We’re thrilled to have Bridget Dean join our Slide Nine team as an account director. With a 16-year career that spans industries and functions, Bridget brings agility, poise under pressure, and customer centricity to her role at Slide Nine. 

‍

Prior to joining Slide Nine, she managed key client relationships at New York City- and Raleigh-based agencies, led marketing campaigns for premier drugs and treatments, consulted on email marketing best practices for top online retailers and steered the digital marketing strategy for a global ecosystem of 60,000+ Cisco partners. 

‍

What brings you joy at work? What inspires you?

I thrive when I’m authentically connecting with people and encouraging them to tap into something that matters to them. This could be something personal that makes them feel vulnerable at work, or something they know is uniquely true to them but that they don't know how to make sense of in a professional environment. It’s inspiring to me when I have the opportunity to engage as a leader and mentor others—especially women—who are penning the early chapters of their careers. I appreciate being in a position to guide mentees through times of uncertainty and find words for the things that we all struggle with, but that connect us to ourselves and one another. 

‍

What drew you to the communications field?

In college, I wanted to pick a major that felt versatile, interesting and practical. I had heard ominous tales of majoring in something that wouldn’t lead to a real job, so I figured that no matter what I ended up doing in life, being a great communicator would serve me. It wasn’t until later in my career that I formally pivoted into communications after being recruited by a mentor who had shifted from marketing to communications and had a deep passion for employee experience. It’s been powerful to witness how aligning what I love to do (connect with people) with what I’m good at (writing) and what interests me in business (culture, nuance, and organizational change) can make work feel that much more meaningful. 

‍

‍How do you approach creating a memorable client experience?

Several years into working in marketing, both on the agency side and in-house, I resonated with something new I’d learned: Effective marketing is the ability to anticipate and thoughtfully address an unmet need. I think about experiences by imagining myself as the person or group who is (at the risk of oversimplifying the concept of user experience) receiving what I’m giving. I’ll ask probing questions, mine for previously underappreciated gems of insights, and level up what I uncover to align it with a clear business goal. I’ll continue to reinforce the ‘why’ behind what we’re doing, or saying, or promoting. And, beyond qualitative and quantitative metrics, I think about whether this actually would mean something to me? If not—if it feels flat, or if I can’t articulate the crux of the idea in a compelling sentence to an imaginary 90 year old, for example, then this just isn’t it. If things culminate in a chef’s kiss moment, I think about how to apply what worked at the next opportunity that presents itself.

‍

‍What trends are you keeping an eye on for 2024?

I recently came to understand that nostalgia is a big thing for me. As a geriatric millennial and sentimental, sensitive Cancer sign, this fully tracks. I remember the first time I watched, wide-eyed and mouth gaping, a computer mouse gliding across a desktop screen. The best act in the Immaculate Heart of Mary elementary school talent show was the two kids who lip synced in backwards overalls to Kris Kross (I had just bought the Jump cassette single). At one point, my sister and I were convinced that we were AIMing with the three Hanson brothers because they answered all of our only-they-could-know-these questions with 100% accuracy. As we approach the end of a calendar year and begin a new one, there’s something to be said for navigating life’s vicissitudes with a sense of familiarity. Self-servingly, I am keeping an eye out for the trend of nostalgia to continue. For me, and for others, a wink-worthy memory is a little pocket of levity.

‍

‍What’s the biggest win or most exciting work you’ve done throughout your career?

I loved partnering with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Cisco to deepen my understanding of identity, intersectionality, and how being proximate to one another is not only good for our collective well-being; it’s also good for organizational growth. A stand-out moment for me was partnering with the Global leads of the Pride ERG ahead of a live, all-company broadcast. I challenged myself to ensure that talking points for the leader whose communications I led were not only rooted in the full spectrum of lived experiences of the company’s LGBTQIA+ employees, but that they were also aligned with the purpose of the business, and the realities of which we were all a part. The event was a big deal to me—and it, quite literally, kept me up at night. The segment the leader delivered was well-received, and it showed me that when people see themselves in the work—when messages are built with them and not for them—it makes everything that much more powerful. As someone who thrives on authentic connection, it doesn’t get any more real than this.  

‍

‍What tools/websites do you use to keep up with the latest trends and news?

I am subscribed to about 10,000 daily news briefs and (unsuccessfully) attempt to limit my social intake so as to not get too overwhelmed. It’s an interesting pickle to be doing work that I love while also being a human who is influenced like any other by well-timed and well-implemented click bait. 

‍

‍What are you listening to while focusing on getting work done?

I work in my sunroom, so lately, I've been listening to the sounds of trees rustling, leaves crunching, and squirrels doing their frenetic squirrel things.

‍

What are you most looking forward to in your role with Slide Nine?

From a skill-set standpoint, I’m excited to learn more about the formal machinations of PR, as this is an area of communications that I’m more directly involved in than previous roles. Culturally, the team at Slide Nine has proved to be equally as passionate about the work that we deliver as we are about the way that it gets done, and I admire that deeply. From a diversity of thought standpoint, I am truly excited to learn from a contingent of incredibly impressive colleagues who (as it turns out) were not yet around when people like me were AIMing with Hanson! There's a lot we can learn from one another that directly benefits the clients to whom we are strategic advisors and thought partners; I’m genuinely glad to be doing this work, at this time, alongside this group.