Bob Brecht

Who had the biggest influence on your career & why?

I would have to say my father. His one goal was to see that his sons got a good education. With no money and no education, he managed to get his four boys through college and two ended up with PhDs in the process.

What drove your decision to get into the marketing business?

If you run a company, you are in the marketing business. It was just logical for me to apply what I had learned running a number of businesses over my professional career.

What are you most proud of – your finest hour?

Actually two moments in time: The first was when I learned that a cutting edge project I started from scratch and directed was named the first telemedicine project to be inducted into the Smithsonian Hall of Fame.

The second was receiving the highest award given by the Health Sciences Communications Association for my efforts in that field. At the time I was only the 9th person to receive the honor in the 45 year history of the Association. Nothing like peer recognition.

What was your most embarrassing career moment?

Doing research and implementing website enhancements to attract adult porn industry people and swingers for a HIV testing company client. I could only imagine the cookies on my computer!

Share a great client story.

Convincing rural hospital administrators that they should work together to achieve what they couldn't do alone. We succeeded though and were able to get 90 administrators to share a common vision that resulted in a statewide network of rural hospitals and clinics that significantly increased their visibility and value to their communities.

What attracted you to DMN3?

DMN3's leadership and the potential to make a positive contribution.

What is your method for developing creative solutions for your clients?

It begins with defining the objectives and understanding how we will measure the results. This forms the framework for evaluating the potential impact of proposed solutions that come out of a good non judgmental brainstorming session with people with different view points. Testing is also critical to selecting the ones with the most impact on client success.

In your opinion, what makes a great brand?

Quality of product or service; message consistency and frequency geared to the target market; and great customer service.

What driving career goals are you still pursuing?

To stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving online marketing world.

Name at least one talent that you wish you could master?

I'd really like to learn Photoshop for my personal use.

What is your favorite sports team & why?

Rice Owls baseball. I love to watch little guys compete with the big boys.