mascola?
When I was in college, I used to deliver packages for Mascola to clients. One day, they were getting ready to pitch Bradley Airport. I went to pick up their response to the RFP – and when I got there, everyone was running around like crazy, trying to pull it together.
They were delivering the response in this really cool old suitcase that had those stickers on it that show all the places you’ve been. So just seeing everyone come together as a team and this creative package they put together, I thought, “What a great place to work. The people are cool and the vibe is cool.”
So what happened between delivery boy and account manager?
I worked at Mason & Madison for a while. Then I sailed a boat down to the Bahamas. And after living there for a few months with a friend of mine, I was sick of the whole thing. I felt like I was wasting away to nothing.
One day Katie called me about a job. I hadn’t shaven, showered, or cut my hair in three months. So I did those three things, hopped on a plane the next day, and three days later I started work.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned about advertising?
It’s better to get an ad into the target’s sight than to fool around with it, fix things, add things, take more away and just overanalyze it to death.
Finish this sentence. A good client is…
One that views their relationship with us as a partnership. It’s not about seeing us as a vendor. It’s about solving problems together.
Is that what motivates you? Solving problems?
Absolutely. I love the challenge. You never know what you’re going to be doing next.
What’s a good brand?
One that knows who they are and sticks with it.
Do most clients know who they are?
No.
If you could give a client one piece of advice, what would you tell them?
Trust your instincts. Don’t second-guess yourself to the point where you don’t make the right decision.
What product or brand do you think gets it right?
I think Target is really impressive – the way they took a mass-market, low-price store and turned it into a much more premium experience. They are just destroying the competition.
Any client stories you’d like to share?
It’s not necessarily a client story, but once when I was helping Lewmar set up for a trade show, I got my thumb stuck in a windlass. Ripped the fingernail right off.
Has being a Parrothead affected your work?
I don’t know if it’s affected my work, but it’s affected my mindset. No matter where I am in my career, I could always quit my job and become a pirate.